Syllabus

Office Hours

Link to Office Hours Schedule Office hours are held in the basement of Siebel. To add yourself to the office hours queue, go to Queue. Make sure to include which room you are in so the TA on duty can find you.

Course Theme

This course teaches a variety of ways to store collections of data in a computer program and discusses the advantages and disadvantages associated with the different methods. You will learn how to build various data-storage structures, and you’ll discover why you might prefer one over another in a particular situation. The combined arts of design, analysis and justification are the substance of the class.

The first 2–3 weeks of the course will be a crash-course in some C++. We will cover many of the major ideas of the language, and you will have had a great deal of practice with its features by the end of the semester. Our focus will be on those features that introduce computing concepts that may be new to you - most prominently, generic programming, object-oriented programming, and manual memory management.

While this is not a C++ course, keeping up with the class during the C++ portion will be important to your success later on, where the focus will shift from how to do things in C++ to what to do. In order to communicate these ideas for MPs and exams, you’ll need to be familiar with C++. Also, the first assessments will cover primarily C++ topics. That said, knowing C++ alone is not sufficient to do well in CS 225 - if you’re already familiar with C++, we encourage you to learn ahead and make sure you follow along with the data structure discussion later.

Prerequisites

• CS 128: Introduction to Computer Science
  • Programming basics
  • Programming structures (methods/functions)
  • Object-based programming (classes and encapsulation)
  • Recursion
  • Algorithm analysis
  • Linear search and binary search
  • Sorting algorithms
• ECE 220: Intro to Computing Systems
  • Programming basics (in C and C++)
  • Programming structures (methods/functions)
  • Pointers
  • Recursion
• CS 173 or Math 213: Discrete Mathematics
  • Order of growth (“Big-O Notation”)
  • Recurrences
  • Proof by induction
  • Set definitions/terminology/facts
  • Tree definitions/terminology/facts
  • Graph definitions/terminology/facts
  • Relations and equivalence relations

See also the FAQ about prerequisites.

C++ reference

A good C++ reference is a necessity. Here are some suggestions:

• A good reference of the language and standard library is available at http://en.cppreference.com/.
• A more tutorial-based approach is available at http://www.learncpp.com/. This spends more time teaching, rather than acting solely as a reference.
• If you like physical books, Ira Pohl’s C++ Distilled is a good option. (Don’t be put off by its age! In this case it just means it doesn’t cost a fortune. yay!).

You are welcome to use any alternative references you prefer.

Communication

Email

For all administrative questions please use the cs225admin@lists.cs.illinois.edu email to reach the professors. This will go the the all the instructors and admins but none of the rest of the staff.

Discord

We have a course Discord server to help students connect with staff and each other. To join the discord server follow this link CS225 Discord .

We’d like you to use this virtual space to talk about class, work on the MPs/labs, and general bantering/socializing! We are also using it for lecture discussion so please get on it. You can keep using Piazza, office hours, or e-mailing us about anything you need.

Discord allows us to answer questions in real time. Please keep Discord questions brief so we may answer timely. This server isn’t a way to get ahold of course staff for personal tutoring. If you have multiple questions or want 1-on-1 help in an assignment, please defer to office hours. Please send any long form questions, that may include code, debugging, and error logs, to Piazza, so we can invest time in answering properly. Piazza indexes questions and makes them searchable; this helps other students that may have the same issue!

Finally Do not DM staff with questions about the course on Discord.

Grading

All lab and MP scores will be published to your repository. Exam grades will be visible on PrairieLearn as soon as you finish the exam. All grades for the course will be available via PrairieLearn throughout the semester (and no other platforms).

Point breakdown

Usual cutoffs

We might lower these cutoffs; for example, perhaps 670 points will turn out to be enough for a C-; however, we won’t raise them. (In recent semesters these cutoffs have not moved significantly from these targets.)

We do not assign letter grades for individual scores. We also do not ever curve individual exam or assignment scores. If an exam or assignment should turn out to be significantly harder than we meant it to be, we would announce a lowering of the expected cutoffs above for the various letter grades, in effect lowering the percentage needed for a grade and curving the grades.

Extra credit

There is an opportunity for significant extra credit in this course. Points for extra credit work will be assigned after grade cutoffs are determined, so they are a true bonus to your score. The total amount of extra credit you can earn is capped at 100 points, or one letter grade.

MP extra credit via early submission

All MPs except the first mp_sticker are broken into two parts. The first part can be submitted early for up to +8 extra credit points. The result of consistent early submission is +40 points toward your final course score, or nearly half a letter grade.

Partial extra credit is available; if you score an 80% on an early submission, you will get 80% of the extra credit weight extra credit. (eg: +8 * 80% = +6.4)

Lab extra credit

Starting with the third week you will get extra credit for attending and participating in your lab section. The total points of extra credit you can earn form labs is 40 points. To earn that you need to attend and participate in the 10 labs.

Problems of the Day (POTDs)

Beginning in approximately two weeks and continuing every weekday through the end of the semester we will give you a small programming problem to download, solve, and upload. These exercises are designed to mimic the environment and scope of coding problems you will see on midterms. They will be distributed and collected via PrairieLearn. Each POTD is worth +1 extra credit point, to a maximum of +40 points.

MPs and Labs

Machine Problems

There will be 6 machine problems (MPs). They are of increasing difficulty and sophistication, and we consider them to be the meat and cheese of the course.

The MPs you will be doing in this class will serve many purposes:

• They are designed to give you substantial practice with the C++ syntax you learn in class.
• They are an exercise in the software development cycle.
• They are an exercise in attention to detail, as there is not much partial credit given on the MPs.
• They are an exercise learning to use the tools available to you to help you work more efficiently and to check the quality of your work.

You are given approximately two weeks for each MP. Exact MP due dates will be announced in lecture and on the MP specification page.

Lab Meetings

There will be approximately 12 lab sections during the semester, each of which consists of a small intro and a lab exercise. See the top of this page for meeting times and locations. Lively discussion and collaboration with course staff and fellow students during the 2 hour labs should usually (but not always) result in significant progress toward finishing the exercise.

The purpose of labs is to help improve your programming abilities and reinforce concepts taught in lecture. Exact lab formats may change week-to-week, but a usual lab will consist of about 20 minutes of discussion over the material covered in lecture and about 90 minutes of collaborative coding.

Lab sections are each worth 10 points each.

Lab assignments will be released for all students before the first lab on Wednesday, and will be due the following Sunday at 11:59pm.

Machines and EWS

Your MP and lab solutions MUST compile and execute on the EWS Linux machines. If you are a student in the College of Engineering, you automatically have an account on those machines. Just use your NetID and AD password to get in. If you discover that you do not have an account on the EWS machines, first try resetting your AD password, and if that doesn’t work, then email cs225admin@lists.cs.illinois.edu and we will help you.

Exam Policies

See the Exams page.

Academic Integrity

For a more detailed description of our Academic Integrity Policy, please see Academic Integrity. You are responsible for the content there, but as an overview:

• You may NOT reference any code outside of that provided in lecture and the textbook, or receive help from ANYONE outside of course staff.
• On labs you may work with partners who must be currently taking the course.
• On the final project you will work with your assigned group.
• Your turned in work must be your own product, representing your own knowledge. Any form of cheating is unacceptable.

Statement on anti-racism and inclusivity

The intent of this section is to raise student and instructor awareness of the ongoing threat of bias and racism and of the need to take personal responsibility in creating an inclusive learning environment.

The Grainger College of Engineering is committed to the creation of an anti-racist, inclusive community that welcomes diversity along a number of dimensions, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity and national origins, gender and gender identity, sexuality, disability status, class, age, or religious beliefs. The College recognizes that we are learning together in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, that Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous voices and contributions have largely either been excluded from, or not recognized in, science and engineering, and that both overt racism and micro-aggressions threaten the well-being of our students and our university community.

The effectiveness of this course is dependent upon each of us to create a safe and encouraging learning environment that allows for the open exchange of ideas while also ensuring equitable opportunities and respect for all of us. Everyone is expected to help establish and maintain an environment where students, staff, and faculty can contribute without fear of personal ridicule, or intolerant or offensive language. If you witness or experience racism, discrimination, micro-aggressions, or other offensive behavior, you are encouraged to bring this to the attention of the course director if you feel comfortable. You can also report these behaviors to the Bias Assessment and Response Team (BART). Based on your report, BART members will follow up and reach out to students to make sure they have the support they need to be healthy and safe. If the reported behavior also violates university policy, staff in the Office for Student Conflict Resolution may respond as well and will take appropriate action.

Statement on CS CARES and CS Values and Code of Conduct

All members of the Illinois Computer Science department - faculty, staff, and students - are expected to adhere to the CS Values and Code of Conduct. The CS CARES Committee is available to serve as a resource to help people who are concerned about or experience a potential violation of the Code. If you experience such issues, please contact the CS CARES Committee. The Instructors of this course are also available for issues related to this class.

Statement on Mental Health

Diminished mental health, including significant stress, mood changes, excessive worry, substance/alcohol abuse, or problems with eating and/or sleeping can interfere with optimal academic performance, social development, and emotional well-being. The University of Illinois offers a variety of confidential services including individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, psychiatric services, and specialized screenings at no additional cost. If you or someone you know experiences any of the above mental health concerns, it is strongly encouraged to contact or visit any of the University’s resources provided below. Getting help is a smart and courageous thing to do – for yourself and for those who care about you.

Counseling Center: 217-333-3704, 610 East John Street Champaign, IL 61820

McKinley Health Center:217-333-2700, 1109 South Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801

University wellness center: https://wellness.illinois.edu/