Previous Years' Courses
FALL 2012
COMP 10500-all Introduction to Web Site Development LA, NS
3 CREDITS
01, 02, 03: Teresa Zollo, Williams 401C, X43602, tzollo@ithaca.edu
04: Patricia Edgecomb, Williams 402A, X1553, pedgecomb@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 34 per section
STUDENTS: Students with some basic knowledge of how to use a computer. Prior experience using Microsoft Windows or the Mac OS is expected. Students who have completed or are taking COMP-20500 may not receive credit for this course. Students may not receive credit for both this course and MGMT-26000.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Introduction to the Internet, web browsers and web development software tools. Students study web-page design techniques and concepts and use these to develop web pages with basic HTML and more advanced features such as tables, forms, and style sheets. The basics of storing and displaying graphics and creating images for the web are also studied. The use of scripting languages such as JavaScript is introduced.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lectures, tutorials/labs, and projects.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Homework and topic quizzes, labs/tutorials, projects, class participation, and final exam.
COMP 10600-all Flash for Animation and Games LA, NS
3 CREDITS
01, 02, 03, 04: Dick Cowan, Williams 321C, X47054, rcowan@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 30 per section
PREREQUISITES: Familiarity with computers assumed.
STUDENTS: Students familiar with the workings of computer systems, the internet, and the World Wide Web, along with a basic knowledge of how to create web pages using HTML and JavaScript.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The focus of this course is to learn how to create animations, interactive applications and web pages using Adobe Flash. The course will concentrate on using Flash CS5 and its scripting language, ActionScript 3.0, to create interactive multimedia applications for use on the computer and the web.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Labs, periodic quizzes, and a series of projects, including a large final project.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: quizzes, projects, and labs.
COMP 10700-01 Introduction to 2D Game Development LA, NS, 2b
4 CREDITS
01: Sharon Stansfield
ENROLLMENT: 30 per section
PREREQUISITES: none
STUDENTS: Experience using Windows or the MacOS is expected. No previous programming experience is required.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: An introduction to the various types of games (advergames, serious games, entertainment games, etc.) and to the design, development, and implementation of two-dimensional (2D) games. Topics to be covered will include principles of designing games and the computational methods and tools used to create game content. Students will also learn the basic principles of project management and teamwork. Concepts will be put into practice as teams design and develop their own 2D games.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lectures, Labs, projects, and weekly quizzes
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Labs, projects, and quizzes.
COMP 11000-all Computers and Information Technologies LA, NS 2b
3 CREDITS
01: Dan Barrow, pbarrow@ithaca.edu
02,05-07: Kathie Barbieri, kbarbieri@ithaca.edu
03-04: Tricia Edgecomb, pedgecomb@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 34 per section
STUDENTS: This course is appropriate for any student wishing to comfortably and effectively use a computer and information technology tools. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: HLTH 13901, EXSS 13900. Students who have already taken COMP 10100 cannot receive credit for this course.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The primary goal of this course is the development of the basic skills needed to effectively use a computer for personal and professional productivity. Through many hands-on computer labs and projects, students will develop some expertise in the use of a computer and the major software tools used to organize access and manipulate information: primarily, database management systems (ACCESS) and spreadsheets (Excel) and secondarily, operating environments (Windows), slide presentations (PowerPoint) and Web Pages (HTML). To provide a stronger understanding of computers and information systems, this course also presents an introduction to the components of a computer system, and to social and ethical issues relevant to life in the information age.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lectures, tutorials, exercises, projects, quizzes, and two exams. Homework will include tutorials, exercises, and completing projects.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Quizzes, lab modules, projects, and exams.
COMP 17100-all Principles of Computing Science I LA, NS 2b
4 CREDITS
O1: Doug Turnbull, Williams 321E, X45743, dturnbull@ithaca.edu
02: Paul Dickson
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section
STUDENTS: Experience using Windows or the MacOS is expected. No previous programming experience is required. The course is particularly suited to students wishing to learn how to maximize their ability to utilize a computer to solve problems.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This is an introductory course in computational problem solving and computer programming. The course will focus on both imperative and object-oriented design paradigms for effectively solving problems using a computer. The course will include, but will not be limited to, the definition and use of values, variables, objects, standard control structures (e.g., if-else statements, for-loops), and analyzing problems and designing suitable solutions.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: 3 lectures per week and one 2 hour lab per week.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: There will be weekly lab assignments, several programming problems to code and test, as well as weekly quizzes and a final exam.
COMP 17200-01 Principles of Computing Science II NS 2b
4 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Sharon Stansfield, Williams 321E, X43630, sstansfield@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section
PREREQUISITES: Comp 17100
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will strengthen skills in design, programming and testing of software with an emphasis on the Object-Oriented programming paradigm. Topics will include classes, objects, inheritance, polymorphism, image processing (2D arrays) and graphical user interface programming.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: The course will be a combination of lectures, in-class exercises, and labs, with a strong hands-on approach.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Homework assignments, projects, weekly quizzes, and a final exam.
COMP 20500-01 Advanced Web Programming LA, NS
4 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Doug Turnbull, Williams 321E, X45743, dturnbull@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 30
PREREQUISITES: COMP-17100
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course introduces web site development and extends these concepts to include interactivity and dynamic web pages. Both client side (e.g., programs in the browser) technologies like JavaScript and server side (e.g., programs on the web server) like PHP are covered in the course. The course begins by extending HTML to XHTML and reviewing cascading style sheets (CSS). It then covers dynamic web pages (i.e., web pages that change in response to user input) via JavaScript. The course then discusses server-side programming with PHP. Server-side programming allows designers to gather information from web pages and either store it or use it to create new dynamic web pages. Database concepts and the SQL programming language are covered so that students understand how to connect databases to a web application. The course also covers various advanced web programming topics like HTTP, AJAX, HTML5, web security, etc.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Four lectures per week. Some classes will be used to review student work.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: One problem set per week (usually implementing a web technology). Two exams will be given during the semester. One large term project (done in teams) must be completed over the semester. This project will consist of designing and implementing a large interactive web site. There will be a final presentation of the project during finals week.
COMP 22000-01 Introduction to Data Structures LA, NS
4 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: John Barr, Williams 321B, X43579, barr@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section
PREREQUISITES: COMP 17200; COMP 11500 or MATH 11100 (may be taken concurrently)
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course covers basic data structures, including stacks, queues, trees, and graphs. Fundamental algorithmic techniques, such as sorting and searching, are also covered.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture & labs
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: One problem set per week (usually implementing a data structure). Two exams will be given during the semester. Several mid-sized projects will be completed over the semester. There will be a final presentation of the project during the last week of classes.
COMP 22500-01 HCI User Interface Design and Development LA, NS
4 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Paul Dickson
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: COMP 17200
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course presents the fundamental concepts of design, prototyping, evaluation, and implementation of user interfaces (UIs). Topics of study include the phases of interface design, product prototyping, interface design principles, and user testing. Principles of human perception and cognition are covered in terms of how they apply to user interface design.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lectures. labs, and class discussion
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: In-class and homework assignments, major team project and presentation, quizzes, midterm and final exam.
COMP 32100-01 Programming Languages LA, NS
3 CREDITS
01: John Barr, Williams 321B, X43579, barr@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section.
PREREQUISITES: Comp 21000 and Comp 22000.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: An intermediate-level course in programming language constructs, including design issues, paradigms and corresponding machine models, language constructs, syntax, and semantics. Includes a survey of actual programming languages representative of common paradigms, critically comparing the design choices and features unique to each. Algorithmic, functional, and logical languages are considered.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, labs, and hands-on in-class assignments
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: One problem set per week (usually involving problem solving in a new program language/paradigm). Two exams will be given during the semester. Several mid-sized projects will be completed over the semester including the completion of an interpreter.
COMP 36500-01 Computer Networks LA, NS
3 CREDITS
01: John Barr, Williams 321B, X43579, barr@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section
PREREQUISITES: Comp 11500 and Comp 21000
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Basic concepts of computer networks and data communications. The major topics include the physical description of the internet, network applications like HTTP, FTP, SMTP, and DNS, reliable data transfer and TCP, routing, and error detection. Includes a discussion of characteristics of local and wide area networks, heterogeneous networks, and case studies of current networks. This course contains a laboratory component that includes topics such as network configuration, topologies and protocols, and network applications.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, labs, and class discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: One problem set per week (usually includes the examination of network protocols). Two exams will be given during the semester. Several mid-sized projects will be completed over the semester including one that involves writing a major piece of network software sucha as a web server, a web proxy, or a email client.
COMP 49000-01 Topics in Information Retrieval and Recommendation Systems
4 CREDITS
01: Doug Turnbull, Williams 321E, X45743, dturnbull@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section
PREREQUISITES: Senior standing
STUDENTS: Experience using Python is encouraged. Advanced web programming experience will also be useful.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Search engines, such as Google, YouTube and Flickr, have had a huge impact on how people find and use information (e.g., webpages, videos, photos). Recommendation system like Netflix, Facebook, and Pandora, help people discover new and exciting things (e.g., movies, friends, songs). In this course, we will explore how information retrieval (IR) and recommendation systems (RecSys) are designed and implemented. The first half of the class will be devoted to developing traditional IR skills such as web-crawling, text & multimedia processing, boolean & vector-space modeling, classification, clustering, and similarity analysis. The second half of the course will be devoted to creating a information retrieval or recommendation system as a collaborative class project. For this project, groups of students will design and develop individual components of this large-scale system. In the final weeks we will combine these components and (if all goes well) launch a new IR/RecSys for public use on the Internet.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture/Lab, Programming Assignments, Research Paper Reading and Dissection, Collaborative Final Project
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Assignments, final project