PIC 10A is a five-credit course, with four hours of lecture and two hours of discussion every week. Topics covered include basic principles of programming using C++, algorithmic and procedural problem solving, program design and development, basic data types, control structures, functions, arrays, pointers, and introduction to classes for programmer-defined data types. No prior programming experience is assumed.
http://www.math.ucla.edu/~pajones/10a.1.091/
All homework assignments, handouts, and lecture notes will be posted on the website's schedule.
The PIC Lab is staffed during its open hours by undergraduate lab assistants. They are there to help with computer issues, not to debug your programs. If you need help with your assignment, you should ask the TA's or the professor. The computers in the lab are set up with the necessary software for completing and submitting your homework. You can work at your home computer, but you are responsible for using the same C++ compiler (Microsoft Visual Studio 2005) and correctly submitting your homework by remote FTP. Directions on how to do this are on the PIC website.
You can check your point totals online using your Bruin online account at www.my.ucla.edu. The course letter grades will be determined based on the class distribution of the total points.
There will be weekly homework assignments (7 in total) during the session. Each homework will be due Tuesday 5:00pm. The homework will be submitted electronically using your PIC account. The homeworks are automatically collected at 5:00pm on the due date. No late homeworks will be accepted, for any reason. You must follow the directions and use the file names specified in the assignment, or else your submission will not be graded. Homeworks may not be submitted by e-mail. At the end of the semester, your lowest homework score will be dropped. The homework assignments are posted online at: http://www.math.ucla.edu/~pajones/10a.1.091/announcements.html
There will be a midterm exam, counting for 25% of your course grade. The midterm exam is scheduled Thursday, July 16th. The exams will be given during our regular lecture time. If you are unable to take the exam at the scheduled time, you must contact the lecturer before the exam time and may be asked to provide documentation for your absence. No make-up exams will be given, instead your final exam will be weighted more.
The final exam is scheduled for Thursday, August 13th, 9:30A-11:20A. The final will cover all the material we covered in the course and counts for 35% of your course grade. If you have a conflict with the scheduled exam time, you should contact the lecturer well in advance to schedule an alternate time. Not taking the final exam will result in an automatic failing grade. In extreme situations an incomplete grade can be given for missing the final, but the case must be reasonable and documented.
Most people learn better when they are working with others. I encourage you to work with your friends and classmates on the homework assignments. In the preface to his textbook, "Programming: Principles and Pratice Using C++," C++ creator, Bjarne Stroustrup, says,
Programming has an -- unfair -- reputation as a lonely activity. Most people work better and learn faster when they are part of a group with a common aim. Learning together and discussing problems with friends is not cheating! It is the most efficient -- as well as the most pleasant -- way of making progress. If nothing else, working with friends forces you to articulate your ideas, which is just about the most efficient way of testing your understanding and making sure you remember.
That being said, please do not copy your classmates' assignments. Programming require skills that you need practice to master.
Collaboration of any kind on the exams is strictly forbidden and will result in a failing grade for the course and possible academic discipline.
It is recommended that OSD students contact your professor as soon as possible to discuss and make any special arrangements. Accomodations such as quiet rooms and extended time for examinations are possible.