EE150 - Fall 1996

Course
Description

Overview

This course is an introduction to computer programming using the "C" Programming language. Our goal is for you to become comfortable writing C language programs that solve non-trivial problems. As part of this course, you will learn the general concepts necessary to program in any language, the language-specific features necessary to program in C, and the basic commands necessary to enter, compile, execute, test, and debug programs in the UNIX programming environment. This course will teach by a combination of example and exploration. In both lecture and the course text, you will be exposed to a variety of different C programs. In the lab, you will be expected to learn how to use the computer through trial and error, given a set of handouts that describe the basics. You will also be expected to write and turn in a set of programs, ranging from simple exercises (doable in a few hours) to more complex projects (requiring 10-20 hours spread out over several weeks).

To do well in EE150, you must expect to spend a considerable amount of time actually writing programs. This course is designed so that lecture gives you sufficient background to understand the course text and the combination of the lecture and the text gives you sufficient background to complete the programming assignments. You cannot hope to do well in this course without attending lecture, reading the text, and trying to run and understand the example programs in the text.

You are not required to have any prior experience with either programming or using computers, although any experience you do have will be helpful.

Course Details

Professor:

Dr. Steven Woods

E-mail: sgwoods@wiliki.eng.hawaii.edu
Office: Holmes 480
Office hours (or by appointment):

Monday 1:00pm-2:15pm
Wednesday 1:00pm-2:15pm
Sections:

2: MWF, 2:30-3:20pm, Kuykendall 301
Textbook:
The Joy of C, Larry Miller and Alex Quilici, John Wiley and Sons, 1993.
Lab Locations:
Holmes 486 and Holmes 244

Getting Help

This class is focused primarily on programming, but there are a number of other related issues that we won't have time to go over in great detail in lecture. These include the gory details involved in using the various computer systems available in the College of Engineering, including such tasks as sending e-mail, editing files, and so on. This means there are a number of topics where you may feel very unsure exactly how to get the computer to do what you want. In addition, you can't learn programming without trying to program, and you may often find yourself a little stuck when your program doesn't work the way you expected it to, or worse, you can't figure out how on earth to accomplish a particular task.

We address this deficiency in several ways. One is by having one part-time teaching assistant (TA) who is available for 8 hours per week in Holmes 486 and (the Computer Lab for Department of Electrical Engineering) His job is to help show you the ropes and answer your questions. He will provide assistance in both using the computer and in dealing with problems you have with your programs.

The TA is Yu Zhang (yzhang@wiliki.eng.hawaii.edu).

Yu Zhang's lab hours are:

Monday 4.30-6.00pm in Holmes 488.
Tuesday 2.00-5.00pm in Holmes 486.
Wednesday 4.30-6.00pm in Holmes 486.
Friday 9.00-11.00am in Homes 486.

In addition to these lab hours, the TA will have one hour a week where they will provide a semi-formal demonstration in the lab. Yu Zhang will provide this demonstration Friday morning 10.00-11.00am in Holmes 486. The idea is that during this hour he will pick a topic, such as sending e-mail, compiling programs, and so on, and actually demonstrate all the details to whatever students have shown up during this time. If there is a particular topic you wish for the next week, please let Yu know via email.

There is no requirement to show up for these sessions. If, however, you are not already familiar with using the computers we will be using for this class, you will find attending this hour extremely beneficial.

Another source of help is e-mail. If you find yourself stuck or confused, please send e-mail to the professor or to the TAs describing your problem or asking a question. You'll find that you generally get a reasonably quick response and that this is much more convenient than waiting in line at office hours or trying to hunt us down during other times.

And, like in all courses, you are free to come and see the professor during official office hours or by prearranged appointment.

Course Grading

The course grading is divided between programming assignments and exams.