CS 110A

Introduction to Programming in C++        

City College of San Francisco

Taught by Wendy Kaufmyn, Engineering Faculty

What is CS 110A?

CS 110A is a course where you will learn the principals of computer programming using the computer programming language C++ as the tool to accomplish this purpose. Hence you will learn many important features of C++, but more importantly, you will be prepared to go on to study other programming languages after completing this course.

Why take a course online?
The advantage of taking an online class is the time flexibility and the absence of a commute. However, these advantages are countered by major disadvantages, including not having the face to face contact with the instructor to get questions answered immediately and not having difficult concepts explained in person. Instead, the online student needs to rely on their own ability to gain understanding of the material through reading the textbook and doing the assignments on their own.

You should consider your individual skills and specific situation to decide if the online option is for you. As any engineer would ask, "Do the benefits outweigh the cost?"

What type of student takes an online course?

The online student must have excellent time management and organizational skills. It is only for students who are able to take responsibility for their learning process. They must take it upon themselves to ensure that they complete assignments on schedule and more importantly, that they understand the course content. They also need to be able to articulate, in writing, any questions that they may have so that they can submit them via email. It goes without saying that the online student needs convenient internet access and comfort with the computer interface.

How much time am I expected to spend on the course?
An online course does not mean that you are free to learn at your own pace. You must keep up with the course schedule!

CS110A is a 3 lecture unit course, which, according to college guidelines, requires 6-9 hours/week of work outside of the classroom.  Counting the class time an onsite section would include, the online student needs to spend 9 - 12 hours/week working on the class. If you cannot carve out that kind of time commitment in your schedule, you may not want to enroll in this course.

What is required of the online CS 110A student?

Since this is an online class most of the work will be done remotely via the online server. Students are expected to log in almost daily for their weekly tasks and quizzes.

The online section has three mandatory on-campus meetings during the semester.

1. A one-hour orientation meeting in Week 1 of the semester.  
   

2. A two-hour midterm examination in Week 9.

3. A two-hour final examination in Week 18.

Students need to bring a valid picture identification to the exams. 

Valid identification is limited to a California driver's license, a California identification card or a passport.

How does the online environment work?

Online courses at City College are delivered via a server called Insight that uses open source software called Moodle. Once you are registered for an online class you will be given a login and password to access your course. However, you can get started familiarizing yourself now with the online environment by going to this link:
http://insight.ccsf.edu/   

and checking out the options under the Main menu on the left side of your screen.

Am I ready to take an course online?
To determine if you are ready for an online class go to this site:
http://www.ccsf.edu/Departments/Distance_Education/self_eval.htm

I've decided that I want to take this class.  What should I do now?

First - register for it through the Office of Admissions and Records. 

Then you need to attend the mandatory orientation session scheduled for:

Mandatory Orientation Session
CS 110A Online (Intro to Programming in C++)
Wednesday, January 20, 2010 from 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
ACRC PC Lab 2, Batmale 301

After attending the orientation, you should be ready to start working!
If you want to get an early start you can read the CS 110A course syllabus.

What if I still have questions?

Contact me!

(415) 239-3159

wkaufmyn@ccsf.edu

If you decide that this course is right for you I look forward to meeting you at the orientation session.

Wendy Kaufmyn, Engineering Instructor

Engineering and Technology Department

City College of San Francisco

wkaufmyn@ccsf.edu

http://fog.ccsf.edu/~wkaufmyn