Syllabus

Welcome to CS 368, the C++ programming section! C and C++ are fast: they are compiled (no interpreter overhead), don't have background garbage collection, and give you control over memory layout. Both are excellent choices when performance matters. C code can usually be compiled by a C++ compiler, but C++ offers many features beyond what C alone has, including classes, exceptions, templates, functional programming, and a rich standard library. Becoming proficient with C++ will enable you to build sophisticated and performant applications and systems.

Revisions to Syllabus

Office Hours

Location: COMP SCI 7370.

Learning Objectives

Lecture

We will meet once a week in person and I'll also post recordings between lectures I'll expect you to watch on your own before lecture. See schedule here. The recordings will be heavy on programming demos -- to get the most out of them, I recommend following along, writing code yourself and pausing as needed.

I'll ask questions during lecture via TopHat. You can earn points by answering questions (and getting them correct).

Readings

We'll cover everything you need to know in lecture, but if you're looking for extra resources, you could consider the following:

Note that O'Reilly books are available for free via the Madison Public Library (the Meyers book is in the collection). To get access:

  1. get a library card (free)
  2. sign into the O'Reilly collection with your card number
  3. search for a book

Communication

We'll message the class regularly via Canvas announcements. We recommend updating your Canvas settings so that the "Announcement" option is "Notify immediately" so that you don't miss something important.

We have various forms page for a summary of all class forms.

Grading

This class is pass fail. To pass, you need to earn at least 100 points. Ways to earn points:

Academic Misconduct

TopHat

Submitting TopHat answers while not physically present in class mis-represents participation, and is considered misconduct.

Project

Code copying between students is not allowed in this course. Copying includes emailing, taking photos, looking while typing line by line, etc. Copying code then changing it is still copying and thus not allowed. Lock your compute when it's not attended.

Citing ChatGPT (or other LLMs): it's allowed with proper citation. To cite, have a directory named "chats" in your repository. It should include complete screenshots of your interactions with these tools.

Citing Online Resources: you can copy small snippets of code from stackoverflow (and other online references) if you cite them. For example, suppose I need to write some code that gets the median number from a list of numbers. I might search for "how to get the median of a list in python" and find a solution at https://stackoverflow.com/questions/24101524/finding-median-of-list-in-python.

I could (legitimately) post code from that page in my code, as long as it has a comment as follows: 

    # copied/adapted from https://stackoverflow.com/questions/24101524/finding-median-of-list-in-python
    def median(lst):
      sortedLst = sorted(lst)
      lstLen = len(lst)
      index = (lstLen - 1) // 2

      if (lstLen % 2):
        return sortedLst[index]
      else:
        return (sortedLst[index] + sortedLst[index + 1])/2.0

In contrast, copying from a nearly complete project you find online (that accomplishes what you're trying to do for your project) is not OK. When in doubt, ask us! The best way to stay out of trouble is to be completely transparent about what you're doing.

Quizzes

There will be a short Canvas quiz due at the end of most Wednesdays. Make sure you know the rules regarding what is allowed and what is not.

Allowed
NOT allowed