Academic Catalog

C S 3A: OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING METHODOLOGIES IN PYTHON

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Summer 2022
Units: 4.5
Hours: 4 lecture, 2 laboratory per week (72 total per quarter)
Advisory: Intermediate Algebra or equivalent.
Degree & Credit Status: Degree-Applicable Credit Course
Foothill GE: Area V: Communication & Analytical Thinking
Transferable: CSU/UC
Grade Type: Letter Grade (Request for Pass/No Pass)
Repeatability: Not Repeatable

Student Learning Outcomes

  • A successful student will be able to write and debug Python programs which make use of the fundamental control structures and function-building techniques common to all programming languages. Specifically, the student will use data types, input, output, iterative, conditional, and functional components of the language in his or her programs.
  • A successful student will be able to use object-oriented programming techniques to design and implement a clear, well-structured Python program. Specifically, the student will use and design classes and objects in his or her programs.

Description

Systematic introduction to fundamental concepts of computer science through the study of the Python programming language. Coding topics include control structures, functions, classes, string processing, lists, tuples, dictionaries, working with files, and elementary graphics. Concept topics include algorithms, data abstraction, problem solving strategies, code style, documentation, debugging techniques and testing.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:
A. Describe the basic components of the Python software development environment.
B. Describe the Python software development life cycle from concept design through documentation, testing and maintenance.
C. Produce clearly written code in an industry standard style appropriate for Python.
D. Define both primitive and compound data types and give examples in Python of each type.
E. Use Python variable expressions in a program to compute numeric and string results.
F. Incorporate user-interaction input and output in a program through either console or graphical user interface methods.
G. Define, analyze and code the basic Python conditional and iterative control structures and explain how they can be nested.
H. Design, implement, test, and debug functions that can be used in programs, and demonstrate the way parameters are passed in such functions.
I. Apply the techniques of structured (functional) decomposition to separate a Python program into computational and interactive modules.
J. Write Python programs using object-oriented design, and contrast the difference between object-oriented and procedural code.
K. Create analytical algorithms that use lists and dictionaries for solving simple problems.
L. Explain how errors can be reported to the calling function.
M. Explain what an algorithm is and give examples of how algorithms are implemented in a Python program.
N. Write a Python program that reads data from and writes data to external files.
O. Design, implement, test, and debug a program that uses each of the following fundamental programming constructs: string processing, numeric computation, simple I/O, lists, files, and the Python REPL.
P. Solve problems that have origins in a variety of disciplines including math, science, the internet and business.
Q. Explain the difference between syntax and semantics in the context of Python, and place Python in its historical context among high-level languages.

Course Content

A. The Software Development Environment
1. The Python run-time environment
2. Integrated development environments (IDEs)
3. Compiled vs. interpreted languages
4. Survey of major languages
5. Obtaining and installing a Python IDE
B. The Software Development Life-Cycle
1. Overview of design
2. Overview of development
3. Overview of documentation
4. Overview of testing
5. Overview of maintenance
6. Compiler errors vs. run-time errors
7. Debugging strategies
C. Coding Standards, Conventions and Styles
1. Naming conventions for variables and methods
2. Using a common style guide such as PEP-8
3. Documentation that includes an abstract description of each program, method and function
D. Data Types
1. Primitive (int, float, str, boolean) vs. compound types
2. Numeric types
a. Range and precision
3. String type
4. Logical constants True/False
5. Lists, Dictionaries, Tuples
6. Type compatibility
7. Python-defined classes as compound types
E. Variable Expressions
1. Numeric operators and expressions
2. String operators and expressions
3. Logical operators and expressions
4. Relational operators
5. Operator precedence
F. Basic Input-Output Strategies
1. Console I/O
2. Formatting values for clean output
G. Control Structures
1. Selective and conditional statements
2. Loop statements
3. Nesting levels in control statements
4. List comprehensions
H. Functions and Procedural Programming
1. Parameter passing including default values for parameters and named parameters
2. Return value from functions
3. Scope of variables
4. Variable binding, lifetime and visibility
I. Structured Programming Elements
1. Separation of computation and I/O
2. Modularity
J. Object-Oriented Programming using Classes and Methods
1. Encapsulation of member data
2. Encapsulation of member methods
3. The self argument
4. Properties - getters and setters
5. Data abstraction as realized through correct selection of member data and methods
6. Object composition (the "has a" relationship)
7. Procedural languages vs. object-oriented languages
K. Error Reporting
1. Return values
2. Catching exceptions
3. Avoiding end-user output to report errors in functions or methods
L. Algorithms
1. Define and give examples of algorithms
2. Role of algorithms in the problem-solving process
3. Simple Sorting via a representative sort algorithm
4. Linear vs. binary searches
M. Files
1. Reading from text files
2. Writing to text files
3. Processing text files
N. Essential Examples and Assignment Areas
1. String/text processing
2. Numeric computation
3. User interaction
4. Lists and dictionaries
5. File processing
6. Creating and using a programmer-defined class
O. Applications used Throughout Course in Selected Areas
1. Math
2. Physics
3. Chemistry
4. Biology
5. Astronomy
6. Business and finance
7. Internet
P. History and Syntax
1. Python compared with prior languages
2. Current language alternatives to Python
3. Examples of how different languages use differing syntax to implement a single semantic construct

Lab Content

A. Familiarization with the beginning-level online lab environment
1. Modify and customize the settings of an Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
2. Use the IDE to create a new programming project
3. Organize projects within an IDE to make submitting labs and switching project environments an orderly process
4. Gain experience with the steps needed to edit a simple program
5. Modify IDE settings to produce an industry standard code style
B. Finding and fixing errors in simple programs
1. Demonstrate the complete edit-compile-run cycle of a simple program using IDE or command-line environment
2. Distinguish between compiler/syntax errors and logic errors
3. Develop strategies for dealing with each type of error
4. Debug code to produce a working program
C. Exploring the different data types using the compiler/IDE
1. Gain experience in effectively using the IDE to create code with primitive numeric types
2. Gain experience in effectively using the IDE to create code with primitive character types
3. Gain experience in effectively using the IDE to create code with strings and lists
4. Use the IDE to assist in defining and using compound data types
5. Solve syntax and logic problems that arise from typical incorrect formulation of data types
D. Demonstrating user interaction (I/O) through the IDE's console or GUI capabilities
1. Play the role of user and programmer, alternately, to establish a user-interaction plan for a program
2. Evaluate and comment on other students' user-interaction plan
3. Change modes from source code design (editing mode) to end-user interaction (run mode) in your IDE in order to perform Q/A on the program
4. Fix poor interaction behavior by adjusting source code and rerunning program until a satisfactory result is achieved
E. Designing, implementing and testing a program that demonstrates "intelligence" though a combination of control statements
1. Become familiar with selection, loop and nesting to imbue a program with correct logic behavior
2. Use structured programming to make control structures maintainable
3. Run the program multiple times to verify that its control statements produce the correct behavior or output under any scenario
4. Fix incorrect logic behavior by adjusting control structures and rerunning program until a satisfactory result is achieved
F. Incorporating functions and class methods in programming projects
1. Gain experience in designing, implementing and testing a function/method that demonstrates how binding, visibility and variable lifetime work in an OOP language
2. Use a previously written function or method in a client program
3. Refine methods/functions by adding or changing their definitions and locally bound variables, and observe the result
4. Deduce the impact of a function's or method's design on the programs that invoke it
G. Building a program around object-oriented techniques
1. Use previously written classes to instantiate objects in program
2. Use the IDE to assist in the creation of a programmer-defined class
3. Demonstrate the correct choice of class members and methods for each class used
4. Use the IDEs outline view to navigate from one class to another within a program
H. Exploring lists, dictionaries and list comprehensions
1. Understand the proper use of lists, dictionaries and list comprehensions
2. Incorporate a list, a dictionary and a list comprehensions into a program to facilitate the solution of an assigned problem
3. Investigate use of variable indices and loops to shorten and clarify the logic in programs
4. Use debugging techniques to solve problems that arise during the testing of a program
I. Reading from and writing to files
1. Understand the proper use of file I/O
2. Incorporate reading from a file into a program that solves a problem by processing data from the file
3. Incorporate writing to a file as a form of outputting the result of the program
4. Use debugging techniques to solve problems that arise during the testing of a program
J. Designing, implementing and testing algorithms
1. Write a program that uses a combination of techniques, such as looping, lists, logic and user or file I/O, all encapsulated in a coherent algorithm
2. Test the algorithm by running the program multiple times giving it different initial values or inputs
3. Implement a sorting or simple searching algorithm using lists
4. Transcribe an abstract algorithm into a concrete program that is written and tested using the IDE and submitted online for evaluation

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

A. Access to a computer laboratory with Python interpreters.
B. Website or course management system with an assignment posting component (through which all lab assignments are to be submitted) and a forum component (where students can discuss course material and receive help from the instructor). This applies to all sections, including on campus (i.e., face-to-face) offerings.
C. When taught via Foothill Global Access on the internet, the college will provide a fully functional and maintained course management system through which the instructor and students can interact.
D. When taught via Foothill Global Access on the internet, students must have currently existing email accounts and ongoing access to computers with internet capabilities.

Method(s) of Evaluation

Methods of Evaluation may include but are not limited to the following:

Tests and quizzes
Written laboratory assignments which include source code, sample runs and documentation
Final examination

Method(s) of Instruction

Methods of Instruction may include but are not limited to the following:

Lectures which include motivation for syntax and use of the Python language and OOP concepts, example programs, and analysis of these programs
Online labs (for all sections, including those meeting face-to-face/on campus), consisting of:
1. A programming assignment webpage located on a college-hosted course management system or other department-approved internet environment. Here, the students will review the specification of each programming assignment and submit their completed lab work
2. A discussion webpage located on a college-hosted course management system or other department-approved internet environment. Here, students can request assistance from the instructor and interact publicly with other class members
Detailed review of programming assignments which includes model solutions and specific comments on the student submissions
In person or online discussion which engages students and instructor in an ongoing dialog pertaining to all aspects of designing, implementing and analyzing programs
When course is taught fully online:
1. Instructor-authored lecture materials, handouts, syllabus, assignments, tests, and other relevant course material will be delivered through a college-hosted course management system or other department-approved internet environment
2. Additional instructional guidelines for this course are listed in the attached addendum of CS department online practices

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

Horstmann, Cay S., and Rance D. Necaise. Python for Everyone, 2nd ed.. 2016.

Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments

A. Reading
1. Textbook assigned reading averaging 30 pages per week.
2. Reading the supplied handouts and modules averaging 10 pages per week.
3. Reading online resources as directed by instructor though links pertinent to programming.
4. Reading library and reference material directed by instructor through course handouts.
B. Writing
1. Writing technical prose documentation that supports and describes the programs that are submitted for grades.

Discipline(s)

Computer Science