Academic Catalog

NCBS 443A: JUST-IN-TIME SUPPORT FOR C S 3A

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Summer 2022
Units: 0
Hours: 2.5 lecture per week (30 total per quarter)
Corequisite: C S 3A.
Degree & Credit Status: Non-Degree-Applicable Non-Credit Course
Foothill GE: Non-GE
Transferable: None
Grade Type: Non-Credit Course (Receives no Grade)
Repeatability: Unlimited Repeatability

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Students are able to discuss and apply debugging techniques, and use the debugger included in their integrated development environment
  • Students will demonstrate an ability to read project specifications and write functioning programs that meet those specifications
  • Students are able to discuss and apply PEP-8 and other python style guidelines
  • Students will demonstrate the ability to install an Integrated Development Environment on a computer

Description

A just-in-time approach to the core prerequisite skills, competencies, and concepts needed in C S 3A. Intended for students who are concurrently enrolled in C S 3A at Foothill College. Topics include: installation of an integrated development environment and other software, navigating a file system hierarchy, developing a logic-based approach to programming, identifying errors in a program using a debugger and other means.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Explore topics related to developing effective learning skills
  2. Install integrated development environment software
  3. Manipulate a hierarchical file system
  4. Write code that follows a software specification/requirements document
  5. Demonstrate an understanding of flow control using flowcharts and other means
  6. Identify and fix program errors using a debugger and other means
  7. Write pseudocode and turn pseudocode into programming code
  8. Follow style conventions in a particular programming language

Course Content

  1. Explore topics related to developing effective learning skills
    1. Learn study skills
    2. Organizational skills
    3. Time management
    4. Test preparation
    5. Research
  2. Install integrated development environment software
    1. Navigate to a vendor site and choose an appropriate operating system and software version
    2. Unpack software as needed
    3. Choose appropriate installation options
    4. Solve installation issues
  3. Manipulate a hierarchical file system
    1. Navigate to a target folder/directory
    2. Move, copy, delete and rename files
  4. Write code that follows a software specification/requirements document
    1. Parse the spec into required program elements, such as classes, functions, and variables
    2. Run provided testing code to verify that a program behaves as expected
    3. Develop testing code to verify that a program meets spec
    4. Prepare a sample run to document successful testing
  5. Demonstrate an understanding of flow control using flowcharts and other means
    1. While loops
    2. For loops
    3. If statements
    4. Exit conditions
  6. Identify and fix program errors using a debugger and other means
    1. Unconditional and conditional breakpoints
    2. Watch lists
    3. Stack trace
  7. Write pseudocode and turn pseudocode into programming code
  8. Follow style conventions in a particular programming language

Lab Content

Not applicable.

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

Access to a computer laboratory with the appropriate software.

Method(s) of Evaluation

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

Group and independent exploratory activities
Homework
Performance in C S 3A

Method(s) of Instruction

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

Group work
Discussion
Mini-lectures
Instructor-guided discovery
Formative assessment

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

Horstmann, Cay S., and Rance D. Necaise. Python for Everyone, 3rd ed.. 2019.

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

  1. Assigned reading from the parent course, and supplemental reading as assigned to reinforce course concepts
  2. Written documentation of code
  3. Written reflection after completing an assignment, and after receiving feedback
  4. Supplemental coding assignments to reinforce concepts from the parent course

Discipline(s)

Computer Science