Syllabus Help About the Course Course Format Recommended Background Readings & Resources Disclaimer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------About the

Course This course provides an overview of C++ for the experienced C programmer. You wi ll learn how C++ is more powerful than C. The C++ STL library will be featured. This library allows C++ programmers to code generically, efficiently and at a hi gh level. You will learn how to write basic graph algorithms such as the shortes t path algorithm, and advanced programming techniques in C++. You'll then put th ese skills to use through a series of programming homeworks aimed at producing a n intelligent hex player. This course uses an evolutionary teaching process, wit h C as a starting point and C++ as the destination. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------Course Format This 8 week course is designed to train a C programmer in the use of C++. Each w eek, students will learn new topics and practice their skills. Students can cons ult the complete Course Outline for the assigned weekly activities. Video Lectures: Students will watch Video Lectures ranging from 5-20 minutes in length, for a total of approximately two hours each week. Each of these videos m ay include one or two integrated quiz questions that are designed to test your u nderstanding as you watch the lecture. When it's time for an in-video quiz, the lecture will pause, and you'll see a question and answer options on the screen. You can take your time answering the question, and re-start the lecture whenever you're ready to move on. These quizzes are intended purely as a learning tool, so you will be allowed up to three chances at submitting the right answer. After the quiz, the instructor will usually deliver a short explanation of the quiz s olution. In-video quizzes are not graded, and your performance will not affect y our final grade in the course. We will also be providing a downloadable PDF cont aining the lecture notes that each Module was based on. You will find one link t o a PDF per Module of Video Lectures. The image below shows where to find your Video Lectures from the course menu, as well as what the icons on the screen represent:

Image: Video Lecture Explainer

Assignments: Throughout the course, there will be five Programming Homeworks tha t will be peer-assessed and assigned a grade by three of your fellow students. T he Final Exam will be graded electronically by the course software. You will als o be asked to complete a Pre- and Post-Course Survey, which will not count towar ds your final course grade. Grading: Your final course grade will be based 50% on the Programming Homeworks and 50% on the Final Exam, for a maximum possible score of 100%. To receive a St

atement of Accomplishment, you have to obtain >= 65% of the maximum possible sco re. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommended Backround One year of experience in programming with C or a similar programming language i s required. You should have a basic familiarity with implementing standard CS al gorithms, especially graph algorithms, such as the shortest path algorithm. Some object-oriented software development is also desirable. These topics are typica lly taught in a first year computer science curriculum. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------Suggested Readings & Additional Resources Although the Video Lectures are designed to be self-contained, a serious C++ pro grammer will need access to relevant reference materials. The Wikipedia C++ arti cle listed below is a good place to start. The course is based on the instructor 's text: C++ for C Programmers: 3rd Edition, Addison Wesley ISBN 0-201-39519-3, which you can purchase if you'd like it for reference. However, the instructor's more complete text, C++ by Dissection, as well as STL Distilled and Generic Pro gramming, will be freely available online for your use during this course. These texts are optional, meaning you are not required to purchase or download them, but they are highly recommended for learning C++

Image: Pohl. C++ by Dissection Book Cover Download: C++ by Dissection (PDF) Image: Pohl. STL Distilled and Generic Programming Book Cover Download: STL Distilled and Generic Programming (PDF) This course can also be supplemented by other materials that include the new C++ 11 standard: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%2B%2B11 http://gcc.gnu.org/projects/cxx0x.html http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/vstudio/hh567368.aspx http://www.stroustrup.com/C++11FAQ.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------Disclaimer Regarding Compilers and Systems It is expected that students will program on many different C++ compilers and sy stems. We cannot support or diagnose download and setup problems that are syste m dependent and strongly advise that groups with different systems provide mutua l support through the course Discussion Forums. The instructor uses gnu g++ 4.8 and sometimes Microsoft Visual Studios. Microsof t allows students enrolled in universities to get a free visual studios compiler , and also allows free tools through Visual Studios Express as well. Professor Ira Pohl

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Created Mon 25 Jun 2012 10:48 AM PDT (UTC -0700)