CS14 Programming with Visual Basic.NET

Summer 2006 Online

Alison Pechenick, Lecturer


 

[Course Abstract]    [Course Objectives]    [Text/Materials]

   [Course Guidelines and Logistics]    [WebCT Course Access (restricted)]

Course Abstract

This course is intended as an introductory programming course. Familiarity with general Windows concepts and utilities is presumed. The course is suitable for students with no prior programming experience or limited experience with a language other than Visual Basic.

Please note:  This course will be delivered using the WebCT online environment, a well-regarded, tutorial-based textbook, and a readily-accessible instructor and TA.  There are no formal class meetings.

It is expected that during the course, students will regularly set aside an appropriate amount of time to read the book and do the tutorials, quizzes, assignments and other guided activities.   Please keep in mind that similar 3-credit courses, conducted face-to-face during a five-week summer session, meet 4-5 times a week for  2+  hours, in addition to assigning the usual take-home activities.

Assistance will be available as needed, via WebCT-mail and bulletin board, telephone conversations and office visits by appointment.


Course Objectives


Text/Materials:  http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/vb/download/

Text:           Starting Out with Visual Basic.NET, 3rd Edition, Gaddis and Irvine, Addison/Wesley 2006.

Online:       Be sure to log onto http://www.uvm.edu/webct every day.

Software:    1)  Microsoft Visual Basic.NET 2005 with Framework 2.0 SDK
                    (Bundled with textbook, no extra charge; also accessible for online download at http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/vb/download)
                   
                    2)  Browser (e.g., Internet Explorer, Netscape) for access to WebCT

 3)  WinZip, WinRAR or other software for packaging files (see downloads.com) - useful later in the course. 
      Note:  Windows XP already has a built-in compression utility (right-click on your file(s) and select "Send To...")
                  
OS:              Windows 2000 or XP

Hardware:   Network connection; optical drive to access student files accompanying book
 
 

Course Guidelines and Logistics
 

General Contact Information
Please use WebCT for all contacts with the instructor, TA and classmates.
There is an e-mail tool for messages sent to selected individuals (e.g., TA, instructor).
Use the discussion board for posting questions.
Grader
Sara Baldwin is our TA.

  Sara is responsible for grading all homeworks within one week after the due date. Please address any homework grading questions directly to Sara (via WebCT-mail), within one week after grades have been posted.

Note:  Quizzes will be "self-grading".  The instructor will grade the exams and final projects.

WebCT Discussion Support
Post your questions to the WebCT discussion board - you will receive an answer that same day.  Students are encouraged to respond to each others' postings.

Please note:  If your question involves sending part or all of your actual program code (i.e., more than a few lines), please use WebCT-mail (copying both Sara and Alison so you get the earliest possible response),  rather than discussion-posting a significant portion of an assignment whose due date is still pending.
How to know what to do next
On our WebCT homepage, there will be two links you'll want to follow closely:

1.  Assignment Descriptions - Links you to descriptions for all homework assignments.
2.  Weekly Preps - Links you to descriptions for your daily preparations.

In addition, be sure to look at the "My WebCT" page (first page displayed after you log into WebCT), which will show you upcoming deadlines for quizzes and programming assignments, as well as unread calendar, discussion, and e-mail postings.

Our course homepage will also display green marks around the calendar, e-mail and discussion board icons whenever there is a new posting.
Homework Guidelines


Note:  Students are allowed to submit assignments up to 24 hours past the deadline, with a 10% penalty. 

Homework assignments will be based on the exercises at the end of each chapter.

The work will be submitted via the WebCT assignment dropbox, which works in the same way as sending an e-mail attachment in Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.  Specific instructions will accompany each assignment.

When you submit homework via the assignment dropbox, an email confirmation will be sent to the email of your choice. If you don't receive a confirmation, I did not receive your homework.  Save these confirmation letters for your records.

You may contest a grade for a period of one week from the time the grade is posted on the web site.

All homework grading questions should be addressed to our grader, using WebCT-mail.
Quiz Guidelines

Note:  There will be NO lates accepted for quizzes.

The lowest quiz grade will be dropped.

Historically, every student who takes the quizzes, even with some mistakes each time, has found his/her final grade improved by the quiz component.
 Quizzes will be assigned each week, selected from the questions at the end of the relevant chapter.  These questions will be chosen to help guide your study of useful concepts, using formats multiple choice, short-answer, and True/False.  These quizzes are all OPEN BOOK.

WebCT will be set up to grade these immediately, and to show the correct answers.  You are honor-bound by UVM's Code of Academic Integrity not to share these answers with classmates until after the quiz deadline has passed.

If you think a question was graded incorrectly, please WebCT-mail the instructor within one week of the quiz deadline.

Note:  You will only be allowed to take each quiz once.  However, WebCT will let you work on a quiz over a period of time.  BE SURE TO SAVE EACH ANSWER as you move on to the next question.  You may stop for awhile (even log out of WebCT), and come back to the quiz later.  You may also change an answer (don't forget to save your new answer).  Only after you are SURE you're done, click on FINISH to submit the quiz. 
Grading
 Homeworks 35%
Online Quizzes 15%
Two Midterm Exams, each worth 15%
Final Project  20%

The exams will  be given online, and made available over the weekend which precedes the due date.  You may NOT discuss this exam with anyone except the instructor and TA until after the due date.

Exam 1 due  Monday, June 5
Exam 2 due  Monday, June 19
Final Project due Monday, June 26 (extensions will be granted if you require extra time)
Code of Academic Integrity
  • Discussing  project development strategy and help debugging a small problem are permitted.
  • Sharing code is not permitted!  Collaboration, even on a homework assignment, can result in a failure in the course.   Your code, verbatim or altered, should NOT appear in another person's work.  Do NOT give your project files to anyone else or share them in any way.
  • The teaching assistant and the instructor are available to assist you.
  • It is your responsibility to protect your own work. 
  • All work that appears to violate the UVM Code of Academic Integrity will be referred directly to the Coordinator of Academic Honesty in the Provost's Office. 
  • Please read UVM’s Code of Academic Integrity.

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