CSC 430, Spring 2015
1 Prerequisites
2 Names, Times, Locations
2.1 Instructor
2.2 Lecture & Lab
2.3 Google Calendar
2.4 Web Page
3 Lecture Classroom
4 Computing Environment
4.1 Handin Server
5 Readings
6 Communication
7 Honesty
8 Labs
9 Assignments
10 Grading Code
10.1 Code Organization
10.2 "But it Works!"
10.3 Grading Time Limit
11 Interacting with the Handin Server
12 Quizzes and Exams
13 Grades
14 Schedule/  Assignments
6.2.0.3

CSC 430, Spring 2015

Schedule/Homeworks

Programming languages determine what programs we can write. Languages with nice abstractions allow us to write elegant, concise, and readable programs.

In this class, we’ll start from scratch, and build a programming language by adding only what’s necessary. What we’ll discover is that this simplistic approach leads to some really powerful abstractions. You can do more with less!

At the end of the course, you should be a better programmer. You should also have a clearer picture of a given language as a choice in a larger design space, and be better able to understand new programming languages and the similarities between them. Finally, you may develop some taste for what you like in a programming language.

This course will involve lots of programming in Racket. I choose Racket for several reasons. First, “functional” programming languages make this kind of course feasible. Writing a series of interpreters in another language would probably involve a whole lot more code. Secondly, Racket is a simple language for you to learn, without complex syntactic rules or a confusing type system. Thirdly, the simplicity of Racket makes it an ideal “blank slate” for adding features. If these reasons don’t make sense to you, then... perhaps you need to take the course!

1 Prerequisites

Students taking this course must be able to design and implement small programs (~ 1 KLOC) efficiently. Students must have a basic understanding of mathematics.

2 Names, Times, Locations

2.1 Instructor

2.2 Lecture & Lab

Section 01/02:

Section 03/04:

2.3 Google Calendar

See my Contact Info page for my calendar. You can add it to your calendar, if that makes your life easier.

Office hours also appear on this calendar; you may find them easier to see if you click on the "week" tab of the calendar.

2.4 Web Page

This is the course web page, its link is http://www.brinckerhoff.org/clements/2154-csc430.

3 Lecture Classroom

I think that an interactive and lively classroom is a better learning environment. In particular, I will almost certainly learn everyone’s name, and I’m likely to notice if you’re missing. My experience is that if you come to class reliably, you’re extremely likely to pass the class—there’s a reason that we conduct classes face-to-face; it keeps you engaged, and ensures that you’re connected to the other students in the class.

In addition, I’m likely to call on you, in places during the lecture where I want to see if you’re following what’s going on. If you don’t know, it’s totally fine to say "no, I have no idea." In particular, this is probably evidence that I’m going too fast or not explaining things well. However, I try to respect the wishes of students for whom this technique is disruptive. Please let me know if you don’t want me to call on you.

Finally, my experience standing in front of classes and more especially my experience of sitting behind classes has convinced me that laptops are useful for note-taking in approximately 1% of cases. Essentially, never. In addition, some studies suggest that longhand notes on paper are significantly more useful than even careful laptop notes, and other studies illustrate how distracting laptops can be to those around you.

For this reason, I do not allow the use of laptops in class without special dispensation. If you need to use a laptop to take notes, please come and talk to me; otherwise, just put it away and take notes on paper.

4 Computing Environment

You will be required to complete the assignments in this class using PLT Racket, version 6.1 or 6.2 (or a newer version). It is freely available for all major platforms, including Mac OS, Windows, and UNIX.

It is pre-installed on the lab machines, and is available from the Applications|Programming menu, or presumably at /usr/local/bin/drracket, or something like that.

You can figure it out.

4.1 Handin Server

In order to hand in your work, you’ll need three plugins; two for the language, and one to hand in your work.

Now, you should be ready to hand in.

5 Readings

The majority of the readings in this course will be from Programming Languages: Application and Interpretation, by Shriram Krishnamurthi, second edition.

The first two weeks may also include readings from How To Design Programs and the updated version, How To Design Programs 2e, also available free online.

6 Communication

This class will use Piazza. This will be the principal means that I’ll use to notify you of deadlines, organizational updates, and changes to assignments. If you’re not keeping up with the group, you’re going to be missing important information.

It’s also the best way for you to direct questions to me and/or the class. Feel free to e-mail me with personal questions, but use the Piazza group as your main means of communications. It’s possible to post anonymously, if you like.

You should already have received an invitation to the Piazza group; let me know if you need an invite.

Don’t post your code or test cases to the group; anything else is fair game.

Also, please keep in mind that I (and everyone else) judge you based in part on your written communication. Spelling, complete sentences, and evidence of forethought are important in all of your posts & e-mails. One easy rule of thumb: just read over what you’ve written before clicking post or send, and imagine others in the class reading it.

7 Honesty

In the programming assignments, you may not copy another student’s code (including test cases). You may not share code with other students in the class, during or after completing the class. That is, you may not allow another student to see the code you write for the class, deliberately or through obvious negligence.

I will use an automated tool to compare student submissions and identify dishonesty.

Students believed to be cheating–that is, both parties involved in the transfer of code–will receive a failing grade in the class.

8 Labs

Labs in this course take the form of simple exercises to be completed in a week during lab periods, designed to help you understand the lecture material and to lead you toward solutions for the larger assignments.

I’ll be checking these off during the lab; you’re responsible for demo-ing your lab solutions for me. Your marks on these labs will be simple credit/no-credit.

The labs will be due at the end of your lab period on the day specified, typically Tuesday. If we run out of time to check them, I will generally elect to accept them during the following lab session, but you cannot rely on this occurrence; the labs are due on the day specified on the schedule.

In labs, you are heartily encouraged to collaborate like crazy. Look at everyone else’s code, copy and paste, type on your neighbor’s keyboard, whatever. Labs need not be entirely your own work.

When you successfully demonstrate a lab, I will give you a number. You may enter these numbers at http://brinckerhoff.org:8026/servlets/standalone.rkt .

9 Assignments

Programming assignments will be due at 11:00 PM. You must submit homework assignments using the Handin button. Late assignments will not be accepted.

Your submissions should be anonymized. That is, they should not contain your name.

Part of your grade may include a score given by your fellow students on your code. In particular, in some weeks you may be given two (anonymous) submissions from other members of the class, and required to assign legibility and design points.

From time to time, we may examine student code, in lecture. Try to ensure that the code you submit is something you’d be proud to show to the others in the class.

Late Policy: Except for exceptional circumstances, late assignments will be given 0 points.

10 Grading Code

I will be grading your code repeatedly in this class. On most assignments, your score will consist of a part (usually 20 points) based on your performance on a set of test cases automatically administered by the handin server, and a part (usually 6 points) based on my opinion of your code’s clarity, organization, and adherence to rules about purpose statements and contracts (in short: you’ve got to have them). As a rule, my "eyeball" score rubric runs something like this:

10.1 Code Organization

As a rule, I like to read code in a "top-down" way. This means that the definition of the top-level, important functions should come first, and the supporting functions should come later. I want to have a good understanding of the big picture before getting into the details. My experience is that if interp makes sense, then add-to-env will probably not present any difficulty.

The handin server will enforce a 80-character limit.

Racket has a Style Guide; I do not require you to read or follow these constraints, but if you have any questions, this document may well answer them, and I won’t argue with you if you can refer to something in the style guide :).

10.2 "But it Works!"

I reserve the right to assign bad scores to programs that work correctly; if I don’t think you’re doing a good job of programming, then you won’t receive a good score. "It works" isn’t a defense for bad code.

10.3 Grading Time Limit

Good code is easy to read. I reserve the right to allocate a fixed period of time to grading a program submission. Don’t be surprised to see comments like "ran out of grading time here."

Naturally, all grades contain an element of subjectivity.

11 Interacting with the Handin Server

You will be handing in your work in this class using a plugin for DrRacket that communicates with a handin server running remotely. From past experience, there are several things that may not be obvious about your interactions with this server.

12 Quizzes and Exams

My experience suggests that frequent quizzes are a good way to ensure that you’re understanding what I’m teaching, and that I’m teaching things that you understand.

This class will have quizzes on in weeks 2, 4, and 8. These quizzes will probably be twenty minutes long, and will probably take place during lab.

There will be a midterm and a final exam in the course. The midterm will be during the lecture period in the sixth week of class. The quizzes and exams will be closed-note. No electronic devices, including calculators, phones, or mp3 players, will be permitted during the quizzes and exams.

13 Grades

Grades will be determined by performance on programming projects, the exams, and class interaction. A small fraction of the grade is determined by the labs, and by the instructor’s whim. The breakdown of the grade is as follows:

14 Schedule/Assignments

Schedule & Assignments appear here. (There’s also a link at the top of the page.)