CSC 236 Data Structures
Berea College
CSC 236: Data Structures Website, Berea College
Dr. Jan Pearce
Berea College Spring 2026 Offering
Day 7: February 2, 2026
Day 7: In class
- Art Show! Share your loopy graphics with the class.
- Introduction to L2: Bytes.
- Begin T05: Dice Rolls, which we will likely need to complete next time.
Day 7: Outside of class
- Begin L2: Bytes. This is an individual lab that has Milestone 1 due Wednesday, the second milestone due Friday, and the full lab due on Monday, February 9.
- Complete A01: Interview with a CSC 236 TA if you have not already done so. It is now due Friday, February 6.
Day 6: Friday, January 30, 2026
Day 6: In class
- Possible peer instruction or quiz on OOP
- Discuss previous quizzes.
- Discuss A02: OOP Principles.
- Discuss any questions on L1: Loopy Graphics with C-Turtle
- Complete T04: Fraction Class Understanding and Enhancement if you did not complete it in class on Wednesday.
Day 6: Outside of class
- Complete L1: Loopy Graphics with C-Turtle by Monday at 8 AM, being sure to submit a link to your repository in Moodle.
- Complete T04: Fraction Class Understanding and Enhancement if you did not complete it in class.
- At next very earliest convenience, complete A01: Interview with a CSC 236 TA if you have not already done so. It has been posted a long time now. It is now due Friday, February 6. PLEASE do NOT wait until the night before it is due because the assignment requires individual time with the TA, and there are only two TAs in the lab each night. They may not be able to accommodate everyone who waits until the last minute, and they have been instructed to give each student their full attention, so they will not be able to be rushed.
Day 5: Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Day 5: In class
- Discuss all questions posted on Slack in advance about Chapter 1 on OOP
- Possible quiz or peer instruction questions
- Discussion of reading on OOP principles and C-Turtle
- Art show! Share your ASCII art with the class.
- Introduction of L1: Loopy Graphics with C-Turtle
- Complete T04: Fraction Class Understanding and Enhancement.
Day 5: Outside of class
- Read L1: Loopy Graphics with C-Turtle and do the first milestone (due Friday). The final submission is due Monday.
- Read, complete, and submit A02: OOP Principles for Friday.
- Don’t forget to do A01: Interview with a CSC 236 TA.
It is due Wednesday, January 28 at 8 am.The due date is extended to Friday, January 30 at 8 am due to weather challenges and campus closures.
Monday, January 26, 2026: no class due to ice day
Day 4: Friday, Jauary 23, 2026
Day 4: In class
- Possible quiz or peer instruction question
- In Runestone change courses to bc_cppds_s26. We have a reading out of this book for Monday.
- Questions on L0: ASCII-Art which is due Monday. (Reminders about escaping backslashes and quotes.)
- Demo of debugging in Visual Studio
- Complete Teamwork T03: Debugging Techniques.
- Work on L0: ASCII-Art.
Day 4: Outside of class
- Complete L0: ASCII-Art. The final submission is due on Monday.
- The next textbook reading is on object-oriented programming in C++ in the main textbook for the course. It is a bit longer than the readings in the transition book, and you may find it more conceptually challenging. Again, you will need to be logged in to Moodle to get credit for the reading. The reading is on the latter part of Chapter 1 in the Runestone book bc_cppds_s26 and is due Monday. See R04: Read 1.5, 1.6, and 1.12-1.15 plus questions. Note that the reading is only six sections of the first chapter plus questions.
- At your convenience, do A01: Interview with a CSC 236 TA, which is due Wednesday, January 28 at 8 am. The TAs are eager to meet you.
Day 3: Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Day 3: In class
- Possible quiz or peer instruction question
- Discuss Teamwork T01: Visual Studio, Github, and ASCII Art
- Discuss L0: ASCII-Art which is due Monday, but the first milestone is due Friday. (Be sure to read the hints in the lab on escaping backslashes and quotes!)
- show primer on branches in Github
- Complete Teamwork T02: Collaboration via Branches with a partner in class.
Day 3: Outside of class
- Read Chapters 6, 7, and 8 in C++ for Python Programmers for a possible reading quiz next class. Be sure you go through Moodle and do all the exercises to get credit!
- Complete the first milestone for L0: ASCII-Art. The final submission is due on Monday.
- Fix any challenges you have had with the first two readings by going through Moodle. See your grades in Moodle and make them perfect by doing everything!
- At your convenience, do A01: Interview with a CSC 236 TA, which is due Friday, September 5 at 8 am. The TAs are eager to meet you.
- If you went to the extra credit talk on Tuesday, be sure to complete EC-1: Form for Feedback on External Speakers and upload to the Quiz area in Moodle by 8 am Friday.
Reminder: No class on Monday, January 19, 2026 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!
Day 2: Friday, January 16, 2026
Day 2: In class
- Debrief on homework and reading. Remember that I give participation points for doing the reading on-time in preparation for class, and the additional questions by 8 am. (If you do not currently have full credit, be sure to redo it by next time. If the future, I will not give participation credit for students are do not complete it by 8 am because I need to see where there were challenges. Late participation credit is not awarded.)
- Possible short quiz on reading R01.
- Debrief on installations, C++, the syllabus, and the AI policy in particular
- How did the sign-up for Github Student Developer Pack go? Note that it might take more time to get this, so don’t fret since we do not need Github Copilot and you are likely better off not using it for the first lab. You will need it for Lab L7, but there is plenty of time to get it before then - just be sure to work on it soon.
- Discuss the first lab, L0: ASCII-Art
- Work to complete, then download, and submit Teamwork T01: Visual Studio, Github, and ASCII Art. It is due by 8 am on Wednesday, January 21.
Day 2: Outside of class
- Extra credit opportunity on Tuesday, January 20! Help us to choose a new professor! Come on-time and stay fully engaged with a potential faculty talk, give a bit of feedback to help us, and you will earn a replacement quiz with full credit. (This is a great way to replace a low quiz grade!) Pizza at 5:20. Talk begins at 5:30. Do not be late if you want the extra credit! Also, be sure to complete EC-1: Form for Feedback on External Speakers and upload to the Quiz area in Moodle by 8 am Friday.
- Read Chapters 3, 4,and 5 in C++ for Python Programmers for a potential reading quiz on Wednesday. Be sure to go through the Moodle link to get full credit. Due at 8 am on Wednesday, January 21.
- Read L0: ASCII-Art. This is an individual Lab. The first milestone is due Friday, January 23 at 8 am. The final completion milestone of the lab is due Monday, January 26 at 8 am.
- Don’t procrastinate on A01: Interview with a CSC 236 TA, which is due Wednesday, January 28 at 8 am. You can do this at any time before then, but it is best to schedule it at your convenience rather than waiting until the last minute.
Day 1: Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Day 1: In class
- Welcome!
- List all of the data structures you used in Python
- What is data structures about? And what is it NOT about?
- Read the first part of The Impact of AI on Computer Science Education
- Discussion of course: content, texts, syllabus, flow, other ideas
- Sign up for our first text: C++ for Python Programmers. Be sure to use (or make) the login from your Berea email and Berea username and then sign-up for the book bc_cpp4py_s26. (Note that the account you used in CSC 226 should be fine as long as the email address is your Berea College one.)
- Data structures game
Day 1: Outside of class:
- Complete A00:Getting Started and submit to Moodle by 8 am on Friday. Note that there are 6 tasks, some of which will take some time:
- Help us get to know you better
- Connect Data Structures to your career
- Set-up your Required IDE (this will take some time!)
- Read the syllabus to understand the course structure
- Read both Chapters 1 and 2 of C++ for Python Programmers and the course syllabus in preparation for a potential reading quiz.
- Introduce yourself to the class and the TAs on Slack
- An additional assignment has been posted with a longer deadline. See A01: Interview with a CSC 236 TA, which is due Wednesday, January 28 at 8 am. You can do this at any time before then. The TAs are eager to meet you. art of becoming a professional is learning to manage your time both effectively and efficiently. Assignments with longer deadlines like this are best to do at your earliest convenience, and part of becoming a professional is to learn to manage your own calendar. Mark your calendar for your best evening to go that is well before the deadline, so you are not held up by any procrastinators who have not yet learned to manage their calendars, and who do everything at the very last minute.