CSC 236 Data Structures
Berea College
CSC 236: Data Structures Website, Berea College
Dr. Jan Pearce
Berea College Spring 2025 Offering
Day 12: Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Day 12: In class
- PI or Quiz on Chapter 2 on Big O
- Discuss L3: Virtual Pets.
- Begin and try to complete T07: Measuring Algorithmic Efficiency.
Day 12: Outside of class
- Complete at least Milestone 1 of L3: Virtual Pets. Note that this Milestone is larger than previous first milestones, so you be sure to start early.
- If necessary, complete all of the individual runs of T07: Measuring Algorithmic Efficiency so you can come to class Friday ready to discuss each one.
Day 11: Monday, February 3, 2025
Day 11: In class
- Peer Instruction question on A03.
- Discuss A03: Videos and Blogs on Big O.
- Questions on L2: Bytes
- Introduction of L3: Virtual Pets, possibly find a partner. The first milestone is due Friday.
- Complete T06: Understanding OOP and ADTs.
Day 11: Outside of class
- Read L3: Virtual Pets, possibly find a partner and bring questions to class on Wednesday. The first milestone is due Friday.
- Complete L2: Bytes
- Read Chapter 2 Reading on Big O and do all activities in preparation for a potential reading quiz. This is one of the most important topics in the entire course; you might try to find time to read it twice!
Day 10: Friday, January 31, 2025
Day 10: In class
- possible quiz or PI question
- Discuss L2: Bytes which is due Monday.
- Discuss T05: Dice Rolls
- Begin T06: Understanding OOP and ADTs.
Day 10: Outside of class
- Complete A03: Videos and Blogs on Big O. Note that this is an introduction to the most and most conceptually difficult concept in the course. It IS due Monday, but the lab completion is extended to Wednesday.
- Keep debugging L2: Bytes which I have extended to Wednesday.
Day 9: Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Day 9: In class
- PI question as a learning check
- Change partners
- Discuss A02: AI and Learning
- Questions on L2: Bytes. The second milestone is due Friday, and the full lab is due Monday.
- Complete and submit T05: Dice Rolls
Day 9: Outside of class
- If you have time, begin A03: Videos and Blogs on Big O. Note that this is an introduction to the most and most conceptually difficult concept in the course. It is due Monday, but so is the lab completion.
- Complete milestone 2 of L2: Bytes by Friday.
Day 8: Monday, January 27, 2025
Day 8: In class
- Peer Instruction question
- Questions on L2: Bytes.
- Begin T05: Dice Rolls, which we will likely need to complete next time.
Day 8: Outside of class
- Complete A02: AI and Learning
- Try to complete some of the methods in L2: Bytes.
Day 7: Friday, January 25, 2025
Day 7: In class
- Art Show!
- Discuss A01: OOP Principles.
- Complete T04: Fraction Class Understanding and Enhancement
Day 7: Outside of class
- Begin L2: Bytes. This is an individual lab that has Milestone 1 due this coming Monday, the second milestone due Friday, and the full lab due on Monday, February 3.
- Complete and submit T04: Fraction Class Understanding and Enhancement if you did not finish in class.
Day 6: Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Day 6: In class
- Discuss all questions posted on Slack in advance about Chapter 1 on OOP
- Possible quiz on the Chapter 1 reading
- Discuss L1: Loopy Graphics with C-Turtle
- Begin T04: Fraction Class Understanding and Enhancement
Day 6: Outside of class
- Read, complete, and submit A01: OOP Principles for Friday.
- Complete L1: Loopy Graphics with C-Turtle.
Day 5: Friday, January 17, 2025
Day 5: In class
- Art show! Share your ASCII art with the class.
- Demo of debugging in Visual Studio
- Complete Teamwork T03: Debugging Techniques.
Day 5: Outside of class (There is no class on Monday, so these are due before class on Wednesday, January 22, 2025)
- Read Chapter 1 on OOP in preparation for a potential reading quiz. Be sure to go through Moodle to get credit.
- Read L1: Loopy Graphics with C-Turtle and do the first milestone (due Wednesday). The final submission is due Friday.
- If you haven’t already done so, complete Teamwork T03: Debugging Techniques.
Day 4: Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Day 4: In class
- Possible quiz or peer instruction question
- In Runestone change courses to BC_cppds_S25. We will have a reading out of this book for Monday.
- Questions on L0: ASCII-Art which is due Friday. (Reminders about escaping backslashes and quotes.)
- Complete and submit Teamwork T02: Collaboration via Branches with a partner in class.
- Finished with the teamwork? Work on L0: ASCII-Art.
Day 4: Outside of class
- Complete L0: ASCII-Art. The final submission is due on Friday.
- 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_S25 and is due Wednesday, January 22, 2025. See Chapter 1 on OOP
Day 3: January 13, 2025
Day 3: In class
- Possible quiz
- Discussion of Teamwork T01: Visual Studio, Github, and ASCII Art
- Discuss L0: ASCII-Art which is due Friday, but the first milestone is due Wednesday. (Read the hints in the lab on escaping backslashes and quotes!)
- show primer on branches in Github
- Begin 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 are logged in and do all activities to get credit!
- Complete the first milestone for L0: ASCII-Art. The final submission is due on Friday.
- Fix any challenges you have had with the first two readings by going through Moodle NOT Runestone Academy. See your grades in Moodle and make them perfect by doing everything!
Day 2: Friday, January 10, 2025
Day 2: In class
- Possible quiz or peer instruction question
- Debrief on data structures game, installations, C++, the syllabus, and the AI policy in particular
- Watch Github Copilot in Visual Studio Community
- Discuss the implications for you as a student and as a future professional
- Did you sign up for Github Student Developer Pack? Note that it might take three or more days to get this, so don’t fret since we do not need it and you are likely better off not using it for the first lab.
- Try to complete, then download, and submit Teamwork T01: Visual Studio, Github, and ASCII Art
Day 2: Outside of class (all due 8 am before class on Monday, January 13, 2025)
- Finish up and submit Teamwork T01: Visual Studio, Github, and ASCII Art
- Read Chapters 3, 4,and 5 in C++ for Python Programmers for a potential reading quiz next class. Be sure you are logged in and do all activities to get credit!
- Begin L0: ASCII-Art. This is an individual Lab. The first milestone is due Wednesday, January 15, 2024. The final completion milestone of the lab is due Friday, January 17, 2024.
Day 1: Wednesday, January 8, 2025
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_S25. (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 (all due by 8 am of our next class day):
- Complete A00:Getting Started and submit to Moodle. 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