Syllabus
CS 1118-99 Discrete Structure of Computer Science
Fall 2009

Credits: 4
Instructor: Ms. Shiaoling Peng
Office Hours:
Office Hours: Tuesday: 2:00-3:50 p.m.; Thursday: 2:00-2:50 p.m.
or by appointment
Office Location: Business Building, Room 129
Email: speng@inverhills.edu
Office Phone: (651) 450-8611
Course Material:
Discrete Mathmetics and its Applications 6th Edition
bulletAuthor: Kenneth Rosen 
bulletPublisher: McGraw 
bulletISBN: 00-728-8008-2
bulletRequired: Yes
Student's Solution Manual 6th Edition
bulletPublisher: McGraw 
bulletISBN: 00-728-310779-4
bulletRequired: Yes
A computer with Internet Access
 
Web Browser: The online material for this class should be viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer. The contents may not display properly using other Web browsers
 

In addition to the items above, you will need a few notebooks and a colored highlight marker.
 
Course Topics: The topics covered in this class are: 
bulletsets and set operations
bulletFormal Logic
bulletmathematical proofs
bulletrelations
bulletcomputability
bulletanalysis of algorithms
bulletgraph theory
bulletnumber theory
bulletBoolean algebra
 
Student Responsibility: 
bulletKnow and adhere to the class policies, deadlines.
bulletSpend 12-15 hours per week studying for the class.
bulletComplete all assignments and tests before the given deadlines.
bulletCheck email regularly, at least once a week.
bulletContact the instructor for special needs.
bulletEnsure access to the Internet.  It is crucial to have a back up plan in case you run into problems with your regular work station (e.g., public library, open labs at Inver Hills Community College).
 
Grading:

Your final grade will be determined based on the total points you earn in four categories: notebooks, online quizzes, programming projects, and on-campus exams.  The maximum for the class is 800 and distributed as shown in the table below. 

Category Number of Units Points Percentage of the maximum total
Points per Unit Category Total
Homework Notebooks 2 50 100 12.5%
Programming Projects 4 15 60 7.5%
Online Quizzes 13 20 240* 30%
On-campus exams** 2 200 400 50%**
Total     800  100%

The table below shows a general grading scale.

Grade Points Percentage
A 728-800 91-100%
B 648-727 81-90.9%
C 560-647 71-80.9%
D 480-559 60-70.9%
F 0-479 0-59.9%

Note:

*:  You are allowed to drop one lowest quiz score.  This is designed to compensate accidents including sickness and technical problems such as interruption to Internet connection, or crashed computer hard drive. You should always take a quiz well before its deadline to give enough time for solving problems.

**: The on-campus exams are weighted at 50% of the grades, however if the average exam grade differs from the average grade of the other categories by two or more letter grades, the instructor reserves the right to use the average on-campus exam grade as the final grade. The student may be asked to demonstrate his/her understanding of the assignments and online quizzes. For example, if a student has an average grade of B from the online quizzes, software projects, and homework, but an average grade of D for on-campus exams, the student may receive a D for the class.
 
Description of Evaluation Categories: 
Homework Notebooks
bulletHomework will be collected twice.  They will be collected at the same time you take the on-campus exams.  
bulletYou must mark your work clearly with the section number (ex. 3.4) and date on the top of the page and the problem number (ex.#15) next to your solution.  
bullet You must show your steps if the solution is not straight forward. For example, the solution to "find the sum of 5 and -7" is straight forward, but the solution to "solve the equation -3.5x + 1.3 = -2.7x + 1.5" is not. 
bulletAfter you have done the problems from each section, you need to
bulletcheck your answers against the ones at the end of the book.  
bulletusing a colored highlight marker, write "X" next to the ones that are wrong and "√" next to ones that are right.
bullet It would be a good idea to use notebooks dedicated for homework problems for this class only.  You will need more than one because the notebook you submit at midterm may not be returned to you until the end of the semester.  If you prefer to work on lose sheets, you must make an effort to compile them together neatly in the right order before submitting them. A stack of scratch paper is not acceptable and will not be graded!
bulletYou will not lose points because of the existence of "X" marks. The notebook will be graded based on completeness and, yes, how well they are put together. 
 
Online Quizzes
bullet There will be 13 quizzes.  At the end of the semester, the lowest score will be dropped.
bullet A quiz may contain open ended questions in addition to multiple-choice questions. 
bullet

Each quiz has a deadline. A quiz will become unavailable to you once its deadline is passed. 

bullet Once you start a quiz, you must submit the quiz within two hours.  A quiz can be taken only once.  
 
On-campus Exams
These exams contain open ended questions requiring you to demonstrate your understanding of the course material by showing the steps leading to a final answer. They are closed book and closed note tests. The time limit for each exam is 2 hours. 

Class Policies:
Online Quizzes
Each quiz has a deadline.  You will receive a score of zero for a quiz that you fail to take before its deadline.  A missed quiz cannot be made up. You are allowed to drop the lowest score at the end of the semester.
 
On-campus exams
bulletYou must take these exams in person on-campus. 
bullet Be prepared to show a photo I.D. for the exams.  A student without photo I.D. will not be allowed to take the exam.
bulletNo make up exams will be given unless you have a legitimate reason for not being able to take the test on the scheduled time.  You must arrange a make up exam with me prior to the test date. 
Incompletes:

To receive an "Incomplete", you must have completed at least 75% of the required work unless you have a "documented" medical condition. It is your responsibility to provide a written request for the "Incomplete".
Withdraw from the class:

If for any reason you have decided not to participate in this class during the semester, it is important that you officially withdraw from the class. Otherwise you will be assigned a grade based on the work you have finished which could be an "F". The last date to drop with a "W" is Wednesday, November 25th. 2009.
Academic Dishonesty:
Each student must do all of their own work, including every single step of every single problem.  Letting other people do you work and taking the credit as your own is a form of academic dishonesty.  A homework, quiz, or exam will receive a score of zero if you cheated.  Cheating behavior may result in a grade of "F" for the class.

Special Needs:

I would like to make sure that all the materials, discussions and activities that are part of the course are accessible to you.  If you would like to request accommodations or other services, please contact me or the Disability Services Office, L-224; phone, 651/450-8628; TTY, 651/450-8369 as soon as possible.