CSC A08 — Introduction to Computer Science: Fall 2023

Course Information

CSC A08 — Introduction to Computer Science — is an introduction to the wide discipline of computer science. It teaches the basics of programming using Python, a widely used state-of-the-art programming language. We assume students have no prior experience with programming. If you haven't already done so, please take a moment to familiarise yourself with the course information sheet. There you can find important answers to questions about how the course will be run, how to contact the instructors, and more.

Contact information

This course has six sections taught by four instructors. Please come visit your course instructors during office hours! Some of the best learning takes place there.

Anya is the course coordinator, which means that she deals with all administrative matters: missed work, problems with your grades, and TA issues. See course calendar for everyone's office hours.

Anya Tafliovich (course coordinator) anya [at] cs.utoronto.ca	Nick Cheng nick [at] utsc.utoronto.ca
Purva Gawde purva.gawde [at] utoronto.ca	Marcelo Ponce m.ponce [at] utoronto.ca

How The Course Is Run

Each week, you will use an online tool called the Programming Course Resource System (PCRS) to view course materials and complete exercises. The weekly tasks are divided into three phases:

Prepare (6%): We will post lecture videos and problems that cover the course topics for the upcoming week. After watching the videos and working through the problems, you must complete the Prepare exercise. Each Prepare exercise is worth 0.75% (best 8 of 11 are counted) and is due Monday by 9:00am, prior to the corresponding lectures.
Rehearse: Next, you will practice applying the concepts covered in the lecture videos by completing activities of various kinds and working through more complex examples in class, with the support of your instructor and teaching assistants.
Perform (12%): Finally, using the PCRS, you will complete a Perform exercise based on material covered in the Prepare and Rehearse phases. Each Perform exercise is worth 1.5% (best 8 of 11) and is due the following Tuesday by 9:00am (with the exception of Perform 11, which is due on the last day of classes).

You will also complete three homework assignments, worth 8%, 10%, and 14%, correspondingly. Do not leave these to the last minute: they are substantially more work than the weekly exercises, and we expect that you will work on them for several hours each week.

Finally, there will be two midterm tests (worth 7% and 10%) and a final examination (worth 33%). You must get at least 40 out of 100 on the final examination to pass the course; otherwise, your final course grade will be no higher than 47%.

Academic Integrity

All of the work you submit must be done by you, and your work must not be submitted by someone else. Plagiarism is academic fraud and is taken very seriously. The department uses software that compares programs for evidence of similar code. Please read the Rules and Regulations from the U of T Governing Council, especially the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters.

Please also see the information for students from the Office of Student Academic Integrity.

Please don't copy. We want you to succeed and are here to help.

The simplest advice for avoiding plagiarism is:

Never look at another student's assignment solution, whether it is on paper or on the computer screen. Never show another student your assignment solution. This applies to all drafts of a solution and to incomplete solutions.
If you find code on the web that solves part or all of an assignment, do not use or submit any part of it. A large percentage of the academic offences in CS involve students who have never met, and who just happened to find the same solution online. If you find a solution, someone else will too.
Be very careful when engaging "tutoring services". In previous years, we had students suspended from the university as a result of submitting work that was done with the "help" of such "tutors". When in doubt whether a tutoring company is offering real teaching or is helping students cheat, do not hesitate to ask your instructor — we are here to help!