CS1 offered three ways in 2010-11



We plan to offer three varieties of CS 121 (CS1) during 2010-11.

All sections will include the same basic CS content that develops your analytical thinking skills, whatever your major. CS 121 also provides a foundation for later CS courses for those who want to go on. All versions of CS 121 satisfy the MAR/AQR requirement.

Multimedia communications

Fall Section C of CS 121 (CS1) supplement the base concepts of CS with applications to multimedia communications, using the Scheme programming language. This means using the intellectual and practical skills you get from studying CS in order to create web pages, sounds, music, images, and animations. Our unique "wiki"-based system enables students to take advantage of the CS knowledge gained throughout the course for creating distinctive multimedia applications.

For example, you can create a piece of music by simply writing a sequence of "midi" numbers for the notes. Differences in loudness, note length, etc., can also be indicated; and you can "play" multiple sequences at once in order to create multi-part harmony. You can even generate note sequences automatically using the programming learned in the course.

Students start making their own web pages on the first day of class, with our easy-to-use wiki system. Team projects during the course give you a chance to collaborate with others to create interesting web sites, novel sounds, etc. Working together with others is fun, and a great way to learn.

The final project applies the CS concepts to plan and create an online animation as a team. You can now convert your online animation to a video format and upload it to YouTube and other sites! The instructions for converting CS1 animations to video format are explained in the course.

No prior experience is assumed for these multimedia applications -- you learn everything you need in the course. If you have prior experience, it will just give you more things you can explore...

These applications complement the core material of CS 121 (CS1), which surveys the concepts of Computer Science. The ideas of CS can be applied to any field, since an understanding of computing is relevant to nearly any study. In particular, CS develops logical thinking and an ability to organize abstract ideas in concrete ways. These are skills you can use in lots of contexts, not just in multimedia applications.

Prerequisites: The prerequisite for the course is college-level study skills. First-year students can take the CS placement survey to check readiness for CS 121 in their first college semester.

CS1 with multimedia applications will be offered in the Fall semester.

Biology/Health Science emphasis

CS 121 Section B in Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 will focus on a new application area: Biology and Health Sciences. Do you wonder what computing has to do with plants, animals, and medicine? Here are some examples:

  • Computer models of biological and ecological systems, diseases, etc., make it possible to predict behavior in those settings in a feasible amount of time.

  • Strands of DNA consist of long sequences of basic components ("nucleotides") that give the instructions for creating the proteins needed for a plant or animal to live and grow. Computers make it feasible to store and analyze the massive amounts of information represented by DNA.

  • Computer processing of images has had enormous impact on medicine in practice, ranging from simple digital transmission of image data across great distances to "CAT" scans (Computer-Aided Tomography) for constructing three-dimensional views of internal organs.

Biological knowledge increases rapidly, and many advances in Biology, health and medicine couldn't even happen without computer technology. That's why organizations such as the National Research Council are encouraging students in Biology and related fields to get backgrounds in Computer Science, as well as Mathematics and other fields.

This section of CS 121 will present the same useful CS concepts as other sections, but will also go on to show how those ideas relate to problems in Biology and the health sciences. No particular background in CS, Biology, or related fields is assumed. (If you already have such background, you can use it to go further with the applications.) The prerequisite for the course is college-level study skills. First-year students can take the CS placement survey to check readiness for CS 121 in their first college semester.

CS 121 with Biology/Health Science applications will be offered in Fall Section B both Fall 2010 and Spring 2011. Prof. Steve McKelvey (mckelvey@stolaf.edu), who has does research in biological models as well as teaching CS and Mathematics, will teach this section.

Science/Mathematics emphasis

In Fall 2010 and Spring 2011, CS 121 Section A will focus on the sciences and Mathematics. These sections will build on the same core CS concepts as other sections of CS 121, concepts which provide CS background, develop programming skills, teach analytical and computational thinking, and improve problem-solving abilities. However, this section will use the Python programming language, and will focus on applications in the natural sciences (including Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Psychology) and Mathematics.

The particular applications are chosen in consultation with faculty in the target fields. This section is designed for students in these application areas, and it also works well for students interested in the field of CS itself. All sections of CS 121 make a satisfying single course in CS, and also prepare students for subsequent CS courses.

Prerequisites: Unlike other sections of CS 121, these science/mathematics sections of CS 121 assume a general amount of comfort with Mathematics. No particular college Mathematics topics are assumed, because the topics we require from mathematics will be explained when they are needed. Like other sections of CS 121, these sections also require college-level study skills (first-year students can take the CS placement survey to check readiness for CS 121 in their first college semester).

For more information, contact the instructor, Richard Allen (allen@stolaf.edu, x3117.

More about CS1

Students learn in CS1 through "hands-on" exercises that make the concepts of computer science and our applications quite concrete and accessible. Doing and understanding the ordinary daily homework is the surest way to do well in the course.

In many sections, CS1 students do practically all of their work using our specially modified wiki software, which is easy to use and accessible from anywhere on or off campus using the web. Our wiki is special because it directly "understands" the Scheme programming language that we use to teach CS concepts. You can create web pages, sounds, animations, etc., all using the Scheme language, via the wiki, then view your results on the same system. Plus, you can continue using the wiki after the course ends, in order to keep using the practical skills you learn during the course.

The Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 Sections A of CS 121 will use a Python-oriented system for programming in that language.

Sound interesting? Want to know more? Sign up for CS 121 in the Fall or Spring terms, or talk to:

Or, for any questions about CS1, other CS courses or the CS program in general, contact Dick Brown (rab@stolaf.edu).