Held: Wednesday, 9 December 2015

Back to Outline 54 - Merge Sort. On to Outline 56 - Wrapup.

Summary

We recap what we've learned (or might have learned) across the semester.

Related Pages

• Learning Outcomes
• EBoard 55 (Source 55)

Overview

• The subject matter(s) of the course.
• More about the subject matter(s).
• Looking beyond the course.

Administrivia

• Please make sure to attend class on Friday this week.
• Review sessions Thursday at 10 a.m., Thursday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 8 p.m., Monday at 8p.m. A chance to ask about the sample final (except for nest).

Upcoming Work

• No more readings!
• No more lab writeups!
• Exam 4 cover sheet due AS ARRANGED
• Exam 4 epilogue due AS ARRANGED

Extra Credit Opportunities

Academic

• Any visit to the current show in the Faulconer gallery.
• "Summer Opportunities in CS", Thursday at 4:15 p.m.
• Kington's "In the Loop" presentation Thursday at 11 or 2.
  • I don't know why he is talking about downtown Chicago.

Peer Support

• Women's Basketball vs. Carroll, Saturday, Dec. 12 at 3:00 p.m.

The Subject Matter(s) of the Course

I consider it important to end the semester with an overview of the primary learning goals and outcomes of the course, which we often call "the subject matter of the course." I think of CSC 151 as having a broad range of subject matters. Here's the high-level overview.

• Problem Solving. CSC 151 is about techniques for thinking about how to take a problem and develop a solution.
• Computer Science: Algorithms and Data Structures. We use the approach of computer scientists, developing algorithms that solve generalized problems and arranging the data in certain ways.
• Scheme. We make these issues concrete using the Scheme programming language.
• Program and Software Design. And think more broadly about how to represent algorithms as programs.
• General Thinking Skills. Every Grinnell class should develop skills beyond disciplinary skills. We work on a wide variety.
• And Beyond. I try to provide some moral perspective on the world, too.

Additional Details

With your partner, come up with three or so issues for each category. I've started with an example or two of each.

Problem Solving

Computer Science: Algorithms and Data Structures

Scheme

Program and Software Design

General Thinking Skills

And Beyond