MJ Johns (they/them) mjohns@austin.utexas.edu Office: GDC 5.

502 Spring 2023

CS 303e Elements of Computers and Programming

UID: 51870 Professor: MJ Johns (they/them) Office Hours: TBD / By Request
Meetings: T TH 12:30-2pm Classroom: Zoom (access the Zoom tab via Canvas)
Course Mode: Online All class periods will be synchronous online

Overview
This course is an introduction to computers, computer science, and programming. We will be
using the Python programming language. We will start with the basics and move at a
moderate-to-quick pace to cover a lot of material. By the end of this course you will have enough
programming knowledge to write practical and useful computer programs as well as an
understanding of when and where programming can be useful to different fields.

Prerequisites
This course is open to all majors and there are no prerequisites. You do not need any prior
experience with programming - we will start at the beginning!

Only one of the following may be counted: CS 303E, 305J, 312, 312H. Credit for CS 303E may not
be earned after you have received credit for CS 307, 314, or 314H. This course may not be
counted toward a degree in computer science.

Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

These skills will benefit you in future technical courses, as well as supporting you in the ways you
might use programming skills in non-CS fields such as science, math, art, design, business,
finance, social studies, and communication.

You are encouraged to consider your own learning goals for this semester. Write them down and
periodically check to see if you are working towards them.

Instructional Mode - Online

This is an online course with all class sessions held online synchronously through Zoom.
Synchronous meetings will be very active, and attendance in all class sessions is encouraged. If
you are unable to attend a synchronous online class meeting, please review the Zoom recording
and complete the Learning Check on your own.
Pedagogical Rationale: The online format is ideal for this topic and this class size. Learning to program is
very hands-on and requires active learning, which can best be accomplished at this scale in an online
setting. Our online classes will be active and engaging and you will have opportunities to participate and
demonstrate your learning during class time and interact with peers.

1
Assessment
This class will have 3 exams worth 20% each, as well as weekly homework assignments and
codelabs. Exams will be completed during class time and will cover all material up to that point in
the semester. Homework assignments will be completed individually on your own time and will
be due Mondays at midnight. Codelabs will be completed in small groups during class time, due
by the end of class or specified due date (you must be present in class for Codelabs).

Late Work Policy: On any homework assignment you may request a 24 hour extension with no
penalty - no excuses required. You must make the request by filling out the ‘request form’ before
the deadline. If you need a 72 hour extension due to extenuating circumstances, please contact
Student Emergency Services. Do not make requests more than a week in advance (we only grant
extensions on the current assignment). You may NOT use late days for exams, learning checks,
or for group codelabs - in the case of an emergency or documented circumstance, please
contact Student Emergency Services and also email the instructor.

Late assignments submitted without request, or beyond the requested extension, receive a 25%
deduction for each day it is late. Assignments will be locked after 5 days and no further
submissions will be accepted.

Attendance Policy → Learning Checks

Attendance in all class sessions is encouraged, but does not count
toward final grades. There is no need to request an excused absence
from a regular class meeting. Attending on Codelab days is required.

At the end of each regular class session there will be a Learning Check
due by midnight of the next day. Learning Checks will be peer-graded,
and will gauge whether you are keeping up with the material. These
learning checks will take the place of attendance.

Note: If you cannot attend class for a Codelab, you must discuss arrangements with the
instructor at least one week in advance.

Resources / Textbook
Recommended Textbook: Introduction to Programming Using Python by Y. Daniel Liang. There
will not be required readings, however this book is an excellent supplement. There is a PDF
version available on Canvas.

Additional Resources:

● LinkedIn Learning: Programming Basics and Python

● Online Python Documentation: https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/

Supplemental Instruction
The Sanger Learning Center holds free Supplemental Instruction (SI) sessions for this class every
week! SI Sessions are led by experienced and trained students who develop engaging,
structured, small-group activities for you to work through. You are welcome to attend SI sessions
at any point in the semester. Regular participation in SI Sessions has been shown to improve
students' performance by an average of one-half to one full letter grade higher than the class
average! It is highly recommended for everyone. Information on session times and how to access
them will be available at https://ugs.utexas.edu/slc/support/si

2
Calendar
Check Canvas regularly. Changes to the schedule may be made at my discretion if circumstances
require. I will announce any such changes in class and via a Canvas announcement. I will do my best to
ensure that you are notified of changes with as much advance notice as possible.

Wk Tuesday Thursday Homework (due Mon)

1 1/10 Getting Started / Inquiry 1/12 Variables, Data Types, Input 1/17 HW.0: Hello World
2 1/17 Booleans / Conditionals 11/19 Math / Formatting 1/23 HW.1: Interactive Story
3 1/24 Turtle 1/26 Codelab 1 1/30 HW.2: Creative
4 1/31 Loops (for/while) 2/2 Nested Loops 2/6 HW.3: Looping
5 2/7 Review 2/9 Exam 1
6 2/14 Functions 2/16 Codelab 2 2/20 HW.4: Math / Finance
7 2/21 Lists 2/23 Multi-dimensional Lists 2/27 HW.5: Recipes
8 2/28 Debugging / Exceptions 3/2 Codelab 3 3/6 HW.6: Research
9 3/7 Tuples, Sets, Dictionaries 3/9 Exam 2
10 3/14 Spring Break 3/16 Spring Break
11 3/21 Sorting & Searching 3/23 Codelab 4 3/27 HW.7: Buggy Code
12 3/28 Classes 3/30 Object-Oriented + Modules 4/3 HW.8: Racing Game
13 4/4 Algorithms + Inheritance 4/6 Codelab 5 4/10 HW.9: Instructions
14 4/11 Recursion, Adv Turtle 4/13 Codelab 6 4/17 HW.10: Your Program
15 4/18 Review 4/20 Exam 3

Process
Despite being a large class, it will be interactive and encourage exploration and creativity. Our
class sessions will be a mixture of lectures, coding demos, and small group activities.

What Will You Do?

● Explore and experiment with programming principles
● Write programs following specific constraints
● Solve challenges and design unique programs and solutions specific to your interests

Assignments
● Learning Checks are small challenges based on what is covered in lecture, due at the
start of the next class, and replaces attendance - they can be completed in or out of class.
● Homeworks are medium-sized tasks to be completed on your own outside of class.
● Codelabs are group coding challenges completed during a class session in groups of 2-4.
● Exams are large, summative assessments covering several weeks of material.

3
Study Habits
Time Management
A valuable skill for traditional classes, and a crucial skill for online/hybrid classes. Take control of
your schedule and optimize your time for success. Below you will find several excellent resources
for better managing your time:

● Randy Pausch’s Time Management

● Time Management Fundamentals
● Tips for Working Remotely
● Remote Office Productivity

Note Taking
Taking notes helps you to retain more of the information you are learning. Although it may seem
unnecessary for recorded lectures (after all, you can rewatch them anytime), I encourage you to
consider the value of the note taking process even for asynchronous material.

● Study Skills (Part 2: Note Taking)

Professionalism in Remote Work

While colleges converted to online out of necessity, remote work in the tech industry has been
commonplace for years. It is highly likely you will work in some kind of online setting during your
career. This class is an opportunity to practice professionalism in an online environment.

● Video Conference Presence

● Writing Business Emails
● Virtual Teams
● Freelancing Tips

Classroom Policy
This course will have synchronous meetings on Zoom (set-up your account at
(https://utexas.zoom.us/ ). You can find the Zoom meeting links on Canvas under the
Zoom tab. You must be logged in with a UT ID to access the classroom. If you have
trouble logging in please contact IT for help.

In an effort to create a community and get to know each other, you are expected to have your
face visible during the synchronous Zoom meetings either using a webcam, or by having a recent
photo for your Zoom profile picture (not an icon, avatar, or gif).

We will have asynchronous discussions and activities on Canvas, and we will utilize Piazza for
asynchronous Q&A. The Piazza system is highly catered to getting you help fast and efficiently
from classmates, the TAs, and myself. Rather than emailing questions to the teaching staff, I
encourage you to post your questions on Piazza.

Participation in both the synchronous Zoom and the asynchronous discussions is important for
building our community - please be respectful of others at all times.

Class Recordings Notice: Class recordings are reserved only for students in this class for
educational purposes and are protected under FERPA. The recordings should not be shared
outside the class in any form. Violation of this restriction by a student could lead to Student
Misconduct proceedings.

4
Required Equipment & Material
All students MUST have access to a computer (Mac or PC). If you do not have a personal
computer, you may be able to access one through the PCL Computer Lab or the lab in the GDC.
You will need to be able to install Python and IDLE on the computer you are using.

Grades
Learning Checks 10%
10 Homework 20% (2% each)
5 Codelabs 10% (2% each)
3 Exams 60% (20% each)
Bonus Up to 5%

Final grades will be determined on the basis of the following rubric. Please note: to ensure
fairness, all numbers are absolute, and will not be rounded up or down at any stage. Thus a B-
will be inclusive of all scores of 80.000 through 83.999. The University does not recognize the
grade of A+.

A = 94-100 A- = 90-93 B+ = 87-89

B = 84-86 B- = 80-83 C+ = 77-79

C = 74-76 C- = 70-73 D+ = 67-69

D = 64-66 D- = 60-63 F = 0-60

Grade Disputes
All grades will be posted on Canvas. You have one week from the date the grade is posted to
dispute your grade. First contact the TAs and see if you can resolve the issue. If you can not
resolve your differences, you may contact me to explain the situation. We will not entertain any
grade disputes after one week.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Inclusive Instructional Design (IID)
This course was designed following principles of Universal Design for Learning and Inclusive
Instructional Design. Wherever possible, course materials will be provided in a variety of different
formats including text, video, audio, and interactive.

All lectures and demos will be recorded and available after class, as well as lecture slides and
any other material shown during class. You may use any of this material during exams.

There will be Extra Credit opportunities throughout the semester, including an extra Codelab and
Homework which will allow you to drop your lowest grade of each.

If at any point you experience a barrier to learning - please reach out to me as soon as possible. I
am happy to work with you to ensure you have a good learning experience!

It is my intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this
course, that students’ learning needs be addressed, and that the diversity that students bring to
this class can be comfortably expressed and be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit to all
students. Please come to me at any time with any concerns.

5
Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD)
As stated above, this course was designed to be accessible and inclusive to all, however there
may still be cases where accommodations need to be made. If you feel there are any barriers you
might face, whether documented or not, please feel free to discuss them with me. I am open to
any ideas you have that will make this course better for you.

The University of Texas at Austin provides academic accommodations for qualified students with
disabilities. For more information, contact Services for Students with Disabilities (512-471-6259,
ssd@austin.utexas.edu, http://ddce.utexas.edu/disability/ , or videophone 512-471-6644).

Religious Holy Days

By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence as far in advance as possible of
the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work
assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, you will be given an opportunity
to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence.

Personal Pronouns / Preferred Names

Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and
topics dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender,
gender variance, and nationalities. Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student’s
legal name, unless they have added a “preferred name” with the Gender and Sexuality Center
(http://diversity.utexas.edu/genderandsexuality/publications-and-resources/).

I will gladly honor your request to address you by a name that is different from what appears on
the official roster, and by the gender pronouns you use (she/he/they/ze, etc). Please advise me of
any changes early in the semester and ensure your display name on Zoom and Canvas align with
your preference (you can edit your Canvas display name by selecting Account > Profile).

Land Acknowledgement
I would like to acknowledge that we are meeting on the Indigenous lands of Turtle Island, the
ancestral name for what now is called North America.Moreover, I would like to acknowledge the
Alabama-Coushatta, Caddo, Carrizo/Comecrudo, Coahuiltecan, Comanche, Kickapoo, Lipan
Apache, Tonkawa and Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo, and all the American Indian and Indigenous Peoples
and communities who have been or have become a part of these lands and territories in Texas.

Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL)

If you have concerns about the safety or behavior of fellow students, TAs or professors, contact
BCCAL (the Behavior Concerns and COVID-19 Advice Line) at
https://safety.utexas.edu/behavior-concerns-advice-line or by calling 512-232-5050.
Confidentiality will be maintained as much as possible, however the university may be required to
release some information to appropriate parties.

Quantitative Reasoning
This course carries the Quantitative Reasoning flag. Quantitative Reasoning courses are
designed to equip you with skills that are necessary for understanding the types of quantitative
arguments you will regularly encounter in your adult and professional life. You should therefore
expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from your use of quantitative skills to analyze
real-world problems.

6
UT COVID Policies
To help preserve our in-person learning environment, the university recommends the following.
● Adhere to university mask guidance. Masks are strongly recommended inside university
buildings for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, except when alone in a private
office or single-occupant cubicle.
● Vaccinations are widely available, free and not billed to health insurance. The vaccine will
help protect against the transmission of the virus to others and reduce serious symptoms
in those who are vaccinated.
● Proactive Community Testing remains an important part of the university’s efforts to
protect our community. Tests are fast and free.
● We encourage the use of the Protect Texas App each day prior to coming to campus.
● If you develop COVID-19 symptoms or feel sick, stay home and contact the University
Health Services’ Nurse Advice Line at 512-475-6877. If you need to be absent from class,
contact Student Emergency Services and they will notify your professors. In addition, to
help understand what to do if you have been in close contact with someone who tested
positive for COVID-19, see this University Health Services link.
● Behavior Concerns and COVID-19 Advice Line (BCCAL) remains available as the primary
tool to address questions or concerns from the university community about COVID-19.
● Students who test positive should contact BCCAL or self-report (if tested off campus) to
University Health Services.
● Visit Protect Texas Together for more information.

Student Support Services

This course may be offered in a format to which you are unaccustomed. If you are
looking for ideas and strategies to help you feel more comfortable participating in
our class, please explore the resources available here:
https://onestop.utexas.edu/keep-learning/

There are numerous free and/or low-cost support services available to students at UT. They
include (but are not limited to) the following:

The Sanger Learning Center (512-471-3614, utexas.edu/ugs/slc) provides study skills,

time-management, and note-taking courses.

The Undergraduate Writing Center (512-471-6222, uwc.utexas.edu) helps students with every
phase of writing assignments for their courses.

University Health Services (512-471-4955, healthyhorns.utexas.edu) provides medical and health

promotion services for currently enrolled students and some non-students who are officially
enrolled in certain University programs.

The Counseling and Mental Health Center (512-471-3515, cmhc.utexas.edu) helps students with
their personal concerns so that they can meet the daily challenges of student life.

Student Emergency Services in the Office of the Dean of Students helps students and their
families during difficult or emergency situations. Assistance includes outreach, advocacy,
intervention, support, and referrals to relevant campus and community resources. If you need to
be absent from class due to a family emergency, medical or mental health concern, or academic
difficulty due to crisis or an emergency situation, you can work with Student Emergency Services.
SES will document your situation and notify your professors. Additional information is available at
https://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/emergency/ or by calling 512-471-5017.

7
Academic Integrity
The University's Honor Code states that “As a student
of The University of Texas at Austin, I shall abide by
the core values of the University and uphold academic
integrity.” You are expected to maintain absolute
integrity and a high standard of individual honor in
scholastic work undertaken at the University.

The work you submit in this class must be entirely your own. Collaboration during exams is
strictly prohibited and will result in immediate failure of the course, being reported to the
Dean of students, and possible dismissal from the University.

You are encouraged to form study groups, to discuss the course material with peers, to work
practice problems together, and you may ask your peers for advice when stuck on homeworks. It
is great to help each other and learn from each other, but it is not ok to give someone answers or
submit work that is not your own.

Things that are permitted:

● Helping others with setup/configuration issues (i.e. installing Python).

● Helping someone understand the intent of a programming assignment.
● Discussing course content and helping others understand general concepts.
● Helping peers debug their homework by walking them through general steps of an
algorithm, or asking them questions to think through their own work (NOT by showing
them your code, or writing any of their code for them, or telling them what to type).
● Getting coding help from TAs and the professor.
● Posting 2 lines or less of code that is giving you an error to Piazza.

Things that are NOT PERMITTED (unless explicitly part of a class activity):

● Sharing your code file with anyone or accepting anyone's code file.
● Looking at others' code or showing your code to others.
● Writing anyone else's code for them.
● Copying code from anywhere (other students, online, etc.).
● Posting code anywhere (Piazza, online, in chats, discussion boards, assignment sharing
websites, social media, or anywhere).
● Employing someone else to write your code for you.
● Submitting work that is not your own.
● Talking someone through what to type line-by-line.
● Working to design coding solutions together so that your code ends up the same.

We will be running a sophisticated program on all submitted assignments to detect similarities

amongst submissions. If we do detect any cases of academic dishonesty, we will assign a course
grade of F to all students involved and refer the case to the Dean of Students. Further penalties,
including suspension or expulsion from the university may be imposed by that office.

You may search for information about an error, however you may not look on the internet for
code to solve your assignments or exam problems, and you may not post your solution code
anywhere. Materials from the web should be used for educational purposes only.

If you have any doubts about what is allowed, ask the professor or a TA. Ignorance on the policy
is not a legitimate excuse.

8
 Academic Dishonesty
In promoting a high standard of academic integrity, the University broadly defines academic
dishonesty as including any act designed to give an unfair or undeserved academic advantage,
such as: Cheating, Plagiarism, Unauthorized Collaboration / Collusion, Falsifying Academic
Records, Misrepresenting Facts (e.g., providing false information to postpone an exam, obtain
an extended deadline for an assignment, or even gain an unearned financial benefit), Multiple
submissions (submitting essentially the same written assignment for two courses without
authorization to do so), Any other acts (or attempted acts) that violate the basic standard of
academic integrity.

Students who violate University rules on academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary
penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University.
(from http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acint_faculty_syllabus.php)

Plagiarism
“Plagiarism” includes, but is not limited to, the appropriation of, buying, receiving as a gift, or
obtaining by any means material that is attributable in whole or in part to another source,
including words, ideas, illustrations, structure, computer code, and other expression or media,
and presenting that material as one’s own academic work being offered for credit or in
conjunction with a program course requirement (from Sec. 11-402).

Title IX Reporting
Title IX is a federal law that protects against sex and gender-based discrimination, sexual
harassment, sexual assault, sexual misconduct, dating/domestic violence and stalking at federally
funded educational institutions. UT Austin is committed to fostering a learning and working
environment free from discrimination in all its forms.

When sexual misconduct occurs in our community, the university can:

1. Intervene to prevent harmful behavior from continuing or escalating

2. Provide support and remedies to students and employees who have experienced harm or
have become involved in a Title IX investigation
3. Investigate and discipline violations of the university’s relevant policies
(https://titleix.utexas.edu/relevant-polices/)

Beginning January 1, 2020, Texas Senate Bill 212 requires all employees of Texas universities,
including faculty, report any information to the Title IX Office regarding sexual harassment, sexual
assault, dating violence and stalking that is disclosed to them.

Texas law requires that all employees who witness or receive any information of this type
(including, but not limited to, writing assignments, class discussions, or one-on-one
conversations) must be reported.

I am a Responsible Employee and must report any Title IX related incidents that are disclosed in
writing, discussion, or one-on-one. Before talking with me, or with any faculty or staff member
about a Title IX related incident, be sure to ask whether they are a responsible employee. If you
would like to speak with someone who can provide support or remedies without making an
official report to the university, please email advocate@austin.utexas.edu.

For more information about reporting options and resources, visit http://www.titleix.utexas.edu/ ,
contact the Title IX Office via email at titleix@austin.utexas.edu, or call 1-1512-471-0419.

9
CARRYING OF HANDGUNS ON CAMPUS
Texas’ Open Carry law expressly prohibits a licensed to carry (LTC) holder from carrying a
handgun openly on the campus of an institution of higher education such as UT Austin. Students
in this class should be aware of the following university policies:

● Students in this class who hold a license to carry are asked to review the university policy
regarding campus carry.
● Individuals who hold a license to carry are eligible to carry a concealed handgun on
campus, including in most outdoor areas, buildings and spaces that are accessible to the
public, and in classrooms.
● It is the responsibility of concealed-carry license holders to carry their handguns on or
about their person at all times while on campus. Open carry is NOT permitted, meaning
that a license holder may not carry a partially or wholly visible handgun on campus
premises or on any university driveway, street, sidewalk or walkway, parking lot, parking
garage, or other parking area.
● Per my right, I prohibit carrying of handguns in my personal office. Note that this
information will also be conveyed to all students verbally during the first week of class.
This written notice is intended to reinforce the verbal notification, and is not a “legally
effective” means of notification in its own right.

UT Electronic Mail Notification Policy

Electronic mail (e-mail) is a mechanism for official University and instructor
communication to students. Students are expected to check email on a
frequent and regular basis in order to stay current with University- and
course-related communications, recognizing that certain communications may
be time-critical. It is recommended that email be checked daily, but at a
minimum, twice per week.

It is the responsibility of every student to keep the University and instructor informed of changes
in their official e-mail address. Consequently, e-mail returned with "User Unknown" is not an
acceptable excuse for missed communication. Similarly, undeliverable messages returned
because of a full inbox or use of a spam filter will be considered delivered without further action
required of the University or instructor. (see e-mail notification policy)

Professor Bio
MJ Johns (they/them) is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Computer
Science. MJ has worked in various areas of software development including gameplay
programming, VR development, and design and development for educational software and tools.
MJ was also a Game Scripter on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered and Mafia III.

You did it! Thanks for reading the syllabus!

10