Professor Andrew Forney • Andrew.Forney[at]lmu.edu

This course will provide an overview of Computer Science as a discipline of study, as a department at LMU, and of your peers in the major with whom you will spend your next few years! Apart from this knowledge and exposure, we want you to feel a sense of belonging in this incredible community at LMU as well as a connection to past computer scientists who have paved the way to where we are today.

Learning Outcomes

By the course's end, students will have gained:

• An overview of modern CMSI: including familiarity with subfields like networking, security, artificial intelligence, game design, web design, etc. and possible career paths in each.

• Relationships with other students in LMU CMSI: not just getting to know one another, but also having study and work groups in mind for your courses and side projects.

• General tips for success in CMSI: everything from clarity of the CMSI curriculum to how to take notes / study for CMSI courses, etc.

• Familiarity with LMU CMSI Faculty: including faculty research (and how to get involved), sample lectures, and pearls of wisdom to take with you through your career at LMU.

• A sense of belonging: as well as helpful tips for avoiding common pitfalls like impostor syndrome and procrastination -- remember, you belong here!

About your Moderator

Far be it from me to make a syllabus about myself, but just by way of introductions...

Click here to see some bullets about your instructor!

Lecture Attendance

Attendance and participation are mandatory! In fact, they're pretty much your only responsibility in this class!

Attendance Requirements

You are allowed two (2) absences (excused or otherwise) before losing credit for this course and needing to repeat it.

• You do NOT need to tell me in advance if you will be missing a class, for any reason -- you get 2 absences for whatever!

• Remote attendance is not an option, not only due to school policy, but also because you'd miss out on bonding opportunities with your classmates!

• Lectures are participatory: come prepared to ask and answer questions to make the most out of your education!

Attendance Check-in System

To make things easy on all of us, we will use an in-person attendance check-in system developed by some of our own CMSI students! Thanks to Aidan Srouji and Masao Kitamura for their efforts.

Before Week 2:

1. Follow the link to our registration page and sign in with your Google account:

   LMU Attendance Tracker

2. Enter your name, university student ID (can be found on PROWL if you don't know it), and library number into the form. Your library number can be found on the back of your OneCard and should be 14-digits.

3. After submitting, you're all set! You can sign in again at any time to view your attendance records, though you don't *need* to return to this site again if you don't want to.

Starting Week 2:

1. When you arrive to class, come to the front (where the instructor is) and scan your OneCard in front of the card reader. A successful scan will make it loudly beep, meaning you're officially checked-in for the day.

   Note: you *must* have your OneCard on you in order to receive attendance credit!

2. The scanner will be deactivated a few minutes past the start of class, after which, you will not be able to check in and will be considered absent.

Lecture Types and Expectations

There will be two types of classes throughout the semester that will have different requirements from you:

• Participatory: classes that involve some activity and do not require note taking (though you are welcome to if convenient).

• Lecture: classes that involve some speaker presenting on a topic for which the following is required:

  • [Note-taking] You must generate at least 1 page (8.5" x 11" notebook or notebook paper) of hand-written notes on the lecture's topic.

    • At the end of class, a spreadsheet of a random selection of students in class will be shown; if your name is on it, you must present your notes to the instructor.

    • If you are not present when called for your notes, or show notes that do not meet the 1-page minimum, a half-day absence will be counted for you.

    • You may be called multiple times during the semester, so get that vital practice taking notes, having some record of what you learned in the class, and paying attention!

  • [Digital Devices Away] You must not have your laptop or phone out during these lectures -- give the speaker your full attention.

  • [Accommodations Excepted] If you have DSS accommodations that run in exception to the above, please let me know / have DSS forward your accommodations ASAP.

Workload Expectations

Although this is a 0-unit course, it is required as part of your degree!

That said, you should not have many responsibilities outside of class attendance and participation.

LMU CMSI has a ton of resources and people who are thrilled to help you succeed! See the following opportunities and avenues for getting help in this class' material.

Slack Messaging

Alongside email exchanges, you may reach me via the Slack messaging service (Slack is a chat client that can be downloaded here) in the LMUCS channel (lmucs.slack.com) and username forns.

• Feel free to reach out any time -- in the worst case, I have to step away from my desk and will answer your message when I return!

• Please try to send your note / question in a single message rather than splitting it into like 9 different messages that make my computer sound like it's making popcorn.

Student / Office Hours

Student / Office Hours are times during which I'm available for nothing but you, the students! I can help you: review course material, debug your programs, provide guidance on further exploration, and more!

• R 10:00am - 11:45am, DOO 201A or 217 (they're right next to each other)

• W 10:00am - 1:00pm, via Zoom (see link in course welcome email)

• Questions by Slack / Email ANY time!

Steps for Remote Office Hours Attendance:

1. I do not publicly post my Zoom office-hours link, but just send me a note on Slack *in advance of office hours* to see where I'm at (the "Starter Pack" email I send at the beginning of the semester also has this information).

2. My office hours tend to be well attended, so if you join into a waiting room, it means I'm helping other students and will admit you as soon as I'm free.

3. Once you've been admitted, you / your group will be placed into a Zoom Breakout Room with priority given to the order in which you joined. Wait in here and I'll be with you as soon as I can!

The following constitutes the tentative schedule for topics to be covered in the course. This is largely an approximation for what we will cover each lecture, and is subject to change. Note also the lecture *type* next to each, which demands whether or not your note taking is required and subject to feedback (see Lecture Attendance section above)!

Item	Date	Topic	Class Type
Class 1
Class 2
Class 3
Class 4
Class 5
Class 6
Class 7
Class 8
Class 9
Class 10
Class 11
Class 12
Class 13
Class 14
Class 15

Grade Decomposition

Grades will be assigned based on the following weighted coursework:

• [100%] Attendance: As stated in the Lecture Attendance section above, your only "graded" responsibility in this course is to attend it! You will receive credit [CR] as long as you do not miss more than 2 classes, i.e., you will only lose credit if you have missed 2.5 classes or more.

Academic Honesty

Because this is an attendance-based class, there are few opportunities for academic *dishonesty*, but the following is prohibited:

• Signing in another student with their OneCard if they are not attending.

• Leaving mid-way through the lecture once you've checked in (for non-emergency / illness / etc. legitimate reasons).

• Turning in another student's notes as though they're your own.

The following slides provide more CMSI-specific standards for academic honesty; it is expected that by reading this syllabus you are aware of these standards.

CMSI Academic Honesty Standards

Rule of thumb: if anyone but you is responsible for your submitted work / attendance, you are liable for academic dishonesty! Remember that it is YOU taking this course to learn the tools of your chosen trade, your degree will be useless otherwise!

With that said, here are some things you can expect from this class, and what I expect from you:

Community Agreement

Just as I have certain expectations of you in this course, you may have certain expectations of me. Here is a high-level list of each:

My Responsibilities	Your Responsibilities
Answer your questions and curiosities in office hours, over Slack, and via email with a turnaround of at most 36 hours.	Be responsible with use of your time, class time, office hours, email, and the Keck Lab TAs. Last minute pleas for "extra credit" for attendance will not be accepted.
Provide you with an educational experience superior to that which could be gleaned from a textbook or online source alone.	Actively engaging with the material and asking questions when you're stuck -- I'm happy to help, but can't read minds.
Give you feedback on your submissions and individualized instruction on how to maximize your gain from this class.	Be academically honest with your attendance and notetaking.
Ensure that any group work is productive and encouraging; I'm always happy to mediate if conflict occurs in a group.	Be respectful of group mates: do not expect someone to do all of the work (including yourself) and try to hear ALL group members' voices.
Be as welcoming, inviting, and judgment free as possible -- I want you to learn and get excited about this class!	Be respectful and supportive of classmates -- we're all learning together.

Tips for Success in this Class

Here are a few tips for succeeding in this class (and college, in general); they're not meant to sound patronizing, but rather, are simply pearls of wisdom to hand down from someone who has recently trodden your path!

• Ask questions: this is a brave space where inquiry is the heart of your education -- don't waste the opportunity!

  • Chances are good that someone else has the same question, free karma!

  • I might have made a mistake / typo and your question can correct it -- we're all human (I think)!

  • Don't feel like asking in-class? Jot a ? in your notes to ask later via email, Slack, or in Office Hours!

• Fear not the specter of error: it may not feel great to be wrong, especially publicly in a college class -- but I'm here to tell you there's no better time to be wrong!

  • You'll never be wrong about what you were wrong about again -- free studying!

  • In-class is the perfect time to be wrong -- there are no stakes for being wrong, unlike in an interview, exam, or while you're coding on the job!

  • We celebrate being wrong in here because everyone can learn from mistakes -- you'll be admired as the brave one who volunteered.

• Indulge your curiosity: and no, that's not some tagline stolen from a Vegas day-spa (actually, it might be, don't quote me on that).

  • We only have time to scratch the surface of class topics -- don't let your learning stop there, especially on topics that resonate!

  • Google related projects, experiment with questions of "what if" on different algorithms -- go forth and explore!

• Remember that you belong: no matter what you look like, believe, etc. remember that if you have a passion for computing and the hunger to learn, you are a welcome member of this class, department, and institution.

  • This includes having a growth mindset: even if you feel like you're behind or unprepared, know that everyone who has the drive can learn computing -- we believe in you!

  • No need to feel like impostors -- this material is challenging but will help you grow -- if it were easy, you wouldn't get anything from it!

  • Always feel free to let me know if you feel otherwise on any of the above: if you're feeling excluded for ANY reason, let me know, because if I can't help you, I'll find someone who can.

University Resources

Here are some LMU links for University Resources that might be of interest:

• Computer Science Department - Student Guide: There are some great review and practice guides in here too!

• Academic Degree Requirements and Policies: Pay particular attention to honor code and process.

• Disability Support Services (DSS)

• Student Codes and Policies

• Academic Resource and Learning Center