Problem Classes
All problem classes will be taken from the CS1112 Problem Handbook.
Each week please hand in the 'for submission' exercises to Professor O'Sullivan at the end of the Tuesday 2-3pm lecture. Please be sure to include your name and ID number on your submission. Had-written submissions are perfectly fine. Please staple separate sheets together.
| Week | Date | Tasks | For Submission | Deadline | Solutions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Nov 1st | Problems 0 | Q4 & Q5 | Nov 8th | sols |
| 9 | Nov 8th | Problems 1 | Q10, Q11 & Q12 | Nov 15th | sols |
| 10 | Nov 15th | Problems 2 | Q7 & Q10 | Nov 22nd | sols |
| 11 | Nov 22nd | Problems 3 | Q3, Q4, Q7 & Q9 | Nov 29th | sols1 | sols2 |
| 12 | Nov. 29th | Problems 4 | Q3, Q4, Q9, Q14, Q15 | Nov 30th | sols1 | sols2 | sols3 |
Submissions
Each week, you will be told the range of questions from the list of CS1112 problems that you are able to answer. We will look at one or two of these on the whiteboard during the problem class, and you will work through the other problems in class. You will be asked to submit written attempts at one or two of the questions (the ones in the For Submission column below). You can submit them in the problem class or at the start of the Tuesday lecture. Your submissions will then be marked, and returned to you during the next problem classes.
When you submit, you must include CS1112, the number of the Problem Sheet, and your name and ID number at the top of each page you submit.
Note that you do need to tackle all the exercises, and not just the one highlighted for submission. The exercises include definitions and techniques that we will use throughout the module, and similar questions may appear in the exams.
Take this Advice
Computer Science relies on practical skills needing discipline and perseverance, so attendance at, and participation in, CS1112 problem classes is a required part of the module. Attendance and participation will be monitored.
Problem Classes will be announced shortly. You must attend your allocated session. If the time clashes with any other timetabled class, please contact Professor O'Sullivan as soon as possible.
The problem classes are for your benefit, to give you a timetabled session when you can try to solve problems, and get assistance from coursemates and from teaching staff.
If you do not treat the problem classes seriously, and don't practice your skills steadily throughout the year, you will struggle badly when it comes to the exams. Every year, in this module and in other practical modules, some students don't treat the problem classes seriously. They don't attend regularly. They don't work when they do attend. They don't ask for help. They don't read the lecture notes. At the end of the year, they panic, and try to cram the module into a couple of weeks revision. They fail. They sit the repeat exam, and they fail that too. They then either come back for another year, or drop out entirely.
Don't let this happen to you. You are now at university. You will not be spoonfed material, or hand-held through the module. Instead, you have to take responsibility for your own learning. If you are not understanding something, then you need to take action to sort it out. You will need to read the notes, you will need to find other sources of information, you will need to practice, and you will need to ask for help in the problem classes. In order to pass this module, you will have to acquire skills, and if you don't acquire the skills, but rely on memorising large chunks of lecture notes, you will fail. You have to build up the skills gradually. You will know quite early on if you are not keeping up with the module. If so, do not leave it until March - sort it out now!
Attendance will be taken at problem classes.
You are expected to attend all of your allocated sessions Do not sit in silence if you are struggling. Within about the first 10 minutes of the class, you should know whether or not you understand how to do what you are being asked. If you don't, then ASK FOR HELP. Do not do work for other courses, don't browse the web, don't play games, don't read the newspaper, don't update your Facebook page, and don't send and read text messages. You can do all that in your own time, when you don't need the help of the teaching staff. You will have to put in the time in order to pass the exam, so do it now, when the help is available. Do not leave early. Do discuss the problems with the people around you - you will learn more by arguing about how to solve the problems, and explaining the material to others - but do attempt to solve them yourself. You will learn nothing if you simply copy what someone else has done.