"Introduction to programming using Java" course for high school students - Summer 2012

Presented by

 

Dr. Jey Veerasamy,

Computer Science Department,

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science,

The University of Texas at Dallas.

 

This is a free course targeted towards high school and senior high school students who want to learn the programming basics, but I am ok to include 7th/8th grades and college students too. The class will meet two times each week for four weeks. Each session will comprise of a series of short lectures and hands-on activities.

 

Lecture Notes

 

http://www.utdallas.edu/~veerasam/java/ contains all the course materials.

 

 

Session

Topic

Place

1

July 31

Introduction to Java & NetBeans

Sequence and Selection structures

TI auditorium

2

August 2

Selection (switch) and Repetition

TI auditorium

3

August 7

Repetition and Arrays

TI auditorium

4

August 9

Arrays and Methods

TI auditorium

5

August 14

Methods and Files

TI auditorium

6

August 16

Recursion

TI auditorium

7

August 21

Object Oriented Programming

ECSS 2.415

8

August 23

Games

ECSS 2.412

 

 

Place, Times and Dates, Logistics

 

Course will run from July 31st to August 23rd on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:30 am to 12 noon. While the traffic is light within the University campus during Summer months & the directions are reasonably clear, you may want to come to the classroom with an adult for the first few sessions until you feel comfortable with getting around. Alternatively, parent/adult is welcome to attend all the sessions and learn some Java too! :-) Note that you are responsible for all the logistics including pick-up & drop-off. We cannot take any responsibility.

 

http://www.utdallas.edu/maps/ shows the UTD campus map. ECSS building is right in the middle. There is no free parking on the campus - all vehicles without parking permits/passes will be ticketed. I have sent the parking pass to all participants. If you missed to print it or changed the car, you can use pay-by-space parking (CC only - $1 per hour + $1 transaction fee) in Lot I or go to visitor center in VCB building to get a free parking pass for that day.

 

Alternatively, you can use free DART bus routes #883 or #884 to get to UTD campus. See http://www.utdallas.edu/parking/how-to-ride.html for details. Route #883 has a stop right in front of ECS building (adjacent to UTD Berkner stop). #884 goes to UTD traffic circle - you need to walk little bit to reach ECS building. One option is to park your vehicle in DART parking @ George Bush station and take a free ride on #883 to UTD.

 

http://www.utdallas.edu/locator/ECSS_2 shows the interactive map of ECSS building ground floor. 2.102 is the TI auditorium, 2.2R1 and 2.2R2 are restrooms, and we may move to 2.415 for couple of sessions if TI auditorium is not available.

 

You can carry a cellphone to contact your parent/adult after the session is over, but wireless signal is very weak inside the classrooms & it may drain the battery too. So, I encourage you to turn OFF your phones when you enter the classroom. It will avoid the distractions to the class too.

 

Curriculum

 

1.    Use fundamental programming constructs: assignment, loops, and conditions 

2.    Process data in arrays

3.    Develop programs in a functional/method form

4.    Express algorithms that search and sort arrays

5.    Perform sequential file input and output

6.    Understand and utilize recursion to solve problems

7.    Understand basic Object Oriented Programming concepts

  

Prerequisites & Software

 

No prior programming experience is required. Students should be proficient in using a PC or a MAC. They should be able to use simple tools such as MS Word.

 

The course is free. Please bring your own laptop, or it is ok to share with a friend. Feel free to bring your charger - you can connect to a power outlet from your seat. In case you cannot bring a laptop, do not worry - I may have one or two loaner laptops or you can double-up with another participant.

 

We will utilize JGRASP IDE NetBeans IDE in this course to work with Java programs.

·         If you are 100% sure that you have the latest JDK installed or if you are using Mac, go to http://netbeans.org/downloads/index.html to download NetBeans (Java SE edition is enough). Then, open NetBeans application - if it complains about your JDK version, you will need to install JDK update. 

·         Otherwise, click on http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/widget/jdk_netbeans.jsp to download JDK + NetBeans bundle (applicable for Windows and Linux).

·         It also provides tons of programmer-friendly features – That is why I have switched from JGRASP to NetBeans IDE. Please install it in your laptop before coming to the first class. If there are any difficulties with software installation, I will be happy to help during the first session whenever I get time. See you soon!

 

How to enroll:

 

Registration is closed – we will offer more courses in the future. Click jeyv@utdallas.edu and send an email to be notified when the next class is offered.