Homework 1: Administrivia and Questionnaire

Assigned: Friday, August 31
Due: Monday, September 3
No extensions!

Summary: In this assignment, you will gather information about the structure of the course and then respond to a few basic questions about the course.

Purposes: To encourage you to learn about the structure of the course and the course web. To give me a little information about you.

Expected Time: Less than one hour.

Collaboration: Each student should turn in his or her own version of this assignment. However, you may certainly sit with other students as you review the course materials and answer the questions. You may discuss the assignment with anyone you wish. You may obtain help from anyone you wish, but you should clearly document that help.

Submitting: Email me your answer. More details below.

Warning: So that this exercise is a learning assignment for everyone, I may spend class time publicly critiquing your work.

Assignment

In this assignment, you will review the course web and answer some basic questions.

Part A: About the course

1. What do you need to do to prepare for each class meeting?
2. Suppose you turn in homework that meets the requirements of the assignment. What grade can you expect to get?
3. What happens if you turn in homework late?
4. How can you figure out what assignments you have due?
5. When can you work with other students and when can you not work with other students (for this class)?
6. How can you get help?
7. Why do you think I gave you this assignment?
8. What questions about the course do you have that are not answered by the web site?

Part B: About you

9. What is your name, and what do you like to be called?
10. What is your major (or intended major)?
11. What courses are you taking this term? Please provide titles.
12. Tell me a little bit about your background with computers.
13. What do you hope to learn or gain from this course?
14. What are your biggest concerns for this course?
15. Tell me something you'd like me to ask you more about later (e.g., your hometown, a hobby, a story, a goal).
16. What, if anything, would you like to know about me?

Part C: Start reading

Do the reading for the next class, which can be found at http://www.cs.grinnell.edu/~davisjan/csc/151/2007F/readings/reading01.linux.html.

Important Evaluation Criteria

I will evaluate your work on the seriousness with which you approach the assignment and your correctness in answering the questions.

Submitting Your Homework

Please send your work as the body of an email message. I don't like attachments, and prefer not to receive them when they can be avoided.

Janet Davis (davisjan@cs.grinnell.edu)