Succeeding In This Course¶

Everyone can succeed in this course. Each class has exercises and assignments, some of which will be done in class and others that will be done as homework. These assignments and exercises are small, focused activities, all of which can be completed with a modest amount of time and effort. However, it is important to be actively engaged in every class and to do the homework in a timely way. Falling behind will jeopardize your opportunity for learning and success.

There is a project in the class. The project is a way to bring together all of the knowledge gained in the class and put into practice the skills you will acquire. You will have the major role in deciding the topic, design, content, and presentation of the project. The project will require significant work that will be spread over four or five weeks in the second half of the term. The scope expected of your project is well matched to the time for its development. Working slowly and consistently on the project is the strategy for success.

You are asked to periodically record your reflections about the class in a journal. These periodic activities are introspective responses to a set of prompts. There are, of course, no right or wrong answers to these questions. There are, however, answers that are trivial or inattentive. We highly value answers that demonstrate an honest effort to articulate your perceptions, judgements, and learning experiences. Reflective thinking is difficult. It is not only about the “what” of a situation but (when well done) also about the “why”. For example, writing a reflection like, “I am stuck on the idea of...” is valuable feedback but a more complete reflection adds, ”.... because I do not see how it ...”. Reflections are the richest form of feedback about the course, which is needed to assess and improve the course.

Be persistent. The basic concepts of the course are repeated three times during the term. It is expected that the first time you see the concepts, you will develop some insight and understanding of them. However, you may completely miss the point of one or more of these concepts. This is not a problem because they will come around again. The goal of the course is not that you grasp these ideas immediately, but that you grasp them eventually. Competence at the end of the course is the measure of success.

Working in Cohorts¶

Being an active and engaged member of your assigned “cohort” is important to your learning. A cohort is a group of four or five students who are from different majors. The cohort serves two purposes:

• First, it allows discussions within the cohort to be informed by the perspectives of different disciplines. For example, how a biologist understands and applies the concepts within the course will be different from how a historian does so. Sharing these different perspectives within the cohort enriches the learning of each cohort member.
• Second, the cohort is a support network for peer learning. Everyone in the cohort is working to learn the same tools, languages, and skills. Getting help from members of your cohort is encouraged. Of course, you only get out of the cohort what you put into it. If you do not help others when they are having trouble, would you expect them to help you? There is no formal grading of your participation in the cohort. It is an opportunity and a valuable resource that you can gain or lose.

Individuals working in a group can behave in ways that foster or hinder effective group operation. Here is a description of constructive and destructive group behaviors that can profoundly affect the group’s success. You may have participated in groups before and seen these positive and negative behaviors at work. Your cohort will be asked to discuss these types of behaviors and, considering the needs and contributions of each cohort member, write and sign a contract that you create for your cohort. This contract should serve as a guide for how the members of the cohort agree to interact with each other and support one other’s learning.

Multiple Languages, Same Concepts¶

Computational “thinking” is a mode of thought that can only be developed in parallel with a corresponding skill in applying computation. Developing a skill in computation requires actually working with and building computations. Computations are constructed using a programming language. The course involves the use of three programming languages and the tools that support the execution of these languages.

While we will explore three different languages, each one has the same underlying set of concepts. In each language, we will focus on how abstractions are captured and manipulated by an algorithm written in that language. The core language elements are: calculation, sequence, decision, iteration, and functions.

Same Idea – Different Languages

The three programming languages are:

• NetLogo: a language and system for computational modeling
• Blockly: a visual and safe programming environment
• Python: a popular textual programming language

Each language has a different role in the course.

NetLogo is used to see how the fundamental computing concepts of abstraction and algorithms are used. NetLogo has a library of over 100 models in a wide variety of knowledge areas. You will pick a model related to your major for study. NetLogo allows us to see the anatomy of a computation.

Blockly is used to build small programs. Blockly is a visual or graphical programming language whose name comes from the fact that algorithms in Blockly are created by customizing and snapping together blocks. Each block represents (part of) a computational element. The shapes of the blocks only allow them to be assembled in ways that prevent “meaningless” computational statements from being formed.

Python is used to implement the major course project. Python is a general purpose programming language that software engineers use to build “real world” applications. We will learn “just enough” of the core elements of Python to complete a meaningful project. There is much more to Python than we will see in this class.

Big Data¶

We are awash in data. The World Wide Web facilitates the easy distribution of data that comes from human and automated sources. Individuals generate huge quantities of data via social networks and photo and video sharing sites for personal communication. Human activity generates data as a by-product that governments and organizations collect and store. Examples include records of financial transactions, reports on the movement of goods, histories of access to on-line media, stock market information, and documents from the provision of services. Analyzing this data is useful to citizens and customers who benefit from improvements in planning, regulation, and marketing that the analysis enables. Electronic medical records are repositories of valuable data that can be used to assess efficacy of drugs and performance of hospitals. Scientific instruments on earth and in space sense and report conditions in the oceans, atmosphere, and on other worlds. Traffic cameras, building sensors, GPS data... the list goes on.

The rise of “big data” applications is driven by the need to use these mountains of data to answer important questions. These applications are possible because of the decline in the costs of data storage, increased computing processor power, and high-speed networking. Three characteristics—the three Vs—are often used to define what Big Data means:

• Volume: The data is of significant size, often measured in terabytes. The data stored by online retailers like Amazon illustrates this aspect of “big data.”
• Velocity: The data are coming at a high rate and must be processed quickly. Stock market trading data is an example of this kind of data.
• Variety: The data contain many different kinds of data elements in different formats and in different organizations. A patient medical record is of this kind; it may have personal contact information in text, x-ray images, coded medical tests that were performed, prescription information, etc.

The Dimensions of Big Data

In this course, we will use “big data” for the major course project. You will be able to select, from a gallery of big data streams, one data stream that is relevant to your major. You will use this data stream to answer some interesting questions in your field of study.

Linda Lawrey, “What does 1 Terabyte of storage really mean.” , June 1, 2012

 

Social implications¶

Like all human artifacts, computational models and “big data” applications have the power for enormous benefit and the danger of significant personal and social harm. For every benefit of the democratizing of information that aided protesters in Tahrir Square , there is the individual harmed by cyber-bullying . Matched with the convenience and utility of “smart phones” is the spectre of government surveillance.

In this course, we will gain a basic idea of the role of ethical behavior in relation to computing and information technology. This not only enlightens the practice of our own professional activity but also informs our understanding of our rights and obligations as citizens in a technological society.