ECE G205, Fundamentals of Computer Engineering, Fall 2008

ECE G205, Fundamentals of Computer Engineering

Fall 2008

The class meets Monday and Wednesday from 2:50pm to 4:30pm in room 170 West Village Building F
(The class is also video streamed for remote students)

Instructor:

        Stefano Basagni
        Office: Dana 312
        Office hours: Tuesday, after class to 5pm.
        Telephone: 617 373 3061
        E-mail: basagni@ece.neu.edu

Teaching Assistant: TBA (check on the class Blackboard page).

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: All the information, updates, announcements, handouts and homework for this class/lab will be handled via the Blackboard system. You should have a Blackboard account, which is automatically generated when you have a myNeu account. Once you have a Blackboard account, please, make your e-mail publicly available, so you do not miss important announcements about the class.

Textbook: (1) Introduction to Algorithms, second edition, T. H. Cormen et al., McGraw-Hill, 2001. (2) C++, How to Program, sixth edition, H. M. Deitel and P. J. Deitel, Prentice Hall, 2008. (3) Notes from the Instructor.

Course Objectives: The aim of the course is to teach the basic of data structures and fundamental algorithms described by using a common programming language such as C++. The better understanding of data structure and basic algorithms should lead to program optimization, especially from a time complexity point of view.

Topics: Computational problems and algorithms. From algorithms to programs. Measuring program efficiency: Time complexity and space complexity. C++ basics and recursion. Abstract Data Types and C++ classes. Basic data structures (in C++): Arrays, pointers and structs, stack and queues, linked lists. Fundamentals of searching and sorting. More complex data structures: Trees and graphs and related algorithms. Randomized algorithms 101.

Evaluation: There will be homework, a project, a midterm and the final exam.

Grades: Homework: 20%. Project: 20%. Midterm: 30%. Final exam: 30%.

The grades for the class are determined from the total points as follows:

        96-100: A;
        90-95: A-;
        85-89: B+;
        80-84: B;
        75-79: B-;
        70-74: C+;
        60-69: C;
        50-59: C-;
        < 50: F.

Midterm and final examination policy: All examinations are CLOSED book and notes. All devices with communication capabilities, including cell phones and pagers, must be turned off during the examination. Stand-alone calculators may be used during the examination (do not use your cell phone calculator). Laptops or palmtops are not permitted.

Student Responsibilities: Class attendance is responsibility of each individual. If a student should elect not to attend a class, s/he is responsible for any handouts, announcements, reading material and content of missed lecture.

Scholastic dishonesty (e.g., cheating, plagiarism, collusion, record falsification, etc.) will be punished according to NU policies and standards.

Guidelines for submitting your homework: Homework are due on the specified date. Turn in what is completed by the deadline for partial credits. No late submission will be accepted. ("No shows" will obtain 0 points.)

If k is the total number of homework assigned, at least (int)(k/2)+1 of the homework have to be turned in for passing the class with more than a B.

All submissions must be your own work. Identical, or semi-identical assignments will not be accepted.

All homework will be handled via Blackboard.

Thanks for attending Fall 2008 ECE G205!

Please, report typos, errors and decent comments to basagni@ece.neu.edu