Meeting Time/Place
3:00-4:15 MW
TBD
Slack
Course Description
This course has two primary goals:
- Prepare BYU teams to compete in the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC). BYU has not had any teams compete for several years and we should be among the top teams in our region. Our goal is to win the regional competition and be one of the ~130 teams that competes at the world finals (within the next 2-3 years, hopefully this year!).
- Prepare BYU students to be better and quicker at problem solving which will help them in the technical interviews that they face both for internships and for full-time employment. This will enable students at any level (even freshmen) to get better at this so that they can have higher success as they seek employment, especially at the top companies. The focus will be on technical problem solving, but the behavioral side of interviewing will also be covered.
Learning Objectives
- Given a programming problem to be solved, students will:
- Be able to quickly identify what type(s) of approach/strategy will be most effective.
- Efficiently/rapidly implement the solution in both C++ and Python (with exposure to 2-3 other languages as well).
- Think of key additional test cases beyond those given as example input/outputs (e.g. corner cases, etc.)
- Students will also understand how to effectively conduct themselves for both the technical and behavioral portions of job interviews.
Text & Reading
There are two required textbooks for the class:
- Guide to Competitive Programming by A. Laaksonen (Springer, 2017) $36 on Amazon.
- Cracking the Coding Interview: 189 Programming Questions and Solutions by Gayle Laakmann McDowell (CareerCup, 2015) $32 on Amazon.
We will read parts of these books and work problems in them as outlined in the course schedule. You are responsible for reading the material for a given day prior to that day's lecture/class.
Attendance & Participation
Class attendance and participation are expected. Your attendance and participation guarantee you a better learning experience. You are unlikely to be successful in the course, but more importantly, in competitions or coding interviews without participating and putting in the needed time practicing.
Assignments/Projects
Most of the coursework will be writing code to solving problems. Each week there will be a set of assigned problems to complete on websites such as HackerRank, LeetCode, and Kattis. Some of these problems will be done/discussed in class, others you are expected to do outside of class.
Exams
This course will not have traditional sit-down written exams. Students will instead complete problem-solving/coding exercises during scheduled programming/competition blocks. Some of these competitions will be here at BYU, others will take place online.
Grading
Grading will be weighted approximately as follows:
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These propotions may be adjusted based on relative time spent and relative difficulty, but know that all are important and therefore contribute toward your grade. Also know that your grade is partly based on the time you put in and partly on improving your skills.
Late Policy
Late work is not accepted. In my experience, one key to success, in this class, in our profession, and in life in general, is being organized and meeting deadlines. The no-late-work-policy is in large part to help you be successful and be able to continue progressing and focusing on new material. We will be covering a lot of topics, all of which will benefit you.
If you have extenuating circumstances that may warrant an exception to the no late work policy, please talk to me as early as possible.
Working Together
We will work together in class and at some of the programming competitions. The ICPC requires teams of three students, so we will practice like at times. However, working on a team will not benefit you much at all in a coding interview -- you need to be able to solve problems on your own. So, unless otherwise specified, please work hard at solving the problems outside of class independently. After working on them on your own, we will discuss many of them in class together.
Preventing & Responding to Sexual Misconduct
In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Brigham Young University prohibits unlawful sex discrimination against any participant in its education programs or activities. The university also prohibits sexual harassment—including sexual violence—committed by or against students, university employees, and visitors to campus. As outlined in university policy, sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking are considered forms of "Sexual Misconduct" prohibited by the university.
University policy requires all university employees in a teaching, managerial, or supervisory role to report all incidents of Sexual Misconduct that come to their attention in any way, including but not limited to face-to-face conversations, a written class assignment or paper, class discussion, email, text, or social media post. Incidents of Sexual Misconduct should be reported to the Title IX Coordinator at t9coordinator@byu.edu or (801) 422-8692. Reports may also be submitted through EthicsPoint at https://titleix.byu.edu/report or 1-888-238-1062 (24-hours a day).
BYU offers confidential resources for those affected by Sexual Misconduct, including the university’s Victim Advocate, as well as a number of non-confidential resources and services that may be helpful. Additional information about Title IX, the university’s Sexual Misconduct Policy, reporting requirements, and resources can be found at http://titleix.byu.edu or by contacting the university’s Title IX Coordinator.
Students With Disabilities
BYU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability that may adversely affect your success in this course, please contact the University Accessibility Center at 422-2767. Services deemed appropriate will be coordinated with the student and instructor by that office.
Retake Policy
Students are allowed only one retake of any class. If a student withdraws from or fails a class a second time, the student will not be allowed to register for any CS course for one semester (or one term, if in spring or summer). This policy does not apply to classes dropped before the add/drop deadline.
After one semester (or term), a student must petition to be allowed to take CS courses again. The petition must provide evidence of a substantive change that makes success in future CS classes much more likely. For example, a student may have demonstrated success in technology, math, or science-based courses. The petition will be reviewed by the undergraduate advisor.
Petitions for non-academic (e.g., medical or military) exceptions to the one semester/term waiting period may be granted according to university policies. Information about filing a petition can be found here: cs.byu.edu/retake-policy