- Is this considered a hard class?
- How much work will I have to do in this class?
- What do I need to know before taking it?
- Why can't I just learn C++ without learning C
first?
- Will I be an expert C++ programmer after this
class?
- Why so much weight on the programming
assignments?
Back to Class Info
C++ introduces new and difficult concepts to programming. In order
to really learn about object-oriented programming, you will have to adjust to
new ways of thinking. Some people find this very difficult, while others take to
it right away. We'll explain these new concepts in class and you will do exercises
and write programs using them. Most people will need to spend a
reasonable amount of time outside of class to get the concepts and do the
assigned work. See the next question for the amount of work assigned.
You will be responsible for almost all the content of our textbook,
Deitel & Deitel, C++ How to Program. About a third of the book is
material you should know from having studied C. The rest will be assigned as
reading material and will be covered in class lectures. You will need to read
the material before each class in order to anticipate quizzes and to ask
questions about it. You will write at least one program each week. The programming assignments
will be related to the topics we are covering that week in the text. You will
also participate in a group project as part of a group of 3 to 5 students. A
group report will be due in the middle of the class and serves as a part of the
midterm. A term programming project will be due on final day, and serves as a
part of the final.
You should meet the prerequisites of the class. This means you have taken the
Introduction to Programming and C classes at Shoreline or have equivalent
knowledge gained somewhere else. You should know the basic control structures of
C, how to use functions, structs, pointers and arrays and have written a number
of C programs. If you have any question about your background, you should
contact the instructor.
C++ is a superset of the C language. It's quite possible to learn C++ without
first learning C, but not in a single quarter class. We
already have a C class at Shoreline which is a prerequisite for this class. It's possible that
this may be changed in the future but right now, you need to know C in order to
take this class.
This class covers beginning and intermediate C++ programming. In the course
of the class, I'll give you a set of references and other resources which you
can use to become an expert. However, the real way to being an expert is to
write lots of programs. The class assignments are only a start and you are free
to do more during the class. I'll be glad to review and comment on any extra
programs provided you complete the assignments first.
Well, after all, it is a programming class and programming is best learned by
doing it. Exams can easily measure your ability to do small exercises or answer
questions about programming but you can't really do even a moderately difficult
program well in the time allowed for an exam. The best way to succeed in the
class will be to complete all assignments when they are due, gradually building
up to more complex programs.
