CS101: Introduction to Computer Science I

Welcome to CS101: Introduction to Computer Science I

Specific information about this course and its requirements can be found below. For more general information about taking Saylor Academy courses, including information about Community and Academic Codes of Conduct, please read the Student Handbook.

Course Description

Explore the basic concepts, nomenclature, and historical perspective of computers and computing, and principles of software development and Object-Oriented Programming.

Course Introduction

This course will introduce you to the field of computer science and the fundamentals of computer programming. CS101 is specifically designed for students with no prior programming experience and touches upon a variety of fundamental topics. This course uses Java to demonstrate those topics. Java is a high-level, portable, and well-constructed computer programming language developed by Sun Microsystems (now Oracle).

We begin this course with a brief history of software development and show how human thought and computer programming are related. We build upon these general concepts to cover object-oriented programming terminology such as objects, classes, inheritance, and polymorphism. During this process, we use Java to show how those fundamentals are implemented in a real programming language. We do this by demonstrating Java's primitive data types, relational operators, control statements, exception handling, and file input/output.

By the end of the course, you will understand the basics of computer science and the Java programming language. The principles you learn here will be developed further as you progress through the computer science discipline.

This course includes the following units:

• Unit 1: Introduction
• Unit 2: Object-Oriented Programming
• Unit 3: Java in Practice
• Unit 4: Relational and Logical Operators in Java
• Unit 5: Control Structures
• Unit 6: User-Defined Methods
• Unit 7: Arrays
• Unit 8: Java I/O and Exception Handling

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

• describe the history of computing;
• describe fundamental hardware and software concepts;
• describe how computers enable the application of human logic
• explain how the JVM translates Java code into executable code;
• explain Object-Oriented Programming concepts such as objects, classes, inheritance, and polymorphism;
• write simple programs using basic Java concepts;
• describe and use primitive data types in Java;
• describe and use logical and relational operators and compare Boolean expressions;
• explain and use various control structures such as methods, decision statements, and loops;
• use the Java input/output class hierarchy to read and write data to and from external files; and
• use the exception handling mechanism.

Throughout this course, you will also see learning outcomes in each unit. You can use those learning outcomes to help organize your studies and gauge your progress.

Course Materials

The primary learning materials for this course are articles, lectures, and videos.

All course materials are free to access and can be found in each unit of the course. Pay close attention to the notes that accompany these course materials, as they will tell you what to focus on in each resource and will help you to understand how the learning materials fit into the course as a whole. You can also see a list of all the learning materials in this course by clicking on Resources in the navigation bar.

Evaluation and Minimum Passing Score

Only the final exam is considered when awarding you a grade for this course. In order to pass this course, you will need to earn a 70% or higher on the final exam. Your score on the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you may take it again as many times as you want, with a 7-day waiting period between each attempt. Once you have successfully passed the final exam, you will be awarded a free Course Completion Certificate.

There are also end-of-unit assessments and short quizzes in this course. These are designed to help you study and do not factor into your final course grade. You can take these as many times as you want until you understand the concepts and material covered. You can see all of these assessments by clicking on Quizzes in the course's navigation bar.

Tips for Success

CS101: Introduction to Computer Science I is a self-paced course, which means that you can decide when you will start and when you will complete the course. There is no instructor or an assigned schedule to follow. We estimate that the "average" student will take 52 hours to complete this course. We recommend that you work through the course at a pace that is comfortable for you and allows you to make regular progress. It's a good idea to also schedule your study time in advance and try as best as you can to stick to that schedule.

Learning new material can be challenging, so we've compiled a few study strategies to help you succeed:

• Take notes on the various terms, practices, and theories that you come across. This can help you put each concept into context and will create a refresher that you can use as you study later on.
• As you work through the materials, take some time to test yourself on what you remember and how well you understand the concepts. Reflecting on what you've learned is important for your long-term memory and will make you more likely to retain information over time.

Technical Requirements

This course is delivered entirely online. You will be required to have access to a computer or web-capable mobile device and have consistent access to the internet to either view or download the necessary course resources and to attempt any auto-graded course assessments and the final exam.

• To access the full course, including assessments and the final exam, you will need to be logged into your Saylor Academy account and enrolled in the course. If you do not already have an account, you may create one for free here. Although you can access some of the course without logging in to your account, you should log in to maximize your course experience. For example, you cannot take assessments or track your progress unless you are logged in.

For additional guidance, check out Saylor Academy's FAQ.

Fees

This course is entirely free to enroll in and to access. Everything linked in the course, including textbooks, videos, webpages, and activities, is available for no charge. This course also contains a free final exam and course completion certificate.