How to Succeed in CSS 263
- Read (and follow the instructions and guidelines in) the syllabus! Your grade counts on it.
There are no excuses for not adhering to the instructions or
advice in the syllabus.
- Familiarize yourself with the course web
site. Read all the local materials.
- Get the Weiss source
code and play with it. Compile it, step through it with a
debugger, use cerr statements to output variable values while
it runs, modify it, trace it by hand. There's no substitute for
working through someone else's code if you really want to understand
things and grow as a software developer.
- It is assumed that you can already write code and get it working.
This means that you are familiar with the edit-compile-debug
process.
- The typical UW course is expected to demand approximately 2-3
hours per week of your time, on average, outside of class for
each credit hour. This translates into 10-15 hours/week for a
5-credit course. However, programming-intensive courses take
significantly more time, especially when you're relatively new to
programming. Plan to average more than 15 hours/week outside
of class.
-
Learn about Unix. Use a reference book (maybe the one suggested in
the syllabus). We will only make basic use of Unix, so you could
probably get by with just learning from sources on the web (again,
there are pointers on the course home page).
-
Get a C++ reference book. One is suggested in the syllabus.
-
If you need to refresh you mathematical memory, make use of the
Quantitative
Skills Center.
-
When writing your specification, design, or other documents, you
must read and understand the handouts given you and then
write your documents in your own words.
-
Poorly written documents (and comments) reflect poorly on your
apparent understanding of the material and the importance you
place on this course. Make use of the
Writing
Center to help you write better. Bring them your documentation
before handing it in. I will deduct points for poorly written
documentation.
-
Think before designing and coding:
-
Your test plan should be your own. Don't just copy the
examples in the assignment handout.
-
Your specifications should accurately reflect the assignment
requirements.
