CS377: Database Design - Warmup (15 Points)

The Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to get us set up for the course, both by getting to know each other better, and by setting up the software environment.

Personal Survey (10 Pts)

I gave a couple of fun facts about myself in the class, but I want to get to know you all better. So please submit answers to the following questions as a private message to me on Microsoft Teams.

  1. Your Name, Your Nickname (if applicable) / Preferred Pronouns
  2. What is your reason for taking the course? (Blunt honesty is perfectly fine here, if applicable)
  3. What are you majoring in / interested in majoring in?
  4. What do you think you might want to do after Ursinus?
  5. Have you had any experience with computer science / programming? (It’s okay if you haven’t!)
  6. What are you most excited about in this course?
  7. What are you the most worried about in this course?
  8. A fun fact about yourself
  9. Anything else you think I should know?
  10. Please attach a headshot picture to your message. I will use this to help get to know your name, but we will also use this in class to arrange groups.
  11. Please post a short introduction and a hello to the class on the Canvas Introductions discussion forum. There is also a Water Cooler discussion group that you can use for social discussions as well!
  12. We will be sharing work with each other through electronic means. To protect your privacy, you are welcome to use a pseudonym on your work in lieu of your name. Let me know if you’d like to use a pseudonym on your assignments, and what name you’ll use.
  13. Are you thinking about majoring or minoring in Computer Science, Math, or Statistics? No pressure here - if the department hosts events for students, we’d be happy to share those opportunities with you if you are interested!

Web Poll for Office Hours

You will not be graded on this, but I want to setup my office hours so that everyone can make at least one of them. Please click here and select every block in which you can attend at least 30 minutes in your schedule. You may use a pseudonym or post anonymously if you wish.

Class Resources

Class Notebook

We will use an electronic shared notebook throughout the class. You’ll be able to take notes there, see the whiteboard notes that I create, and respond to some reflective journal prompts throughout the course. We’ll use OneNote, which you can access through this link.

Syllabus (5pts)

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the course syllabus. Then, please send me a third and final message on Microsoft Teams with the answers to the following questions

  1. True/False: If you choose to work with a buddy, you are allowed to look at your buddy’s code and show them your code during labs
  2. True/False: If you choose to work with a buddy, you are allowed to look at your buddy’s code and show them your code for regular assignments.
  3. True/False: You may look at a classmate’s code during a regular assignment.
  4. True/False: Although I can work with my buddy on labs, we cannot email or copy each other’s code directly, and our submissions should be substantially unique.
  5. Where is the help room located?

Submission

We will complete this assignment using Teams, so there is no need to write up any documentation (as we will in future programming assignments) nor is it necessary to submit anything to Canvas. It is fine to just follow the directions in each part and send me messages as appropriate!

Please refer to the Style Guide for code quality examples and guidelines.