COSC 60 Lab Manual

Textbook: An Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming with Java, Third Edition, C.Thomas Wu, McGraw-Hill Question: Do we want to keep this textbook?

Labs / Content
0 / Introduction to the JavaStations (?) , write a letter, print it
Create a .forward file to forward studsys mail to a preferred address
Basic Unix commands: cd, rm, cp, ls, chmod, mkdir
1 / Write a simple java program, compile and run
Binary and hex numbers. Number storage.
2 / Run Glenn Brookshear's Machine Language Machine
3 / Write a program using JOptionPane, showMessageDialog, showInputDialog
String, Date
4 / Arithemtic: integer and floating point data types, precedence, /, %, widening conversions, casting
Using Math methods. Input using a BufferedReader
5 / Defining an instantiable class. Instance variables, constructors, accessor methods, mutator methods, and other simple instance methods.
6 / Defining an instantiable class continued. static methods, Writing an application that creates an object of itself.
7 / Selection if, if-else
8
9 / Looping structures, while, for, do-while. Auto-increment /decrement operator. Nested loops.
10 / Nested loops, charts
11 / Arrays of primitives and of Objects
12 / File Processing
13 / Inheritance and polymorphism

Format of a lab:

o  Pre Lab: This may be reading sections from the book or reading information in the beginning of the lab. As the labs progress, it could include reading existing code. The student must answer a few basic pencil & paper questions about the material and have the answers checked with the lab instructor before continuing with the lab experiments.

o  Lab experiments: In the beginning, these will be short. Students will be expected to type in the entire program. As the programs become more lengthy, partial code or skeletons of code may be provided. The experiments should encourage student experimentation. The labs will have space for the student to often predict behavior and to always confirm behavior. This behavior includes compiler errors, run time errors and program output. The lab should be completed in two hours. If a student misses a lab or needs more time, he should be able to complete the lab on his own time. Since there will still be a lab tutor, the student can still receive help outside of the lab.

Question: How will the student receive a grade for this portion of the lab?

o  Post Lab exercises: This will be an extensive list of additional programs that the student should be able to write after completing the lab. The teacher should be able to pick one or two of the programs from this list, or from the textbook, as an assignment that is due before the next lab period.

I recommend:

o  All labs should be on the same day, preferably Thursday. Assignments would then be due on Wednesday.

o  The department should establish program format guidelines. This could be as easy as adopting the Java guidelines or adopting the guidelines with a few exceptions.

o  We install a simple Edit-Compile-Run program on our machines. This would promote good code format.