Computer Science through Program Design

CIS 120 introduces students to computer science by emphasizing the design aspects of programming. Topics include:

data types and data representation
abstraction, interfaces, and modularity
test-driven development
programming patterns (recursion, iteration, events, call-backs, collections, map-reduce, GUIs, ...)
functional programming
how and when to use mutable state
and object-oriented programming.

CIS 120 Spring 2016 Waitlist

Preference will be given to those who have CIS 120 as a major requirement.

Technologies

CIS 120 teaches programming concepts in two different languages: OCaml and Java, spending approximately equal time on how to design programs in each language. Students are encouraged to use the Eclipse development environment for implementing their projects.

The Caml Language

Java

OCaml Setup Instructions

Instructions for installing OCaml and OcaIDE on your computer can be found here.

Who can take CIS120?

CIS120 students are not expected to have any prior experience with OCaml. We assume some previous programming experience at the level of a high school computer science class, preferrably in Java. If you got at least 4 in the AP Computer Science A or AB exam, you will do great. If you have never programmed before, you should take CIS 110 first.