Fundamentals of Computational Thinking and Problem Solving

Course Number
CPSC 2020
Term
Spring 2026
Instructor
Jon Craton
Email
jlcraton@anderson.edu

Office hours

Monday
11am - noon, 2pm - 3:30pm
Tuesday
9am - 11am, 2pm - 3:30pm
Wednesday
11am - noon
Friday
11am - noon
Office
Decker 305

Schedule a meeting during office hours: joncraton.com/meet

Course Catalog Description

An introduction to concepts in the field of computer science, the skills of computational thinking, and the craft of computer programming. Topics include a survey of problem-solving and algorithm development, data types and variables, collections, control-of-flow structures, methods and parameters, file processing, and objects. Emphasis on effective testing and debugging, and an introduction to the command line environment is presented.

Required Resources

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

Liberal Arts Quantitative Reasoning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Interpret information that has been presented in mathematical form (e.g. with functions, equations, graphs, diagrams, tables, words, geometric figures).
  2. Represent information/data in mathematical form as appropriate (e.g. with functions, equations, graphs, diagrams, tables, words, geometric figures).
  3. Demonstrate skill in accurately solving problems using mathematical procedures.
  4. Analyze mathematical arguments, determining whether stated conclusions can be inferred using deductive reasoning.
  5. Communicate which assumptions have been made in the solution process, citing the limitations of the process where applicable.
  6. Analyze mathematical results in order to determine the reasonableness of the solution.
  7. Clearly explain the representation, solution, and interpretation of a mathematics problem.

Course Overview

Please refer to Canvas for a list of assignments and detailed grading breakdown.

Labs

Students will complete regular labs using various technologies. Labs that include code that does not compile or parse correctly will be given zero credit.

Quizzes and Homework

Regular quizzes will be given covering the lecture material. Students will have two attempts on each quiz, one at the start of class and one at the end. Only the highest score will be kept. The lowest score from the semester will not count toward the final grade. Students will also complete homework assignments covering various topics from the course text.

Exams

Exams will be taken in this course. All exams are cumulative with a focus on more recent material.

Grading Scale

The following standard grading scale is used to map percentages to letter grades:

Letter Grade Percentage
A 93-100%
A- 90-93%
B+ 87-90%
B 83-87%
B- 80-83%
C+ 77-80%
C 73-77%
C- 70-73%
D+ 67-70%
D 63-67%
D- 60-63%
F 0-60%

Late Assignments

Late assignments will lose 10% for each day they are late rounded up, so an assignment submitted even one second late may be deducted 10%.

Exam and Quiz Policy

Exams and quizzes are closed-book unless otherwise noted. No external tools (calculators, programming language interpreters, LLMs, books, websites, etc) may be used during quizzes or exams. Students should communicate exam absences in advance if at all possible. Exams that are missed without prior approval may not be made up if a student has missed more than a week of class sessions.

Anderson University Educational Commitment

veritas - fidelitas - utilitas

The mission of Anderson University is to educate for a life of faith and service in the church and society. Across the curriculum students can expect faculty to guide learning experiences toward the development of excellence, integrity, servant leadership, responsibility, and generosity.

As a student of the university you are expected to fully engage in vigorous intellectual and experiential activity where head, heart, and hands are equally engaged and a commitment to Christ is honored.

Academic Honesty

As an institution of higher education committed to academic and Christian discovery, Anderson University expects faculty and students alike to maintain the highest standards of academic and personal integrity. “Anderson University seeks to support and promote qualities of academic honesty and personal integrity and regards cheating, plagiarism, and all other forms of academic dishonesty as serious offenses against the University community” (Faculty Handbook 4.23 Policy on Academic Integrity). See the Student Handbook for examples of plagiarism.

External Resources

Professional software development often involves collaboration and the use of various external resources. Nevertheless, each contributor is responsible for ensuring the quality and accuracy of their contributions. Students must take full responsibility for their submitted work, regardless of any external resources or tools used to complete the work. Students should only submit work that would be considered their own in a professional setting.

The use of generative artificial intelligence tools must adhere to ethical standards and uphold academic integrity. While AI tools can be useful for coding assistance, they should not replace the learning experience of practicing coding skills. Therefore, excessive reliance on such tools without proper understanding is considered academic dishonesty.

In general, intelligent code completion and utilizing large language models to aid in programming problems is appropriate on lab assignments. However, students must demonstrate comprehension and ownership of their submitted work. If a student cannot fully understand or explain their code, they must not submit it as their own.

Academic Support Statements

Accessibility and Accommodations

Important: If you have any special accessibility needs (i.e. use of screen reading software, captioning, etc.), please notify your professor and the Director of Student Accessibility Services (Kissinger Academic Center for Excellence, Nicholson Library; 765-641-4223) as soon as possible.

If you anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers based on disability, you are encouraged to contact the Director of Student Accessibility Services (Kissinger Academic Center for Excellence, Nicholson Library; 765-641-4223). To receive reasonable accommodations, you must contact Student Accessibility Services, provide documentation, and request accommodations. You should also notify your course instructor during the first week of classes.

Kissinger Academic Center for Excellence

The Kissinger Academic Center for Excellence (KACE), located on the ground floor of the Nicholson Library, provides excellent resources in all areas of study regardless of academic ability. Many students can benefit from academic support and/or sharpen their skills through studying with others. In addition, excellent students often maintain their skills by working as peer tutors. The services are available for all enrolled students at no charge. For information, call 765-641-4225.

Attendance Policy

Class attendance is fundamental to the teaching/learning process and any absence from a class results in a loss of learning for the student and learning community. It is the student’s obligation to personally notify the course instructor about any absence, in advance if possible. Students may be directly penalized only after the number of absences exceeds the number of class meeting hours per week. Where a student misses more than the number of classes stated above, or additional absences as may be allotted by the course instructor, the instructor has the discretion to determine whether missed work may be completed, how much work will be evaluated, and consequences of excessive absences.

Pathways Program

Anderson University has a robust referral system that was created to connect students with the campus resources that will be most beneficial to them. Students may be referred by faculty for any student success issue. Students will be contacted by an appropriate staff or faculty member to provide support and care. For more information please see: anderson.pharos360.com.