CSCI 230 Data Structures and Algorithms (Fall 2025)

Contact Information

Announcements

  • 10/22: HW5 corrections and reflections are due by 11/5 at 8 PM. These should be synergistic with studying for MT2.
  • 10/18: As a reminder, we are following the CSCI 310 Course Textbook (linked above) regarding analyzing independent + dependent loops, writing down runtime recurrences, the unrolling method, and the tree method. Please make sure to reference this, both for examples and to gauge the level of detail that is expected on HW/Quizzes/Exams.
  • 10/16:
    • The quiz from class today has been graded. There will be another quiz covering the identical topics (Big-O from HW4) on 10/23. This will again be in-person.
    • This should give you all ample time to review today's quiz and HW4, as well as to ask any questions.
  • 10/14: Here is the tentative game plan for the remainder of the semester (modulo some quizzes). There is a lot of ground to cover, and it will come quickly. Do plan accordingly. I will do my best to provide some class time to work on the programming projects, both so you can ask me for help in real-time and to help mitigate the demands on your time.
    • HW5 is now open. It is due on 10/21 at 8 PM.
    • There will be an in-class quiz on 10/28 on analyzing nested dependent loops.
    • There will be an in-class quiz on 10/30 on writing down recurrences for recursive code.
    • There will be remote quizzes on OAKS for the unrolling and tree methods, that will open on 10/30 and close on 11/1 at 8 PM.
    • Midterm 2 will cover HW4-5. It will consist of two parts:
      • An in-class exam on 11/6, covering Big-O and analyzing nested loops. I will ask you to state the definition of Big-O verbatim.
      • Two remote quizzes that open on 11/6 and close on 11/8 at 8 PM, covering the unrolling and tree methods respectively.
      • The in-class exam will be closed-book, closed-note, and an individual effort.
      • The remote quizzes will be open-book, open-note, but an individual effort.
      • Use of generative AI is strictly prohibited.
      • If it is to your advantage, your Midterm 2 grade will replace your Unit 2 Quiz Average (which includes every quiz after Midterm 1).
    • HW6 (Binary Search Tree Project) will open on 10/16 and is due on 10/30 at 8 PM.
    • HW7 (Binary Heap Project) will open (TBD- depending on the pace of class) and is due on 11/13 at 8 PM.
    • HW8 (Hash Table Project) will open (TBD- depending on the pace of class) and is due on 11/21 at 8 PM.
    • HW9 (Graph Algorithms-- no programming) will open (TBD- depending on the pace of class) and is due on 12/1 at 8 PM.
  • 10/13: In light of everything going on, I have extended HW3 revisions until 10/14 at 8 PM. I hope this helps!
  • 10/11: HW4 revisions (corrections and reflections) are due by 10/25 at 8 PM. Unless the Gradescope rubric explicitly states otherwise, you are permitted to revise a specific problem.
  • 10/8:
    • Due to the King Tide and potential of flooding tomorrow, I will be cancelling class. Instead, there will be a recorded video lecture to watch. I will update you all when this video is online. Stay safe and dry.
    • Update: the video and handwritten notes are now online.
  • 10/4:
    • HW4 has been posted. It is due on 10/10 at 8 PM.
    • As a reminder, mathematical expressions must be typeset using LaTeX and proper mathematical notation. They cannot be handwritten.
    • There will be an in-class quiz on Big-O on 10/16.
    • There will be a remote quiz, administered via OAKS, on analyzing independent loops. This quiz will open on 10/16 and close on 10/18 at 8 PM.
    • The deadline to withdraw from a course is 10/24.
    • The above deadlines are in place, to ensure that I am able to grade a couple additional quizzes before the drop deadline.
  • 10/3:
    • MT1 has been graded. There were 6 questions, and I graded out of 4.5.
    • MT1 will be returned in class on Tuesday. Please plan to attend in-person on Tuesday (unless you are sick) to retreive your exam.
    • Your Unit 1 Quiz Average is more important than your MT1 grade.
    • Your Unit 1 Quiz Average is the larger of the following two schemes:
      • Scheme 1: There were 9 quizzes (Syllabus Quiz, Quiz1, Quiz2, and the 6 MT1 questions). Your Scheme 1 was calculated as (#Proficiency + #Outstanding)/7.5.
      • Scheme 2: Your MT2 grade, as a percentage.
    • I have posted Progress Reports to OAKS. Please check this.
    • If you have concerns about your standing in the course, please do not hesitate to reach out.
  • 9/28: HW3 revisions are due on 10/12 at 8 PM.
    • Revisions must include all of the following:
      • Revised code.
      • A PDF containing (i) documentation of what you fixed, and (ii) a solid, non-trivial 1-2 paragraphs of what you learned.
      • Please submit everything in a ZIP file to OAKS.
  • 9/26: FAST Enterprises will be coming to class to speak for a few minutes on 9/30 at the start. They are looking to hire for internships and full-time positions. I recommend attending in-person if you are able, so that you can ask them questions.
  • 9/21: Midterm 1 will be held in-person on October 2.
    • It will be closed-book, closed-note, and an individual effort.
    • During the exam, please leave your electronics, including but not limited to, phones, smart watches, laptops, and tablets, in your backpacks. These should not be on your person or out during the exam.
    • The exam is cumulative through HW3 and Mergesort. It will not cover any material introduced on 9/24 or later.
  • 9/10:
    • HW2 grades are now posted to Gradescope. Revisions are due by 9/30 at 8 PM.
    • Revisions must include all of the following:
      • Revised code.
      • A PDF containing (i) documentation of what you fixed, and (ii) a solid, non-trivial 1-2 paragraphs of what you learned.
      • Please submit everything in a ZIP file to OAKS.
  • 9/6:
    • I will be out of town for a conference from 9/12-9/19.
      • Class and office hours will be cancelled during this time.
      • Please do feel very welcome and encouraged to email me, as you normally would. I will do my best to respond in a timely manner. However, please plan for slower response times than usual.
    • HW3 will open on 9/9. It is due on 9/24 at 8 PM.
    • On 9/9, we will discuss Stacks and Queues.
    • Class on 9/11 will be dedicated to giving you all time to work on HW3. I am, in particular, trying to build in time for you all to ask me questions about the assignment.
    • Quiz 1- ArrayLists opens on OAKS on 9/11. It is due on 9/13 at 8 PM.
    • Quiz 2- LinkedLists opens on OAKS on 9/18. It is due on 9/20 at 8 PM.
  • 9/4:
    • HW1 grades are now posted to Gradescope. Revisions are due by 9/20 at 8 PM.
    • Revisions must include all of the following:
      • Revised code.
      • A PDF containing (i) documentation of what you fixed, and (ii) a solid, non-trivial 1-2 paragraphs of what you learned.
      • Please submit everything in a ZIP file to OAKS.
    • Please note that the "points" on Gradescope are labels and carry no numeric value. The labels are Outstanding (4), Proficiency (3), Progress (2), Attempted (1), No Attempt (0). Gradescope does not let me use letters instead of numbers. So in particular, if your Standard 1 Overall score is a 3, that is full credit and not 75%.
  • 9/3: For 9/4, please bring your computer. Class will be devoted to allow you time to work on HW2.
  • 9/1: For 9/2, please bring your computer. There will be in-class programming (ungraded).
  • 8/28: As a clarification for HW1 and HW2, please do not use the java.util.ArrayList or java.util.LinkedList classes. The point of HW1 and HW2 is for you to implement these data structures from scratch, so that you understand how they work under the hood.
  • 8/26: For 8/28, please bring your computer. There will be in-class programming (ungraded).
  • 8/24: HW2 will open on 8/26, and it is due on 9/9 at 8 PM.
  • 8/11:
    • Website created.
    • The Syllabus Quiz is due 8/26 at 8 PM.
    • HW1 is due on 9/2 at 8 PM.
    • Please complete this optional Day One Survey.
    • Regarding LaTeX, I use MikTeX as my compiler on my local machine. Many folks are partial to Overleaf, which is a free online service. Because Overleaf is a third-party service, it may go out at inopportune times (such as during a quiz or exam). For this reason, I am explicitly refraining from recommending Overleaf. You can use it at your own risk. There are many other LaTeX compilers-- you are welcome to use your favorite one.