ISI - CS 1120 - Computer Science I

Course Description

Computer Science I studies fundamental programming constructs, algorithms and problem-solving, fundamental data structures, overview of programming languages, virtual machines, introduction to language translation, declarations and types, abstraction mechanisms, object-oriented programming.

This course is an introduction to programming using the C++ programming language. It is suitable for students with little or no programming experience. The course focuses on hands-on activities that involve reading, analyzing, modifying, and writing code. Because programming is a skill requiring practice the course does require fairly extensive time programming at a computer.

REQUIRED: Exam proctor required for this course.

Learner Outcomes

The objective of this course is to give the student a foundation in programming and programming concepts and a working knowledge of the C and C++ programming languages. At the end of the course students should be able to write fairly sophisticated programs, including defining and using classes and objects, using arrays, and using pointers.

The major topics covered in this course are:

• Intro to computers and programming
• Basic program structure, variables, I/O
• Types: internal representation, base conversion
• Arithmetic expressions, operators, computer arithmetic
• Relational operators, conditional statements (if, if-else, switch)
• Iteration, looping, loop-techniques
• Functions, parameter passing, return values
• Files, file I/O
• Arrays, 1-D, multidimensional
• Character strings (C-style and C++ string class)
• Classes
• Social and Ethical Issues
• Pointers with Arrays, dynamic memory
• Recursion

Required Course Materials

Soule, Terence, A Project Based Introduction to C++, First Edition, KendallHunt, 2014. ISBN(s): 9781465260468

Supplementary Materials: Student will need access to a computer with a C++ compiler. Several free options exist. They can use free software to log into the CS department’s computer and use the software available there. Alternatively, Windows users can install either Cygwin or minGW. Apple computers come with a compiler pre-installed.

View Course Syllabus

Expected Course Timeline

Most ISI courses are designed so that students can complete them within 3 months to 1 year. If you are attempting to complete a course more quickly than this, please contact ISI to explore your options.

Sponsor Institution

Credits earned for this course are included in a University of Idaho transcript.

This is an INDEPENDENT STUDY IN IDAHO course

To learn about program and refund policies, visit www.uidaho.edu/isi.

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COURSE NUMBER NOTICE
Beginning with the 2025-2026 Catalog year, the University of Idaho transitioned to 4-digit course numbers. As ISI works through this transition, you may continue to see 3-digit course numbers during this time. A crosswalk is available online.