CMSC106 (Fall 2025): Introduction to C Programming (Syllabus)

CMSC106 (Introduction to C Programming) is an introduction to computing and program development in the C programming language. This includes a brief introduction to basic computer concepts, an understanding of the Linux operating system sufficient for writing class programming assignments, studying the syntax and semantics of the basic control structures of C, learning C's fundamental data types and structures, understanding the design and methodical construction of computer programs, learning how to test and debug programs, and lastly, practice in these through creating several programs in C.

MATH115

Credits → 4

Nelson Padua-Perez, Office: IRB 2210

No required textbook. One possible reference is C Programming, 2nd edition by K.N. King.

• Lectures and lab (discussion sessions) will be recorded (if this represents a problem for you contact your instructor). Keep in mind that technical problems may prevent us from creating a recording. You are still responsible for any material covered in lecture.
• No pop quizzes.
• Lecture/lab session attendance is NOT required, however, you are responsible for any material covered in lecture and lab/discussion session.
• You do not need to notify your instructor if you will be missing lecture, unless graded material (e.g., exam) takes place on that particular lecture.
• We may have a limited number of online office hours in addition to on-campus office hours.
• The course has several programming assignments (projects/exercises).
• All programming assignments will be individually developed, unless specified otherwise.

• Email (to both instructor and TAs) should be used for urgent matters and not to address project questions, lecture material questions, etc. Due to the large number of students in the instructor classes, email should only be used when necessary.
• Please wait 24 hours to get a response to an email message sent Monday through Thursday. Messages sent on Friday or weekends will be answered on the following Monday.
• Please keep your email messages as short as possible. Thank you.
• Before emailing TAs or the instructor, check the Piazza announcements and old_announcements folders.
• Make sure you check your email during the week (Monday thru Friday) in case your instructor needs to contact you.

• Introduction to computer programming
• Basic program syntax
• Data types, declarations, expressions, variables
• Input/output
• Conditional statements
• Iteration statements
• User-defined functions, standard library functions, scope
• Storage classes
• Arrays (single and two-dimensional arrays)
• Strings, character and string library functions
• Structures, structures as parameters, array of structures
• Miscellaneous

This course does not have a final exam (only semester exams and quizzes).

It is your responsibility to submit regrade requests by a specified deadline; no regrade requests will be processed afterward (even if there are grading errors). If you don't address a grading concern by the specified deadline, we will assume you have reviewed the graded work and are satisfied with your current grade. Deadlines to address any grading concerns will be available at Grading Concerns.

• Deadlines - All assignments are due at 11:55 pm and you have until 11:55 pm of the next day to submit your work with a 12% penalty. You will not receive any credit (a score of 0) for any submission after the late deadline. The submit server will use 11:56 pm as the deadline, otherwise assignments submitted exactly at 11:55 pm will be considered late. The actual deadline for assignments is 11:55 pm. A submission that is one minute late is considered a late submission. You need to plan to submit at least one hour before the official deadline.
• Submit Server - You need to use the submit server to submit you work. We will not accept work submitted otherwise (e.g., email, etc.).
• Which Assignments Gets Graded - For programming assignments the one with public/release/secret tests that scores the highest in the submit server after a late penalty (if any) has been applied. We only use public/release/secret tests scores to select the submission to grade. Other assignment requirements (e.g., style, methods you must implement, etc.) are not considered. We will evaluate those requirements on the selected submission. We cannot select a particular submission to grade. We will grade the highest scoring submission as described above. Keep in mind you may get a total score lower than expected if the highest scoring submission is missing requirements a lower scoring submission satisfies.
• Closed Assignments - All programming assignments in this course are to be written individually (unless explicitly indicated otherwise). You may discuss assignments only with TAs, instructor or via Piazza.
• No Pop Quizzes/Pop Lab Work - All graded work is announced ahead of time.
• Projects and exercises are posted by 6 pm on the day specified on the schedule.

The use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Google Gemini) for the completion of graded work (e.g., programming assignments) is not allowed and represents an academic integrity violation. Although we recognized that you will use AI tools in the future, we need you to master the fundamentals first without AI tools. Using AI tools to learn about class concepts is OK as long as you don't try to find answers to problems or tasks that are part of a project/exercise.

• Posting of any assignment solution (even after the course is over) in a publicly available online location (e.g., GitHub, Chegg) is prohibited under the Code of Academic Integrity (facilitation of academic dishonesty). Any student responsible for publicly posting assignments' solutions will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct and risks the sanction of an "XF" in the course.
• Posting of your assignments in a private repository where only selected people (e.g., potential employers) have access is OK.

Office hours get extremely busy the day before an assignment deadline. Help during office hours is not guaranteed. TAs/instructors cannot stay holding office hours after the office hours period ends because students are waiting for help (this applies to online/virtual office hours). The sooner you start working on a project, the better your chances of getting help. Please, leave the TA room once you have received help and do not use the TA Room as a working area.

Keep in mind that if you wait until the due date to finish classwork, you may face problems that TAs or Nelson would not be able to help you with (no, email the day a project is due is not an option to address problems as you are too many and we cannot help everyone). If you need help, you need to see us during office hours. No extensions will be granted because you waited until the due date and could not get the help you needed. Also, office hours help is not guaranteed. If you wait until the due date, and there are too many students, you may not get the help you need (and no extension will be granted). Please keep this mind for all classwork. Plan to finish class work so you will be able to see a TA or Nelson if you need help.

You are responsible for creating backups of your work as you complete an assignment. Use any approach you prefer; just make sure your work is not accessible to others. No extensions will be granted if you lose your work and you had no backups. Using the submit server to backup your work is OK.

We will be using (Piazza) for class communication. You will not be able to register to Piazza yourself. Your instructor will register you using the email address you have in the school system. Posting of any kind of code in Piazza is not allowed.

Feel free to stop email messages Piazza sends by updating the email settings. You can change the settings by selecting the wheel that appears in the right upper side of the Piazza interface and selecting "Account/Email Settings". You can select "No Emails" for our course. Notice that your instructor can still send messages through Piazza, regardless the settings you have chosen. If you change your email notifications, make sure you visit Piazza often for announcements and assignment clarifications we have made.

You are responsible for checking announcements (at least twice a day) we post in the announcements Piazza folder. An old_announcements Piazza folder will have old announcements. We recommend you check messages everyday around 11:30 am and after 5:00 pm.

See the section titled "Attendance and Missed Assignments" available at Course Related Policies. Regarding extensions:

1. You need to provide official documentation to receive an assignment extension or makeup.
2. We expect you to start working on projects immediately after they are posted and to work on them at least every other day. If you wait until a few days before an assignment is due to start working on it, and get sick, we will not provide a period of time that assumes you have not worked on the project. You will only be granted an extension that corresponds to the days you have been sick.
3. It is your responsibility to immediately notify your instructor if you are sick and cannot complete classwork. Ask someone to get in touch with the instructor if you cannot do it yourself.
4. Make sure you periodically submit (to the submit server) work you have for an assignment. Extensions will be granted based on the work you have in the submit server.
5. If you receive an extension, you must provide a progress update every three days. If you cannot provide an update yourself, please ask someone to provide an update on your situation. Failure to provide a progress update without a valid reason will invalidate any provided extension.

See the section titled "Accessibility" available at Course Related Policies.

If you are an ADS (https://counseling.umd.edu/ads) student (others ignore this information):

ADS students: you are responsible for reserving a space at ADS to take exams (we cannot provide that support). Keep in mind ADS has deadlines regarding by when to schedule a day/time to take exams. If your main accommodation is extra time in exams, you don't need to meet your instructor (just bring to lecture any form that needs a signature). If you miss to schedule an exam at ADS, you need to take the exam along with the rest of the class.

Please read this information carefully. We take academic integrity matters seriously. Before you continue reading the syllabus, watch the following video: Academic Integrity Video.

1. Academic dishonesty includes not only cheating, fabrication, and plagiarism, but also includes helping other students commit acts of academic dishonesty by allowing them to obtain copies of your work. All submitted work must be your own. Cases of academic dishonesty will be pursued to the fullest extent possible as stipulated by the Office of Student Conduct.
2. Situations that often lead to academic integrity violations:
   • A student's friend/roommate shares an assignment's code. Once you provide your code to another student, you are a facilitator, even if you indicate to the student "not to copy-paste" any of it.
   • Students use online resources (GitHub, Chegg, etc.) to find assignments' solutions. The solutions are found by several students and all will be involved in an academic case.
   • Students assume we don't have tools that check for similarities among all students' submissions.
   • Students get desperate and don't want a 0 in the assignment.
   • Students are not aware of the expectations regarding academic integrity.
   • Students assume we don't take academic integrity matters seriously.
   • You should only receive assistance from instructors/TAs. We have seen cases in which the use of tutors have led to academic integrity violations (e.g., tutors looked for assignment's solutions online).
3. The Office of Student Conduct is responsible for handling academic integrity matters. After a report is submitted by an instructor, the case is evaluated by the office and it could result in an XF grade, degree revocation, or dismissal from the university.
4. One of the most negative consequences of academic integrity violations is the emotional burden an academic integrity case has on a student. We have seen students extremely distraught as a result of an academic integrity violation. In many cases students chances for recommendations, TA positions, and other opportunities are negatively affected.
5. Please read the section titled "Academic Integrity" available at Course Related Policies and the information available at Academic Integrity.

If you or your parents have any class concerns, feel free to contact the instructor. If an issue arises with the instructor, report it using the form available at https://www.cs.umd.edu/classconcern.

Notice of mandatory reporting of sexual assault, sexual harassment, interpersonal violence, and stalking: As faculty members, a course instructor is designated as a “Responsible University Employee,” and must report all disclosures of sexual assault, sexual harassment, interpersonal violence, and stalking to UMD’s Title IX Coordinator per University Policy on Sexual Harassment and Other Sexual Misconduct.

If you wish to speak with someone confidentially, please contact one of UMD’s confidential resources, such as CARE to Stop Violence (located on the Ground Floor of the Health Center) at 301-741-3442 or the Counseling Center (located at the Shoemaker Building) at 301-314-7651.

You may also seek assistance or supportive measures from UMD’s Title IX Coordinator, Angela Nastase, by calling 301-405-1142, or emailing titleIXcoordinator@umd.edu.

To view further information on the above, please visit the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct's website at ocrsm.umd.edu.

Make sure you have an alternate device or option to authenticate (Duo) to school, as submitting classwork requires authentication. Some students use an iPad or another phone number (e.g., home phone) to authenticate. You should test your alternate device/approach before you have an emergency. Additional information at Multi-Factor Authentication. No extensions will be provided due to lack of an alternate device for authentication.

If your computer is experiencing problems, you can borrow one. See https://www.lib.umd.edu/equipment?search_api_fulltext=laptop for additional information.

• We only use ELMS for videos (Panopto).
• At the end of the semester visit (www.courseevalum.umd.edu) to complete your course evaluations.
• Contact your instructor, the Counseling Center , or both, if you are experiencing difficulties that affect your performance in your courses. Do not wait until the end of the semester to look for help.
• UMD Course related policies are available at http://www.ugst.umd.edu/courserelatedpolicies.html.
• Lost&Found - Iribe 2140

All course materials are copyright UMCP, Department of Computer Science © 2025. All rights reserved. Students are permitted to use course materials for their own personal use only. Course materials may not be distributed publicly or provided to others (excepting other students in the course), in any way or format.

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