Week 00 - September 9

Class Description

This is the first class of the semester. We will introduce the course and the instructors.

Before Class

Flipped Classroom Approach

We are using a flipped classroom model for this course. This means you'll watch instructional videos before coming to class, and we'll use our in-person time for active learning, problem-solving, and hands-on practice.

Why flipped classroom? - Allows you to learn at your own pace - Gives you time to pause, rewind, and review difficult concepts - Frees up class time for interactive activities and getting help with challenging problems - Lets us focus on application and deeper understanding during our sessions

Videos to Watch Before Class

Please watch the following videos before our first class meeting:

CS 5001 - Week 0: Introduction, Getting Started, Flowcharts, Variables

• Lesson 0.1: Welcome to Align [2:01]
• Lesson 0.2: Faculty Introductions (for online materials) [4:10]
• Lesson 0.3: Course Introduction [6:37]
• Lesson 0.5: Getting Started [Text]
• Lesson 0.6: What Is An Algorithm? [9:13]
• Lesson 0.7: Flow Charts [13:27]
• Lesson 0.9: Introducing Variables [3:41]
• Lesson 0.10: Variable Types [Text]
• Lesson 0.11: Assignment Operator [2:55]
• Lesson 0.12: Arithmetic Expressions [8:45]
• Lesson 0.13: Concatenation [2:56]

CS 5002 - Module 1: Number Representation

• Lesson 1: Representing Numbers in Different Bases
• Lesson 2: Conversion Between Bases
• Lesson 3: Binary Arithmetic
• Lesson 4: Representing Negative Numbers in Binary
• Lesson 5: Modular Arithmetic

Setup Requirements

Important: We're not providing step-by-step installation instructions. As computer science students, learning to figure out technical setup independently is a crucial skill you'll need throughout your career. Don't worry—you've got this!

Use Claude to help: You have free access to Claude through your Northeastern account. Ask Claude for specific installation instructions for your operating system. Be specific about your OS version (Windows 10/11, macOS version, Linux distribution, etc.).

• Windows users: Activate WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) - this will give you a Linux environment as your main development setup, which is what most professional developers use
• Install Python (version 3.10 or higher)
• Install VS Code
• Install Git
• Create a GitHub account - choose your username wisely! This will likely be your professional username for life
• Apply for GitHub Student Developer Pack - gives you free access to premium developer tools and services
• Activate GitHub Copilot in VS Code - AI pair programming assistant (free with Student Developer Pack)