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              Arrays, Strings, Scope, and Other Magic Stuff

                A Freshman Engineering Computer Programming Lab
                Developed by Dr. P.K. Imbrie, Purdue University

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Overview:

In this lab, students will be learning about computer programming using the C programming language. The goal of this lab is to provide students with exercises that accelerate learning of fundamental computer programming materials through repetitive practice and through looking at programming from more than one angle.

Learning Objectives or Student Outcomes:

By the end of this lab, students will be able to

1. demonstrate an understanding of increment and decrement operators as well as the prefix and postfix uses of these;

2. use a given code in a program to increase their understanding of operators;

3. add blocks of code to a program using the increment operator;

4. write a main program that will prompt a user for a magnitude and an angle (in degrees) for a vector, pass the angle (in degrees) and the magnitude to a function through the argument/parameter list;

5. define a 10-element single subscripted integer array that is initialized (via the declaration statement) to contain the numbers 1 through 10 in elements 0 through 9, respectively;

6. run a given code within a main program, and, then, after seeing what happens, alter the code to make it more clear;

7. write a flowchart for an algorithm that will ask a user to enter all the elements for two real matrices;

8. develop a simple test case by hand to ensure that your algorithm works before you attempt to actually write a program; and

9. verify their algorithm and convert it to an appropriate C program.
Length of Lesson:

Four to six hours of in-class time, including any pre- and post-activity discussions.

Prior Knowledge to Ensure Student Preparation:

Prior to participating in this lab, students must have some kind of knowledge of C programming—particularly the increment and decrement operators as well as the prefix and postfix uses of these; adding blocks of code to programs; writing programs; arrays; running and altering given code; writing and verifying algorithms, and converting those algorithms to a C program.

Mention of this prior knowledge or classroom instruction is indicated by notes within the lesson.

Team Size/Composition:

Teams of 4 work best; if necessary, a few teams of 3 or 5 students may be formed. Each team member should be assigned a given role prior to beginning the lab. These roles should be as follows: meeting coordinator, time keeper, task manager, and record/note keeper. In cases of teams of three, the roles of meeting coordinator and time-keeper should be combined. In cases of teams of five, two students may split the role of record/note keeper.

How is positive interdependence ensured?

Each team will turn in one file for each part of the lab—5 files total. Also, the assignment of roles is set up to encourage positive interdependence.

How is individual accountability built in to the project?

The assignment of roles will also serve to help ensure individual accountability, as each person has specific responsibilities. Also, at the conclusion of the lab, students will complete the Individual Check for Understanding.

Basis or Components of Assessment:

SAt the end of each part of the lab, a product is due. An idea of how that product should look will have been given to the students during the instructions for that activity.

Team Skills Needed for Success:

Team members must have the ability to communicate, cooperate and collaborate; they must also feel free to contribute their ideas and to give and receive constructive feedback.

How Are Team Skills Emphasized?

The organization of the lab—with a product at the end of each meeting—will really emphasize the needs for these skills

Materials Needed by Students:

  • computers

  • C programming language tools

Content Lesson Links:

Instruction to Students

Individual Check for Understanding

                                    Lesson   |   Instruction to Students   |   Individual Check for Understanding

©2001, P.K. Imbrie                                                                                                                                       
These materials may be duplicated for educational purposes if properly credited.

 

 

 

 

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