Course Description

This computer science course focuses on extending your understanding of programming by covering advanced object-oriented programming concepts and algorithms. The course includes studies on polymorphism, abstract classes, the super keyword, exceptions, generics, and various sorting and searching algorithms. The course will dive deep into these subjects to help students master necessary computer programming skills and theoretical knowledge.

What Students Will Learn

• Implementation of polymorphism and understanding its necessity in programming.
• Use of the 'super' keyword to invoke superclass methods and constructors.
• Definition and application of abstract classes and methods.
• Handling exceptions using try-catch-finally constructs.
• Employing 'throws' keyword for exception handling.
• Difference between handled and unhandled exceptions.
• Use of generics to enable stronger type checks at compile time.
• Understanding and applying Big-O notation to evaluate algorithms.
• Techniques for algorithm analysis.
• Developing proficient searching and sorting algorithms.

Prerequisites or Skills Necessary

Enrollment in this course requires a basic understanding of algebra and prior programming experience, particularly in Java. Specifically, students should have completed:

• CS180.1x - AP Computer Science A: Java Programming
• CS180.2x - AP Computer Student A: Java Programming Data Structures and Loops
• CS180.3x - AP Computer Science A: Java Programming Classes and Objects

Course Coverage

• Advanced object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts
• Exception handling mechanisms
• Generics in Java programming
• Advanced data structures for dynamic data storage
• Sorting techniques (Bubble sort, Selection sort, Insertion sort, Merge sort)
• Search algorithms (Binary search and Linear search)
• Performance analysis of algorithms using Big-O notation

Who This Course Is For

This course is ideal for individuals seeking to further their programming knowledge, particularly in object-oriented programming and algorithms, or for those whose institutions do not offer a similar class. It's targeted primarily at students with some background in Java programming.

Real-World Application

Skills learned in this course are highly applicable in numerous fields within computer science, including software development, data science, and systems engineering. Understanding OOP, advanced data structures, and algorithms is critical for building efficient and scalable software solutions, making learners well-prepared for roles in tech-driven industries.

Syllabus

Polymorphism (3 Weeks)

• Understanding parent and child class relationships
• Using the super keyword for constructor calling and object casting
• Defining and implementing abstract classes and interfaces
• Application of abstract methods

Exceptions (1 Week)

• Exploring the Exception class hierarchy
• Handling different types of exceptions: Arithmetic, ArrayIndexOutOfBounds, NullPointer, ClassCast, IllegalArgumentException
• Using the try-catch structure effectively
• Understanding 'throws' keyword usage
• Distinguish between handled and unhandled exceptions

Dynamic Data Structures (3 Weeks)

• Operations on data structures: traversals, insertions, deletions
• Exchange elements using swap operations
• Sorting algorithms: Bubble sort, Selection sort, Insertion sort, Merge sort
• Search algorithms: Binary search and Linear search
• Introduction to Big-O Notation and algorithm analysis