ZyBook
We use an enhanced online textbook called a zyBook that is (a) cheaper than a traditional textbook, (b) has more concise text, and (c) includes interactive examples, demos, and participation activities to check your understanding. To purchase, follow the steps below.
1. Sign in or create an account at learn.zybooks.com
2. Enter zyBook code: DUKECOMPSCI201FainSpring2022
3. Subscribe
A subscription is $58. Students may begin subscribing on Dec 21, 2021 and the cutoff to subscribe is Apr 17, 2022. Subscriptions will last until May 16, 2022.
Java, Visual Studio Code, and Git
We will use Java, and specifically Open JDK 17, for programs in this class. We will develop programs using Visual Studio Code (plus some extensions), and we will use Git for version control and submission. Follow detailed installation directions here.
Many students are learning Java for the first time having first learned to program in Python. The course Zybook is fairly comprehensive about reviewing introductory programming in Java (some of that material is marked optional). However, you may also find it helpful to review / refer to this very brief primer on differences between the two languages. There are many longer and more elaborate such guides available on the web.
In addition to these Compsci 201 at Duke specific documents, see the official documentation for the following:
- Official Java 17 API documentation
- Visual Studio Code documentation. The official intro to VS Code can be found here. You may find the following to be useful in getting to know VS Code.
- Git cheat sheet
Duke Coursera
Duke Coursera is a partnership with the popular online learning platform Coursera whereby Duke students have free access to all of the online courses that have been created by Duke faculty. Duke CS & ECE Faculty (in collaboration with others) created Object Oriented Programming in Java. It is an excellent introduction to CS 101 and 201 content that is available to you for free. It consists of 4 courses. We especially recommend:
- Courses 1 & 2 on Java Programming (Solving Problems with Software & Arrays, Lists, and Structured Data) if you would like to review CS 101 concepts within the Java programming language.
- Course 4 on Data Structures and Performance if you would to start looking at concepts more closely related to Compsci 201.
Old Midterm Exams and Solutions
You can find several year’s worth of midterm exams and solutions here to use to study.
