Programming Prerequisite

CISC 121 is not an introductory programming course. Doing well in this course requires some previous programming experience (such as high-school level programming or CISC 101 or CISC 110).

You do not need to know Python. Programming experience in any programming language (Java, C, C++, Matlab, etc.) are sufficient.

To do well in CISC 121, you should at least have written some small programs in a programming language. You should have had experience using basic elements of programming that occur in any language, including the following:

• variables and assignment
• simple input and output
• condition statement (if)
• loops
• functions (also known as methods, procedures, or subprograms) with parameters and return values.

 

If your only “programming” experience so far is writing web pages in HTML, you might not have sufficient practice with the items listed above.

If you are concerned that you do not fulfill the above programming prerequisites for CISC 121, we strongly advise you to consider taking CISC 101 or CISC 110 first. Experience over the years has shown that students with insufficient programming experience struggle in this course and might fail or get a low mark. Furthermore, the topics we will discuss in CISC 121 will introduce some very important concepts which will be a foundation for later courses (CISC 124, 220, 221, 271, etc.).

Getting more advice:

If you are still not sure if CISC 121 or CISC 101,110 is the right course for you, you should feel free to contact any of the following:

• The current course instructors (please see cs.queensu.ca for contact information).
• One of the School of Computing’s Academic Advisors for general academic information, administrative help, and information about the degree program.