On February 5, 1996, the faculty of Computer and Information Science voted to introduce a new course starting in Wi 1997: CIS 200: "Computer Assisted Problem Solving for Business". The College of Business requested that we develop this course as a replacement for CIS 211: "Computer Programming for Problem Solving", which originally was intended as a service course for business students but has grown to serve a wider audience. The College of Business will expect all its students to take CIS 200 starting in Wi 1997. Even before CIS 200 becomes official in Wi 1997, the College of Business will expect all its students to take CIS 294J starting in Su 1996.
As part of the plan approved by the CIS faculty, CIS 211 will be withdrawn as soon as feasible -- perhaps as early as Winter 1997. Simultaneously with the exit of CIS 211, we plan to revise slightly the existing CIS 201: "Elementary Computer Programming" to take up the slack and fill the need for an introductory programming course for non-CIS majors.
Many students inside and outside the College of Business will be affected by these changes. So the purposes of this note are to outline the phase-in plan for these curriculum changes, and to explain which CIS service courses students should be advised to take (and why).
From Au 1995 through Au 1996, a pilot version of the new CIS 200 has been, and will continue to be, offered as CIS 294J. Starting in Wi 1997 the material will be offered under the permanent course number CIS 200.
The current CIS 211 may be withdrawn as early as Wi 1997, but more likely it will continue to be offered through Wi 1997 or even Sp 1997. Before it is withdrawn, CIS 201 will be changed slightly so that CIS 211 essentially will be a redundant course. We would like to withdraw CIS 211 and change CIS 201 as early as possible, but we do not want students who are looking for CIS 211 to be surprised by its absence from the schedule. Hence by this note we want to notify departments whose students routinely take CIS 211, and especially advisors who might counsel such students, of the planned phase-in schedule and its implications.
The table below shows the planned quarters of offering of CIS 200 (currently offered as CIS 294J), CIS 201, and CIS 211. "X" means the course will be offered; "?" means the course might be offered, depending on how well we believe word of this plan has been communicated to potential CIS 211 students; and a blank means the course will not be offered.
| Quarter | CIS 200 | CIS 201 | CIS 211 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Au 95 | offered as CIS 294J | X | X |
| Wi 96 | offered as CIS 294J | X | X |
| Sp 96 | offered as CIS 294J | X | X |
| Su 96 | offered as CIS 294J | X | X |
| Au 96 | offered as CIS 294J | X | X |
| Wi 97 | X | X | ? |
| Sp 97 | X | X | ? |
| Su 97 | X | X |
CIS 211 is basically an introduction to problem solving methods using traditional programming in Pascal. It is similar to the current CIS 201, except that (a) CIS 211 has a math prerequisite where CIS 201 does not, and (b) the programming exercises in CIS 211 involve distinctly business-related problems where CIS 201 emphasizes more general social science applications. The planned changes to CIS 201 will eliminate any real distinction, since it will have the same minimal mathematics prerequisite as the current CIS 211 and it will provide a mix of business and non-business problems in the exercises.
CIS 200, on the other hand, is basically an introduction to problem solving methods using productivity tools (MS Office) -- with a concentration on spreadsheets and in the context of typical business-related problems. It is not a programming course, so a student may take both CIS 200 and either CIS 201 or CIS 211.
So here are the guidelines for advising students how and why to choose among the courses mentioned above:
Please note that CIS also offers CIS 100: "Introduction to Computing Technology" and CIS 101: "Computer Assisted Problem Solving" (a GEC/LAR course). Like CIS 200, both of these courses introduce students to various productivity tools. There are, however, some important differences in prerequisites and in emphasis.
Due to the inherent overlap between CIS 100 and CIS 101, and between CIS 101 and CIS 200, exclusion clauses are in effect: A student may take both CIS 100 and CIS 200, but only in that order; all other pairings of these three courses are not allowed.
So the line-up of CIS introductory-level service courses will look like this once all the above-mentioned changes are in effect:
| Course | Prerequisite | Emphasis | Exclusion |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIS 100 | none | computer literacy, familiarity with productivity tools | CIS 101, CIS 200 |
| CIS 101 | Math placement level R or higher, or Math 075 or higher | general problem solving using productivity tools; GEC/LAR course | CIS 100, CIS 200 |
| CIS 200 | Math 116, Math 130, or Math 148 | business-related problem solving using productivity tools, especially spreadsheets | CIS 101 |
| CIS 201 | Math placement level R or higher, or Math 075 or higher | general problem solving using computer programming |