Course Name: Cubstart: Introduction to Building Apps
Course Designation: TBD
Facilitators: Andy Huang, Madhav Varshney, Jessica Ng
EECS Dept. Sponsor: Justin Yokota
Course Catalog: Fall 2023
Units: 2
Course Format:
Central to many aspects of software engineering, full stack web development using modern tech stacks is often overlooked by traditional course offerings. The difficulty of acquiring these developmental skillsets is undeniable, especially for those with no prior/limited experience wanting to break into tech. CS 198 provides unique weekly guided full-stack projects, mentorship, and technical workshops. The final project of the semester will be dedicated to applying your skills to develop a viable product/application with a team.
The course content is split into lectures, optional labs, homework, and a final project. Your final project will be in teams of up to 4, so you can team up with friends or find teammates in lab and lecture. We will also have an option for random groupiings for those who don't have groups.
The weekly lectures are intended to give an introduction to the contents covered by the homework due the following week. The general structure will be a conceptual overview of the highlighted topics, use cases, and real-life examples. Attendance will be recorded.
Labs are a fun way to learn and practice the content in a more hands-on way! The first hour of lab is required for all students and will consist of a mini-lecture, review, introduction of new concepts, and potentially a short lab assignment depending on the week. The second half of lab serves as office hours / homework party and is optional, but hihgly recommended for those new to programming.
They also serve as a means of introducing the homework assignment (that was assigned the previous week) for those who are struggling to grasp certain concepts or haven't gotten around to doing the assigned homework. Those who do not wish to complete an assignment in its entirety for a certain week, can come to the lab section and attempt the homework for the entire duration. You can receive full credit for the homework assignment regardless of completion (based on effort, TAs will check you off).
70% is required for a passing grade.
| Weight | Assignment |
|---|---|
| 20% | Lecture Attendance |
| 30% | Weekly Homeworks |
| 5% | Final Project Checkpoint: Design Mockup |
| 45% | Final Project: Demo Day |
This course is fast-paced and highly cumulative. Your success will depend on your active and consistent participation. However, we understand that emergencies and personal matters do come up, so you are allowed up to 2 unexcused absences across lectures. If you have an extenuating circumstance and have used up your 2 unexcused absences, please make a private Ed post on EdStem.
More than 2 incomplete homeworks will result in a NP and a failure to complete the final project will result in a NP.
The weekly homeworks are mini-projects that have a detailed, step-by-step spec for you to follow.
You have 2 homework drops, but any more than that and your homework grade will be affected.
The last 4 weeks will be dedicated to your final project, which is ideating and building a viable product/application. You’ll be expected to meet with your project team regularly to work towards meeting the checkpoints throughout. We will be offering extensive Office Hours support as you and your team take on this final project.
Each student is allowed up to 3 slip days throughout the semester. Slip days are applicable to the homeworks. Each slip day is equivalent to a 24-hour extension. You may use multiple slip days back-to-back. Using a slip day does not require any notice; they will simply be applied at the end of the semester to maximize your overall grade. Slip days will be subtracted from each student on the team at the same time. Outside of slip days, late work will receive a 10% grade deduction for every day after the deadline that the work is submitted.
You may only work with your teams on the projects. Respect licenses of libraries that you use, and do not sabotage other students (there is no curve). Follow UC Berkeley’s Honor Code.
Email cubstart@calhacks.io for any other questions.
