15-110: Principles of Computing


An introductory computer science course for students with little to no computing experience. Students will learn the core elements of programming in Python and will also receive a broad overview of big ideas in the field of computer science. The course begins with fundamentals of programming (data, variables, functions, conditionals, loops, and recursion) and the basics of computer organization (data representation and memory), then introduces major data structures (lists, dictionaries, trees, and graphs), the core concepts of efficiency (through runtime analysis and a case study of search algorithms), and how computing is scaled for practical use (concurrency and the internet). The course concludes with an overview of how computer science can be used as a tool to support other domains (data analysis, simulation, and machine learning) and how computer science influences and is influenced by the world (history, ethics, and modern events).

Meeting Times

SessionInstructor(s)TimeLocation
Lecture 1Kelly Rivers (krivers)MWF 2:30-3:20pm ESTGHC 4401
Lecture 2Franceska Xhakaj (francesx)MWF 3:35-4:25pm ESTDH 2210
Recitation ABelle (beblanch) and Nazanin (nazimi)R 9:05am- 9:55am ESTGHC 5208
Recitation BClaudia (cosorio) and Ezra (eboldizs)R 10:10am-11:00am ESTGHC 5208
Recitation CEsther (oeb) and Rachel (rachelt1)R 11:15am-12:05pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation DJenny (jdoan) and Neha (npc)R 12:20pm- 1:10pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation EAnagha (asrikuma) and Keerthana (keerthav)R 1:25pm- 2:15pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation FOtto (ojs) and Stephen (stephenz)R 2:30pm- 3:20pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation GAnnika (annikaw) and Robbie (rbm)R 3:35pm- 4:25pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation HFiona (cchiu2) and Tara (tarap)R 4:40pm- 5:30pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation QMeghan (mamcgraw)R 11:15am-12:05pmGHC 5207
Recitation IAlice (alicehon) and Sarah (sstaplet)R 9:05am- 9:55am ESTGHC 5210
Recitation JAshley (awzhang)R 10:10am-11:00am ESTGHC 5210
Recitation KFlako (daniells)R 11:15am-12:05pm ESTGHC 5210
Recitation LLauren (leheller)R 12:20pm- 1:10pm ESTGHC 5210
Recitation MFrank (frankh) and Michelle (mskoo)R 1:25pm- 2:15pm ESTGHC 5210
Recitation NNathan S. (nshao)R 2:30pm- 3:20pm ESTGHC 5210
Recitation OChristina (qianoum) and Winfred (winfredw)R 3:35pm- 4:25pm ESTGHC 5210
Recitation PMuzaffar (mimohame) and Nathan M. (nmaher)R 4:40pm- 5:30pm ESTGHC 5210
Recitation SAmit (amitnag)R 12:20-1:10pmGHC 5207
Lecture 3 / Recitation RLauren (leheller)Asynchronous

Office Hours

In-person TA Hours take place in the Gates 5th Floor Teaching Commons and clusters. When you have a question, sign up on the OH Queue and a TA will come find you to help.

Remote TA Hours take place remotely on Zoom. When you have a question, sign up on the OH Queue with a link to a Zoom meeting you host, and a TA will join your Zoom call to help.

Instructor Hours take place either remotely or in Gates 4109 for Prof. Kelly and GHC 4003 for Prof. Franceska; sign up on the OH Queue and state your modality there. Meetings with the instructors are also available by appointment.

Drop-in Tutoring is run by the Student Academic Success Center and takes place across campus in the evenings. This is a good resource for more in-depth review of the course concepts.

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday
In-person TA Hours5-8pm5-8pm5-8pm12-5pm12-5pm
Remote TA Hours5-8pm5-8pm5-7pm
Instructor Hours10:30-11:30am (Kelly)10-11:30am (Franceska)12:30-1:30pm (Kelly)10-11:30am (Franceska)1-2pm (Kelly)NoneNone
Drop-in Tutoring8:30-11pm8:30-11pm8:30-11pm8:30-11pm