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 2:00-2:50pm ESTHOA 160
Lecture 2Anne Kohlbrenner (akohlbre)MWF 3:00-3:50pm ESTHOA 160
Recitation AClarise (crliu) and Vivian (vsui)R 9:00am- 9:50am ESTGHC 5208
Recitation BDaniel (dgunawan) and Esther (oeb)R 10:00am-10:50am ESTGHC 5208
Recitation CAnishka (anishkaj) and Sean (spjohnso)R 11:00am-11:50am ESTGHC 5208
Recitation DDavid (dshao) and Joyce (btruong)R 12:00pm-12:50pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation EJared (jaredcoh) and Jenny (jdoan)R 1:00pm- 1:50pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation FKruthi (kthangal) and Vy (vtran)R 2:00pm- 2:50pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation GKrishna (kpatel2) and Steven (shingk)R 3:00pm- 3:50pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation HEzra (eboldizs) and Ritika (ritikam)R 4:00pm- 4:50pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation IAvani (aguduri) and Chloe (chloeh)R 9:00am- 9:50am ESTGHC 5210
Recitation JGabriel (gmedinaj) and Nathan (nmaher)R 10:00am-10:50am ESTGHC 5210
Recitation KMinjoo (minjooki) and Will (wtong)R 11:00am-11:50am ESTGHC 5210
Recitation LDian (dianz) and Stephen (stephenz)R 12:00pm-12:50pm ESTGHC 5210
Recitation MEkin (eozince) and Emily (egetty)R 1:00pm- 1:50pm ESTGHC 5210
Recitation NMuzaffar (mimohame) and Neha (ntirumal)R 2:00pm- 2:50pm ESTGHC 5210
Recitation OAmogh (atundlam) and Jen (jennifex)R 3:00pm- 3:50pm ESTGHC 5210
Recitation PBen (bcarbone) and Michelle (mfchen)R 4:00pm- 4:50pm ESTGHC 5210

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 in Gates 4109 for Prof. Kelly and GHC 4111 for Prof. Anne. Meetings with the instructor are also available by appointment.

Drop-in Tutoring is run by the Student Academic Success Center and takes place in Fifth & Clyde Neighborhood Space on Sunday evenings. This is a good resource for students who would like additional help. SASC also offers one-on-one tutoring here

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday
In-person TA Hours1-5pm1-5pm
Remote TA Hours5-7pm5-7pm5-7pm5-7pm5-7pm5-7pm5-7pm
Instructor Hours10-11am (Kelly)10:30am-12pm (Anne)12:30pm-1:30pm (Kelly)3pm-4pm (Kelly)12:30pm-2pm (Anne)
Drop-in Tutoring8-10pm