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 ESTGHC 4401
Lecture 2Franceska Xhakaj (francesx)MWF 4:00-4:50pm ESTDH 1212
Recitation AChase (ccrandal) & Zoe (zhausner)R 9:00am- 9:50am ESTGHC 5208
Recitation BChieri (cnnadozi)R 10:00am-10:50am ESTGHC 5208
Recitation CMichelle (mfchen) & Vivian (vsui)R 11:00am-11:50am ESTGHC 5208
Recitation DMadison (madisone) & Shannon (soleary)R 12:00pm-12:50pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation EDian (dianz) & Fran (fgs)R 1:00pm- 1:50pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation FEkin (eozince) & Emily B. (emilybai)R 2:00pm- 2:50pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation GAriel (ychiu3) & Dietrich (ajdietri)R 3:00pm- 3:50pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation HMaddie (mrburrou) & Vy (vtran)R 4:00pm- 4:50pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation IRachael (rpratt) & Sean (spjohnso)R 10:00am-10:50am ESTGHC 5210
Recitation JEmily G. (egetty)R 11:00am-11:50am ESTGHC 5210
Recitation KChloe H. (chloeh) & Injel (inselbal)R 1:00pm- 1:50pm ESTGHC 5210
Recitation LChloe P. (chloepra) & Neha (ntirumal)R 2:00pm- 2:50pm 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 either in person or on Zoom, depending on the day (in person MWF, Zoom TuTh). For in person, they're held in Gates 4109 for Prof. Kelly and GHC 4003 for Prof. Franceska. For Zoom, they're held with the same method as remote TA hours. Meetings with the instructor are also available by appointment.

Drop-in Tutoring is run by the Student Academic Success Center and takes place in Posner 280. 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, in-person)1-2pm (Kelly, remote)10-11am (Kelly, in-person)
12-1pm (Franceska, in-person)
2-3pm (Franceska, remote)12-1pm (Franceska, in-person)
Drop-in Tutoring7-9pm