Program Overview

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

• Session
  • Lecture 1:
    • Instructor(s): Kelly Rivers
    • Time: MWF 2:00-2:50pm EST
    • Location: HOA 160
  • Lecture 2:
    • Instructor(s): Franceska Xhakaj
    • Time: MWF 4:00-4:50pm EST
    • Location: HOA 160
• Recitation A:
  • Instructor(s): Rachael & Zoe
  • Time: R 9:00am-9:50am EST
  • Location: GHC 5208
• Recitation B:
  • Instructor(s): Michelle & Miles
  • Time: R 10:00am-10:50am EST
  • Location: GHC 5208
• Recitation C:
  • Instructor(s): Chloe P. & Meher
  • Time: R 11:00am-11:50am EST
  • Location: GHC 5208
• Recitation D:
  • Instructor(s): Chloe N. & Fran
  • Time: R 12:00pm-12:50pm EST
  • Location: GHC 5208
• Recitation E:
  • Instructor(s): Chase & Emily
  • Time: R 1:00pm-1:50pm EST
  • Location: GHC 5208
• Recitation F:
  • Instructor(s): Ahana & Injel
  • Time: R 2:00pm-2:50pm EST
  • Location: GHC 5208
• Recitation G:
  • Instructor(s): Max & Shannon
  • Time: R 3:00pm-3:50pm EST
  • Location: GHC 5208
• Recitation H:
  • Instructor(s): Mihika & Vy
  • Time: R 4:00pm-4:50pm EST
  • Location: GHC 5208
• Recitation J:
  • Instructor(s): Dietrich & Nia
  • Time: R 10:00am-10:50am EST
  • Location: GHC 5210
• Recitation K:
  • Instructor(s): Connie & Dian
  • Time: R 11:00am-11:50am EST
  • Location: GHC 5210
• Recitation L:
  • Instructor(s): Amelia & Sean
  • Time: R 12:00pm-12:50pm EST
  • Location: GHC 5210
• Recitation M:
  • Instructor(s): Madison & Tracy
  • Time: R 1:00pm-1:50pm EST
  • Location: GHC 5210
• Recitation N:
  • Instructor(s): Alice & Daphne
  • Time: R 2:00pm-2:50pm EST
  • Location: GHC 5210
• Recitation P:
  • Instructor(s): Sanjitha & Vivian
  • Time: R 4:00pm-4:50pm EST
  • Location: GHC 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 4003 for Prof. Franceska. Meetings with the instructor are also available by appointment.

Office Hours Schedule