Introductory Course Revision

In the 2021-2022 academic year, the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) conducted a study of possible revisions to the introductory course sequences used in the Computer Science and Informatics majors. The recommendation that resulted from this study was that the College adopt a new unified introductory sequence for both majors comprising three courses:

  • CICS 110: Foundations of Programming
  • CICS 160: Object-Oriented Programming
  • CICS 210: Data Structures

These three new courses will replace the courses COMPSCI 121: Introduction to Problem Solving with Computers, COMPSCI 186: Using Data Structures, and COMPSCI 187: Programming with Data Structures. CICS 110 derives from and will replace an experimental course first offered in Fall 2021, INFO 190S: Introduction to Programming for Information Science. CICS 160 derives from and will replace an experimental course first offered in Spring 2022, INFO 190T: Introduction to Data Structures in Python.

In the summer of 2022, CICS started the process of implementing these revisions. The proposals to create CICS 210 and to convert INFO 190S to CICS 110 and INFO 190T to CICS 160 were submitted to the UMass Faculty Senate for approval at the end of Summer 2022. In Fall 2022, new incoming CICS students and students from several other majors were able to enroll in INFO 190S and INFO 190T as preliminary offerings of the courses that will become CICS 110 and CICS 160.

More information about the new introductory courses and the transition from the old to new course sequences can be found in the sections below. For questions about these changes, please contact%20intro-revision [at] cs [dot] umass [dot] edu (subject: CICS%20introductory%20course%20revisions) ( intro-revision[at]cs[dot]umass[dot]edu). More information will be added to this page as the transition progresses.

Content of New Introductory Courses

Use the link below to find course descriptions, prerequisites, learning outcomes, and draft syllabi for each of our new courses: 

Revised Prerequisite Structures

Revised tracking forms for the BS in Computer Science and the BA in Computer Science degrees are provided below. In particular, COMPSCI 240 and 250 have a prerequisite change from COMPSCI 187 to CICS 160, while COMPSCI 220 and 230 have a prerequisite change from COMPSCI 187 to CICS 210. Further, the previous restriction that students should not take COMPSCI 220 and 230 or COMPSCI 240 and 250 in the same semester is removed. Students may now take up to any three of COMPSCI 220, 230, 240, and 250 for which they meet prerequisites in the same semester; however, it is recommended that students take at most two of these courses in the same semester.

Course Offering Transition Plan

The figure below shows the planned transition from the set of course offerings in Fall 2022 to the set of course offerings in Fall 2023. As of December 8, 2022, CICS 110 and 160 are now available for registration on Spire. These courses were previously listed under the experimental course numbers INFO 190S and INFO 190T. CICS 210 will be offered in Spring 2023, but eligible students will need to wait for the course proposal to be approved to register. Students eligible to register for COMPSCI 187 in Spring 2023 will register as usual.

Course offering transition plan

 

Frequently Asked Questions

As of Fall 2023, CICS has discontinued COMPSCI 121, COMPSCI 186, and COMPSCI 187. Students should instead enroll in the new courses CICS 110, 160, and 210. Students transitioning from the old course sequence to the new course sequence will find more information in the FAQ items below.

INFO 190S has been transitioned to CICS 110. INFO 190T has been transitioned to CICS 160. Students transitioning from the old course sequence to the new course sequence will find more information in the FAQ items below.

Students who completed COMPSCI 121 with a grade of C or higher should register for CICS 160 as the next introductory course.

CICS students who previously took COMPSCI 121 and earned a grade below C can register for CICS 110 for grade replacement. Students in other colleges should talk with their academic dean about using a grade earned in CICS 110 to replace a grade below C in COMPSCI 121.

Students who completed COMPSCI 186 with a grade of C or higher should register for COMPSCI 210 as the next introductory course.

CICS students who previously took COMPSCI 186 and earned a grade below C can register for CICS 160 for grade replacement. Students in other colleges should talk with their academic dean about using a grade earned in CICS 160 to replace a grade below C in COMPSCI 186.

CICS students who previously took COMPSCI 187 and earned a grade of D, D+, or C- should submit an override request to enroll in CICS 210.

Students who withdrew from COMPSCI 187 or earned a grade of F can either self-enroll in CICS 160 or request an override for CICS 210. Students' preparation to be successful in CICS 210 will be individually assessed and students will either be placed in CICS 160 or CICS 210, depending on the outcome of that assessment.

Students who completed INFO 190S with a grade of C or higher should register for CICS 160 as the next introductory course.

Students who previously took INFO 190S and earned a grade below C can register for CICS 110 for grade replacement.

Students who completed INFO 190T with a grade of C or higher should register for CICS 210 as the next introductory course.

Students who previously took INFO 190T and earned a grade below C can register for CICS 160 for grade replacement.

CICS previously required students to take at most one of COMPSCI 220 and 230 in the same semester. CICS also previously required that students take at most one of COMPSCI 240 and 250 in the same semester. Under the revised program requirements, students may take up to three of COMPSCI 220, 230, 240, and 250, for which they meet prerequisites in the same semester, depending on the availability of seats. However, it is recommended that students take at most two of these courses in the same semester and any pair of of COMPSCI 220, 230, 240, and 250 for which students meet prerequisites can be taken in the same semester.

In general, courses that have a COMPSCI 121 prerequisite should be updated to add INFO 190S and CICS 110; courses that have a COMPSCI 186 prerequisite should be updated to add INFO 190T and CICS 160; courses that have a COMPSCI 187 prerequisite should be updated to add CICS 210. Note, however, that the language of instruction in the new courses CICS 110 and 160 will be Python, while the old courses COMPSCI 121 and 186 were taught in Java. For more detailed information, instructors can view the draft syllabi for each of the new courses below:

  • CICS recommends that grades earned in INFO 190S/CICS 110 be allowed to replace grades below C earned in COMPSCI 121.
  • CICS recommends that grades earned in INFO 190T/CICS 160 be allowed to replace grades below C earned in COMPSCI 186.
  • CICS recommends that grades earned in CICS 210 be allowed to replace grades below C earned in COMPSCI 1187.