EECS 183: Elementary Programming Concepts

University of Michigan

EECS 183 is an introductory course to computer science and programming, covering the basics of computing as well as problem-solving and algorithmic thinking.

We're glad you are here!

To prepare for the semester, here are some things you will do: If you are adding the course after January 10, make sure you follow the instructions on this page.

This Week

Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Jan 20 - Jan 24

MLK Jr. Holiday 1/20

No Monday Labs

Lecture 4: Functions 1

Lab 1 Extension Deadline

Assignment 1 Due

Project 1 Extra Credit

 Lecture 5: Functions 2 Project 1 Due

Current Projects and Labs

Project 1
Due Friday January 24
Lab 2
Due the day of your lab 1/21 to 1/27

Resources for Class

Syllabus
Course Tools Registration
Getting Started with Visual Studio (PC)
Getting Started with XCode (Mac)

Winter 2025 Exams and Major Deadlines

Exam Dates

Exam 1: February 18, 6PM

For exam schedule conflicts, request Exam 1 alternate here

Exam 2: March 26, 6PM

For exam schedule conflicts, request Exam 2 alternate here

There is no final exam.

EECS 183 Showcase

Thursday, April 24

Michigan League Ballroom

You and your team of 4 will attend one of four, 60-minute sessions, to be scheduled later in the semester.

Project Deadlines

Project 1: January 24

Project 2: February 7

Project 3: February 28

Project 4: March 21

Final Project Core: April 11

Final Project Reach: April 22

Final Project Showcase: April 24

EECS 183 is an introductory course in computer programming for computer science majors and non-majors alike. Topics include control flow, introductory data structures, algorithms using selection and iteration, basic object-oriented programming, testing and debugging. We primarily use C++ as a programming language. There are no prerequisites. EECS 183 assumes no prior programming experience.

By the end of this course, a successful student will be able to:

  • Read a specification and translate it to a computer program
  • Follow a process of writing one small part of a program at a time
  • Comfortably use Visual Studio or XCode to write and debug code
  • Write test cases that test the full range of code functionality
  • Design an algorithm to generate a given output
  • Write functions using both pass by reference and pass by value parameters
  • Use file streams and standard streams to read input and write output
  • Write a class and successfully access private and public member variables
  • Run test inputs to a program and compare them to test outputs to verify a program works correctly
  • Format a program according to a style guide