CS159 - Administrivia

Handouts, announcements, etc.

All handouts will be distributed on the course web page. This will include lecture notes/slides, assignments and other handouts. You are responsible for all material and announcements posted on the class web page, so please check it regularly. If this is a problem for anyone, feel free to come talk to me. For time critical announcements, I will use e-mail.

Coursework

Grade calculation
- 40% Assignments
- 35% Quizzes (4 total)
- 20% Final project
- 5% Participation
Assignments - There will be around six assignments, approximately every 1.5-2 weeks. Assignments will mostly focus around coding up material we’ve discussed in class, however, some will also include short written questions and possibly a short write-up. Early on assignments will be in Java, though later in the semester you will be allowed to choose the language (as long as it is installed on the lab machines).
Quizzes - There will be four quizzes throughout the semester. The first three will not be comprehensive, though some of the material in the course inherently builds on previous concepts. The fourth will be comprehensive. Quizzes will generally take around 30 minutes and will mostly be taken in-class, though one might be take-home depending on timing. See the class schedule for exact dates and times.
Final project - During the last few weeks of the semester, you will complete a final project in pairs or triplets. You will propose a project related to something covered in the course. The project will require implementation, experimentation, a final paper discussing your solution and related literature in the area and a final presentation at the end of the semester.
Participation - Participation consists of attending class regularly and of giving evidence that you are actively engaged with the material (asking/answering questions in lecture, coming to office hours, etc).

Late policy

You have two late days that you may use on any of the assignments in the course. Using a late day give you a 24 hour due date extension to the assignment (you don't need to ask me to use a late day). You may only use one extension on any given assignment. Beyond this, except under very extenuating circumstantces, I will not accept late assignments.

Academic Honesty and collaboration

I take academic honesty very seriously.

You are encouraged to get together in small groups to discuss material from the lectures and text. However, the work that you turn in must be done independently, unless an assignment is explicitly designated as one in which collaboration is allowed.

In particular, your work must not be based on information obtained from sources other than those approved for the course (i.e., the text, web pages linked from the course web page, and materials provided in lecture). You should never copy another students code or solutions, exchange computer files, or share your code or solutions with anyone else in the class until after an assignment is due. You may, however, use any code that we provide to you or that comes from the textbook, as long as you acknowledge the source. Additionally, the tutors are allowed to help you with your code.

If you are working with others on an assignment, I suggest the following procedure: spend as much time as you need working with others to understand the problems. When you're ready to start on your own take a break and then go back and write your programs without the notes you used while working with the others. This will help ensure that you follow both the letter and the spirit of the honor code.

If you are ever unsure about what constitutes acceptable collaboration, please ask!

For more information see the Computer Science Department's Academic Honesty Policy and the college's policy.

Computer and cell phone use during class

You may use your laptops/devices during lecture to take notes. Please resist the temptation to use your laptop/devices for other purposes (e-mail, IM, web browsing, games, texting, etc.).