This page describes what will be expected of each student in this class, and how grades will be computed. If any of these policies are unclear, or if you believe them to be unfair in any way, please contact the instructor, and include "CS112" somewhere in the subject line. Any changes in policy will be announced in class, and recorded on this page.

Attendance: Students are strongly encouraged to attend every lecture. Although much of what is discussed in class will also be covered by supporting materials distributed in class and avaiable on the downloads page, there will be important information that you will miss if you are not in class. If you must miss a class for any reason, you are encouraged to obtain notes from a fellow student who attended the lecture. If that is impossible, please contact the TA or the instructor. You will be responsible for all the material covered in class, and it is your job to stay informed if you miss a class.

Homework and exams: There will be approximately five homework assignments, a midterm exam, and a final exam. You will have between one and two weeks to complete each homework assignment, and each assignment will carry equal weight. Your work will be judged on correctness, completeness, and clarity. Clarity includes, but is not limited to, easy-to-follow logical structure and documentation (commenting!) of programs, as well as legibility and adequacy of explanations that accompany proofs and other written portions. Even brilliant ideas have little value if they are not communicated clearly. Consequently, work that is hastily conceived and/or scribbled on ripped-out notebook pages will be unlikely to receive a high score.

Grades: Grades will be based on the homeworks (65%), the midterm (15%) and the final exam (20%). Exceptions may be made in the case of students who perform exceptionally well on the homework or an exam. In this case, the instructor reserves the right to adjust the final score upward. Other factors, such as attendance, participation in class, and extra credit work (see bonus problems below) may also favorably influence your grade. Final letter grades will be assigned using a "curve"; that is, the grade cutoffs will be based in part on the performance of the class as a whole. Typically, passing grades begin at about 60%, with the A-range beginning in the mid to high 80s. However, these ranges vary from class to class. If you have concerns about how you are doing in the class, please contact the instructor.

Bonus problems: On some assignments you will be given the opportunity to submit solutions to one or more bonus problems, which go beyond the required homework. If you choose not to do the bonus problems, it will not affect your grade. To ensure fairness, bonus work will be handled in the following manner: All credit that is earned through bonus problems will be tallied separately, and will not be taken into consideration until all final grades have been tentatively assigned. As a final step in the grading process, those students who have earned a significant number of bonus points may have their grades adjusted upward by as much as a full letter grade (although "half" a grade is more typical). Those students whose grades are on the borderline between two grades are most likely to benefit from having accumulated bonus points.

Submitting your homework: Written homework should normally be submitted at the beginning of class on the day that it is due. If you submit late homework, you may drop it off at the TA's office. Programmming assignments should be submitted electronically using EEE, uploading them to the appropriate drop box. When uploading electronic submissions, please submit only ONE file; a zipped folder containing all the files you wish to submit, which will typically include one or more source files, images, sample output, etc. Please do NOT submit binary files, such as executables and project files unless explicitly requested to do so in the assignment.

Picking up your homework: Graded homeworks may be picked up from the TA's office. We recommend that you first check EEE; once the grade is posted, the homework should be available for pick-up.

Extensions and late homework: Each student will automatically be granted an additional 48 hours on any graded item upon written request via email to a TA (not the instructor!), made on or before the due date, which is to include a one or two sentence explanation of the circumstances. In particular, please state whether your request is a result of difficulties you are having with the material, or due to other circumstances (which you need not go into detail about). Note that the extension will always be granted, regardless of the reason, but only one such extension will be granted per homework. We ask that you supply a brief expalantion so that we might be alerted to problems that may warrant some corrective action on behalf of the entire class (e.g. a homework problem that should be explained more fully or worded differently).

The automatic extension policy does not apply to exams. Medical exceptions are always honored, however. Other exceptions may be made due to special circumstances upon request from the instructor.

Homeworks that are submitted late (which means after the extended date if an extension was requested) will be penalized at a rate of up to 10% per day late. Please see the instructor if you are significantly behind, or have homework that is more than a week late. It is always advisable to submit homework, however, even if it is incomplete and/or very late.

Questions about grades: If you have questions about the way your homework was graded, or feel that you deserve a higher score, first discuss the matter with the grader or the TA. If you are unable to resolve the issue satisfactorily with the grader or the TA, then bring it to the attention of the instructor. In all email correspondence with the instructor, TA, or grader, please be sure to include "CS112" somewhere in the subject line. Your email may be overlooked if you forget to do this.

Class participation: Questions and comments during class are always welcomed. If you are having difficulty following a discussion, you are likely not alone. Please ask for clarification or elaboration when necessary, or inject relevant comments and observations. While class participation is not explicity part of the grading for this class, the instructor reserves the right to reward students who regularly participate in class and thereby enrich the learning experience of others.

Collaboration: You are strongly encouraged to collaborate with your peers on homeworks, as such communication is one of the most valuable opportunities for learning. However, collaboration, as it is to be understood in this class, does not include copying the work of another, nor exchanging complete solutions verbally, in writing, or in any other form with another student in the class. (Please see the page on intellectual honesty.) Collaboration implies exploring ideas together, not transfering completed work, or any portion thereof. The latter constitutes plagiarism, and will be dealt with harshly if it is discovered. Each act of plagiarism will be documented and reported to the dean, and will be sufficient grounds for failing every student involved, including those who knowingly provided the plagiarized material.

In general, each student must write homework solutions and programs entirely on their own, although the ideas leading up to those solutions and programs may have been developed or discovered in consultation with one or more class members. Any exceptions will be noted in class and explained on the announcements portion of the discussion board and/or in the homework itself. If you are unsure whether some activity falls within the boundaries of legitimate collaboration, please ask the instructor or the TA.

Courtesy toward others: Beyond the narrow technical requirements of this class, each student will be expected to represent his/her work honestly, and to be fair and respectful toward others in the class. As one minor example, please refrain from carrying on conversations with your neighbor in class once the class has begun, as even hushed voices can be heard throughout a classroom and can be a significant distraction. Also, please try to arrive on time, as students who enter late tend to disrupt the class and are apt to miss announcements.