CMPS 1600 Introduction to Computer Science II
Spring 14

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Policies

Attendance:

Attendance in class will not be taken but students are fully responsible for all material presented or assigned in class. For this reason, attendance is strongly recommended.
Attendance in the labs is required. If you miss too many labs, your class grade may be docked by up to 10% at the instructor's discretion.

Homework Assignments:

There will be eleven homework assignments of equal weight, each worth 20 points, which are usually due within one week. A total score of 200 will be considered the maximum homework score, that means you can lose 20 points without penalty. Homeworks will consist of written problems and of programming problems. Homeworks will be posted on the homework page.

You are encouraged to discuss rough ideas and thoughts about a homework assignment with your other classmates, but you have to write up your solution on your own. You are not allowed to read, copy, or rewrite the solutions or code written by others (in this or previous terms or from the web). See the section on Academic Integrity. Also note that we will use automatic checkers to detect software plagiarism. Homeworks are to be submitted electronically on Blackboard, unless stated otherwise on the homework assignment. Homework grades will also be available on Blackboard.

In all your homework assignments you are responsible for showing that you have a thorough understanding of what you submit as your own work. On programming assignments, you are required to add explanatory comments as well as thorough test cases in order to receive credit for the assignment. If major similarities to other students' submissions are detected, your homework will be flagged. Each flagged homework submission will be given 0 credit, however you can regain the credit by arranging a meeting in person with the instructor and explaining your thorough understanding of your submission to the instructor. Credit can be regained this way for a maximum of two flagged homeworks.

Exams:

There will be two tests and one final exam. The tests and the final exam will be closed-book and closed-notes, but you are allowed to bring a cheat sheet to each test (one letter page single-sided), and three cheat sheets to the final. The tests will be non-comprehensive, but the final exam will be comprehensive.

Review of the grading of a homework or an exam must be requested within 2 weeks after the graded exam/homework is returned to you. Be aware that such a review will consider the exam/homework as a whole, and as a result your grade is just as likely to go down as it is to go up.

Late Policy:

Without prior arrangements, missed exams and homework assignments result in a grade of zero. In order to take a make-up exam, contact the instructor prior to the exam if you have to miss it for some valid reason; documentation may be required. Notification after the exam will result in a score of zero.

There are no late days of any type for homework assignments. Late homework will not be graded for credit. In extra-ordinary cases (a two-day cold does not count since you have one week to complete the assignment), contact the instructor prior to the due date to get a homework extension.

Labs:

Some lab periods will be used for lectures, and some lectures will be used to conduct labs. Please refer to the schedule.

Attendance in the labs as well as active participation during the labs is required. If you miss too many labs or do not participate, your class grade may be docked by up to 10% at the instructor's discretion.

Grading:

Grading will be based on the following weighted scale:
At the instructor's discretion, your grade may be docked by up to 10% if you miss too many labs or do not participate in the labs.

The weighted average will determine your letter grade roughly as follows:
A  >= 90%; B  >= 80%; C  >= 70%; D  >= 60%; F  < 60%

+/- grades will be given for borderline cases. I.e., a score of 92% might result in an A-.

Handouts, Slides, Pictures, Videos:

The class web page will have links to all class handouts as they become available.

During the lectures we will use slides and the board, and we will discuss program code. The instructor will take pictures of the board during the lectures. Those pictures, slides, as well as program code will be available on the class web page, such that you can see what has been covered if you happen to have missed a class. There is however no guarantee that the material will be complete.

Blackboard and Piazza:

Submissions for homeworks should be uploaded to Blackboard. Assignment grades will be available on Blackboard.

This term we will be using Piazza for class discussion. The system is highly catered to getting you help fast and efficiently from classmates, the TAs, and myself. Rather than emailing questions to the teaching staff, I encourage you to post your questions on Piazza. Our Piazza discussion page is located at https://piazza.com/tulane/spring2014/cmps1600/home

Academic Integrity:

You are encouraged to discuss rough ideas and thoughts about a homework assignment with your other classmates, but you have to write up your solution on your own.

You are not allowed to read, copy, or rewrite the solutions or code written by others (in this or previous terms or from the web). Also note that we will use automatic checkers to detect software plagiarism.

You are required to adhere to the Code of Academic Conduct. Every cheating will be reported to the Associate Dean of Newcomb-Tulane College. If two people are caught sharing solutions then both the copier and copiee will be held equally responsible. Cheating on an exam will result in failing the course.

In all your homework assignments you are responsible for showing that you have a thorough understanding of what you submit as your own work. On programming assignments, you are required to add explanatory comments as well as thorough test cases in order to receive credit for the assignment. If major similarities to other students' submissions are detected, your homework will be flagged. Each flagged homework submission will be given 0 credit, however you can regain the credit by arranging a meeting in person with the instructor and explaining your thorough understanding of your submission to the instructor. Credit can be regained this way for a maximum of two flagged homeworks.


Last modified by Carola Wenk,   cwenk  -at-   tulane  -dot-   edu,