Graded Components
Item | Percentage |
Exam 1 | 20% |
Exam 2 | 20% |
Exam 3 | 20% |
Quizzes & Assignments | 25% |
Attendance (can miss 3 classes) | 15% |
Grading Scale
94-100 | A | 73-76 | C |
90-93 | A- | 70-72 | C- |
87-89 | B+ | 67-69 | D+ |
83-86 | B | 63-66 | D |
80-82 | B- | 60-62 | D- |
77-79 | C+ | Below 60 | F |
Quizzes are completed outside of the classroom. They are open book, multiple-choice quizzes administered on Canvas. Students may take quizzes as many times as they’d like before the quiz is due and the highest grade earned will be recorded. All assigned quizzes must be completed before the start of class on the dates published in the class schedule. Late quizzes will not be accepted.
Programming assignments are individual (not group) assignments that are completed outside of the classroom. You may use any resources you would like to complete the programming assignments including collaborating with your classmates. However, please be aware that collaborating with a classmate DOES NOT include sharing code. You may share ideas about how to approach a program but each student must complete their own work. Any direct sharing of code will be considered a violation of the Academic Integrity policy (below) and both parties will be held equally accountable. Trust me, you do not want to violate the academic integrity policy! All programming assignments must be completed before the start of class on the due dates published in the class schedule. Late programming assignments will not be accepted.
It is your responsibility to keep on top of the due dates for all deliverables (quizzes, assignments, etc.) and exams.
Please note that it is against my policy to discuss grades on any exam, graded assignment or any other direct component of your final grade via e-Mail. If you would like to discuss how an exam or assignment was graded, please see me during office hours. If you are not available during office hours, please make an appointment with me for another time.
Please note that two weeks after a grade has been posted, the grade will be considered “final”. If you have an issue with a grade you are required to meet with me or make an appointment to meet with me during this two week period. After this two week period a grade will be considered “final” and is not up for discussion.
Class Preparation, Attendance and Participation
Students are expected to attend each and every class. Students who do not attend each and every class will struggle with in-class activities, assignments and exams. We will cover a significant amount of content in this class. The material will build from the first week of the semester to the last. Do not fall behind! Class preparation including completing the required readings and completing the assigned quizzes BEFORE the start of class will be absolutely paramount to your success in this class.
Students will be called upon at random to share their thoughts on the required readings. Students may share their understanding of the material or, if they had questions about the material, ask insightful questions about the aspects they didn’t understand. Either way, students must demonstrate that they have completed the required class prep and have thought about the material.
I expect you to arrive on time to class. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to catch up. Talk to your fellow classmates, check the class site, complete readings, etc. While every student is encouraged to visit with me during office hours to help them gain a better understanding of material which they didn’t fully understand when they were in class, office hours are NOT for helping students catch up on material they missed because they were absent.
Exams
There will be three exams during the semester. Missed exams can only be made up in the case of documented and verifiable extreme emergency situations. While the third exam is currently scheduled for the last day of class, this is subject to change. If we fall behind schedule for any reason, this third exam may be pushed into “finals week”. Do not make plans to leave campus before the university scheduled final during finals week. Please check the schedule published by the university to find the date and time for this second exam.
Academic Integrity – Zero Tolerance
Plagiarism and academic dishonesty can take many forms. The most obvious is copying from another student’s exam, but the following are also forms of this:
- Copying material directly from the Internet (or another source) without a proper citation crediting the author
- Turning in an assignment from a previous semester as if it were your own and created during the current semester for this course
- Having someone else complete your lab assignment and submitting it as if it were your own
- Signing someone else’s name to an attendance sign-in sheet
- Use of assignments completed in one class as any part of a project assigned in another class
- Sharing/copying homework assignments
- Use of unauthorized notes during an examination
- Use of unauthorized Large Language Models (LLM), such as ChatGPT, Bard, or comparable technologies, during exams or assignments
- In cases of cheating, both parties will be held equally responsible, i.e. both the student who shares the work and the student who copies the work
There will be zero tolerance for blatant plagiarism or any other type of academic dishonesty. Under this zero tolerance policy, any student found doing this will immediately receive a final grade of “F” for the course and a formal complaint will immediately be filed with the University Discipline Committee (UDC). This incident will be listed on your permanent academic record. As part of my formal complaint, I will petition to have you expelled from the university. I will not discuss the penalty for violating this policy; I will simply direct you to this paragraph in the class syllabus.
Rules Regarding the Use of Large Language Models (LLM) in Exams and Assignments
Use of any form of Large Language Models (LLM), including but not limited to ChatGPT, Bard, or any similar technology, is strictly prohibited during exams. Students identified as utilizing LLM for any purpose related to exams or assignments will be in violation of the academic integrity policy. It is the responsibility of each student to adhere to this rule, and failure to do so will result in academic penalties.