11-761 Spring 2007 Course Policies

Grading

 The grade will be calculated based on a combination of homework, in-class exam (sometime in late March / early April), a final project, and class participation. To pass the class you must turn in all the assignments. The exact composition of the grade is as follows:

Deadlines and Lateness

 The TA is in charge of all issues related to homework, due dates, lateness and extensions. Please direct all communication regarding these issues to the TA, not to the instructor. If you have an unavoidable conflict that prevents you from completing an assignment on time (such as travel to a conference or a medical emergency), please send email to the TA as soon as you become aware of the problem, briefly stating the circumstances and how much more time you need. If you need an extension, please ask for it as soon as the need for it is known. Extensions that are requested promptly will be granted more liberally. In addition, UNexcused lateness will still be tolerated, but within bounds. You have a "bank" of 5 days of lateness that you can use at your discretion. This is most useful for situations like "I didn't realize it will take so long" or "I ran into time pressure on the last day". Once you used your 5 days, any additional day of unexcused lateness will cost 20% of that assignment's credit. To use your unexcused lateness, you must still inform the TA promptly so that he/she knows when to expect your assignment. You must turn in all assignments.

Collaboration among Students

 The purpose of student collaboration is to facilitate learning, not to circumvent it. Studying the material in groups is strongly encouraged. It is also allowed to seek help from other students in understanding the material needed to solve a particular homework problem, provided no written notes are shared, or are taken at that time, and provided learning is facilitated, not circumvented. The actual solution must be done by each student alone, and the student should be ready to reproduce their solution upon request. Any form of help or collaboration must be disclosed in full by all involved on the first page of their assignment (e.g. "Jane explained to me what is asked in Question 3.4", "I pointed Joe to section 2.3 since he didn't know how to proceed with Question 2"). When such collaboration is deemed excessive by the instructor, grading may be somewhat affected. However, collaboration without full disclosure will be handled much more severely, in compliance with CMU's Policy on Cheating and Plagiarism.

Use of previous years' assignments, solutions, and problems

 Some of the assignments and problems used in this course may have been used, in some form or variation, in previous versions of this course or in similar courses elsewhere. It would be counterproductive to give up on a well-designed and heavily tested assignment just to avoid this. It is expressely forbidden to consult any existing solutions to these problems, or to discuss these assignments with people who attempted them previously. We will be relying on your integrity to follow this rule. If there are any violations, we will treat them very seriously, in compliance with CMU's Policy on Cheating and Plagiarism.

Last modified: Mon Jan 29 10:36:54 EST 2007