Syllabus

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Description

Learning
Objectives

• Computationally solve problems in Python using:
  • sequential, conditional, and loop statements
  • strings, lists, tuples, sets, and dictionaries
  • objects and classes
  • recursion
  • interactive graphics
• Analyze code through code tracing to deduce the output of small programs
• Recognize patterns to identify possible solutions to a given problem
• Construct code using top-down design by breaking problems into smaller steps
• Apply debugging techniques to find and fix errors
• Design and implement a substantial program in Python with minimal guidance

Topic List
and Schedule

Schedule
of Classes

• Unless otherwise stated, course events are in-person only and not recorded.
• All times will be in Pittsburgh time (ET).

Office Hours
and Course
Resources

• The course notes are on the CMU CS Academy webpage, linked from the schedule. You are required to know the material in the course notes, and to carefully complete the checkpoints in them.

Times and locations are subject to change. See Ed-Discussion (the class Q&A forum) for any changes.

Instructor	Day	Time	Location
David	Tue	11:30am - 1:30pm	GHC 5001
Lauren	Wed	1pm - 4pm	GHC 6008
David	Thu	11:30am - 1:30pm	GHC 5001
Lauren	Thu	4pm - 5pm	GHC 6008

• These are open (not private) office hours, and discussions may include everyone in attendance.

Times are subject to change. See Ed-Discussion (the class Q&A forum) for any changes.

Day	Time	Location
Mon	6-7pm	GHC 5th Floor Commons, Table 1
Tue	7-8pm	GHC 5th Floor Commons, Table 1
Wed	6-8pm	GHC 5th Floor Commons, Table 6
Thu	4-6pm	GHC 5th Floor Commons, Table 6
Fri	6-8pm	GHC 5th Floor Commons, Table 1
Sat	2-3pm	GHC 5th Floor Commons, Table 6
Sun	2-3pm	GHC 5th Floor Commons, Table 6

• TA office hours let you ask conceptual questions and to get some debugging help from TAs. During TA OH, use the OH Queue to sign up for help. OH Queue is used only for TA office hours.

• You are responsible for carefully reading all of the content in all instructor posts on Ed-Discussion.
• You may also use Ed-Discussion to ask questions, but you must carefully read our Ed-Discussion posts and guidelines first.
• If you need to get in touch with only the faculty, or a specific TA, email (using your andrew id) is best. Ed-Discussion is great for questions that are visible to all TAs since you will get the fastest response that way.

• To schedule a 1-on-1 meeting with the course faculty, please email either one of us with your full availability over the next few days (both over zoom and in person). The more times you provide, the more likely we can accommodate your request.
• Given the size of the course, please only request private meetings specifically for issues that are not appropriate for open faculty OH, and which cannot be handled via Ed-Discussion (the class Q&A forum), TA office hours, or email.

• Due to the size of the course, we are not able to generally satisfy requests for one-on-one tutoring. However, the Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers additional resources and tutoring for 15-112. Appointments for one-on-one tutoring can be booked here. Drop-in tutoring location, day, and time can be found here.

Required
Materials

Course
Requirements

• Attending and actively participating in all the lectures, recitations, and required events.
• Carefully reading the course notes and other assigned readings and completing checkpoints.
• Thoughtfully completing the homework assignments, and all other assigned work with earnest effort.
• Taking all the required quizzes and exams.

• Attendance is often based on polls. If you do not appear on a poll, then you will not count as in attendance. Also, it is an Academic Integrity Violation to share attendance poll links, or to fill out an attendance poll if you are not physically present.
• You are responsible for all materials presented in lectures and recitations (and recordings will generally not be available).
• Missed quizzes and exams may not be made up in general (though certain exceptions are permitted -- see the relevant sections below).
• If you must miss a required event (lecture, recitation,etc) due to circumstances beyond your control (eg, if you have an illness), fill out the excused absence/extension request form, located on the 112 Forms page prior to that event.

Grading

Homework

• No-Copying Rule
  At no time can you copy code from any source. We take this very broadly. Not only does this mean you cannot copy-paste code from anywhere, it also means that you cannot manually type code that you are looking at, nor can you manually type code that someone is telling you to type. In addition, you cannot copy code even if you then edit it, even a lot. You simply cannot copy code, full stop.
• 5-Minute Rule
  To help prevent code copying, we have a simple rule: any time you look at 5 or more lines of code (or pseudocode or anything code-like) that is not yours (and is not from the course website, CS Academy, or course faculty or staff), then you must wait 5 minutes before you can edit your own code. This is a simple rule that will prevent most cases of code copying.
• Debugging Rule
  You are allowed to help debug other students' code, and you are allowed to have other students help debug your code. However, all the rules above apply. You are allowed to make live edits with the debugging help of a friend. But you cannot copy code. And you must obey the 5-Minute Rule if you look at their code.

• AI Tools (like ChatGPT)
  Again, you are free to use AI tools (like ChatGPT), so long as you closely follow the rules above. However, to be clear:
  • Homework may be graded at times against the 112 style guide. AI tools often violate these rules. You should expect that code derived from AI tools would often receive very low homework grades.
  • You also will not have access to AI tools on writing sessions, quizzes, or exams.
  • If you rely too heavily on AI tools to complete your homework, you will not learn the material well. This will result in lower scores on quizzes and exams, and in an overall worse learning and grade outcome for you in the course.
  • The bottom line: while you may use AI tools, it is your responsibility to use them appropriately and effectively, and in a way that does not compromise your learning experience. If you are unsure if you are compromising your learning, it is best to simply avoid using them.
• CS Academy
  Homework exercises will typically be hosted in CMU CS Academy. A green checkmark next to a problem (in CS Academy) means it has autograded correctly and that you will receive credit for it. No green checkmark means it's not done yet. The "check" button runs your code against additional hidden test cases which you must pass in order to receive credit. There is no partial credit for autograded homework problems.

Academic
Integrity

• Copying materials (from any source) in violation of the No-Copying Rule and/or the 5-Minute Rule.
• Posting homework, quiz, or exam problem statements or solutions online. This is strictly forbidden, regardless of if or how anyone potentially uses your posted problem statements or solutions. Do not post problem statements or solutions online.
• Attempting to 'hack', decompile, disrupt, or misuse the autograder, testing environment, or course tools.
• Not securing access to your work, e.g., not having a password on your laptop where a roommate or friend could access your work without your knowledge.
• Answering in-class polls or forms when not physically present.
• Intentionally misrepresenting your work, your effort, your participation, or any other aspect of your involvement in the course, especially if this was intended to inflate your grade.

• Referring to any external resources (people, electronics, websites, notes, books, etc) while completing the assessment.
• Accessing or copying any part of an answer from another student's work, even if it is very small.
• Attempting to access any unreleased assessment outside of your assigned testing time, or outside of a secured testing environment, even if you have already taken it.
• Providing or receiving links/passwords/codes to quizzes, checks, exams, or other assessments to anyone else.
• Saving or copying any assessment materials so they are available outside of the online writing-session/quiz/midterm/exam environment.
• Discussing any part of the assessment with anyone who hasn't taken it (or a very similar one) until we have released it publicly (including with non-112 students)
  • For example, taking a quiz and sending a message as simple as "I wish I hadn't spent so much time studying nested loops" (or some other topic) before the quiz is released
• Violating proctoring policies, like continuing to work on the assessment (even briefly) after the proctors announce the stop time, or falsifying/fabricating a tech fail.

• Receiving a 0 or -100 on the assignment or assessment
• Receiving a semester grade deduction, often a full-letter-grade
• Failing the course

Extensions
and
Excused
Absences

• Due to the liberal late hw policy (see below), extensions are not generally granted for homeworks. However, for truly extreme cases (such as long-term hospitalization), longer extensions may be granted, with the specific appropriate accommodation determined by course faculty in such cases.
• Regarding writing sessions: for university-approved conflicts with your assigned writing session time, we will arrange that you take your writing session at the earliest possible alternate time, ideally that same day or very soon after in any case.
• Extensions are not generally granted for quizzes. Instead:
  • For excused absences on quiz days, the student is entirely excused from that day's quiz, so the quiz does not factor into the student's semester grade.
  • For unexcused absences, the student receives a 0 on that quiz.
• Extensions may be granted for exams when there is a qualifying reason on the date of the exam (see below).
• See the 112 Forms page for this semester's Extension Request Form.

• Serious illness, medical emergencies, or other family or person emergencies.
• University-approved extended absences, such as multi-day athletic/academic trips or job interview trips.
• Other valid reasons. There are too many to list here, but other reasons include religious observations among others. If you are unsure, talk to the course faculty. We are here to help.

• Busy week (academically or otherwise)
• Computer or network issues
• Non-approved travel

Late Policy

• Homeworks
  You will receive 80% of the points for homework exercises that you complete (with a green check) after the homework deadline, up until 11:59pm that Sunday night. After Sunday night, you will not receive credit for any further green checks on that homework. Note that the Sunday night deadline does not change even if you have an extension on the homework deadline.
• Quizzes and Exams
  No late/make-up quizzes or exams will be administered, except in the cases covered under the Extensions policy. Approved missed quizzes will be excused. Approved missed exams will be taken at the earliest possible date as approved by course faculty.

Regrade Requests

• You cannot request a regrade request simply because you do not like your grade or you do not like our rubric. Rather, regrade requests must include the specific grading error(s) that you believe you found.
• Regrade requests will result in the entire problem being regraded, not just the possibly-incorrectly-graded part. Thus, it is possible that your grade goes down as a result of a regrade.
• Regrade requests must be filed no later than one week after the grade has been released.

Accommodations

Diversity
and
Inclusion

Devices
and
Recording

Well-being &
Happiness