Exams

There will be one in-class midterm and one final, see course schedule for dates.

IMPORTANT: there will be no makeup exam for midterm. If you miss the midterm, your grade will be solely based on the final exam you take. However, you should realize that the final exam will be comprehensive and significantly more difficult than the midterm exam. You need to email the instructor  in advance with justifications to skip the scheduled midterm.

Quizzes

The instructor uses pop quizzes as a tool to encourage students to prepare for class. With the exception of the two exam periods, there is always a non-zero probability of a pop quiz during any course period. The number of quizzes given in this course is not known a priori. It depends on class participation and other factors.

Programming assignments

There are around four programming assignments. See the course schedule for details on individual assignments and due dates. All assignments will be turned in electronically. All submissions are due by 11:59PM on the due date. To turn in an assignment electronically, use the “Submit Homework” link on the course web page.

Survey paper assignments

There are one survey paper assignment. You are asked to write a survey paper about one advanced topic of your own choice. See the course schedule for details on the survey paper due date. The survey paper will be turned in electronically. All submissions are due by 11:59PM on the due date. To turn in an assignment electronically, use the “Submit Homework” link on the course web page.

Late assignments

No late assignments will be accepted. If an emergency (e.g., hospitalization) prevented an assignment from being submitted, its grade will be determined by averaging the completed assignments in the same category. Instructor may grant an extension if a student has some extenuating circumstances warranting it (which is very rare). Student must receive this extension by noon the day it is due. Note: requesting an extension is not the same as receiving it.

Appealing individual assignment grades

The instructor establishes guidelines for grading. The TAs are responsible for the grading of assignments and exams. If you believe there is an error, state your case in writing, email is sufficient. If you are not satisfied with the decision made by the TA, then elevate the appeal to the instructor, who will make the final decision. Students have one week from when assignment/exam is returned to begin an appeal with the TA. (The clock starts even if a student is absent the day assignments are returned or posted.) All secondary appeals to the instructor must begin within two weeks. These limits obviously do not apply to any assignment or exam graded within two weeks of the end of the term. For those assignments, appeals must be completed by 11am on May 5th, 2019.

Attendance

While attendance is not taken, students are expected to attend. Class periods will contain material that is not in the reading assignments that students are responsible for knowing. While every effort is made to provide critical information via electronic resources (web page, mailing list, etc.), some information may not show up outside class in a timely manner (or at all). Although this is accidental, students are nevertheless responsible for all information presented in class.

Grading

A weighted grade average will be calculated as follows:

One in-class midterm	20%
Final	35%
Quizzes	5%
PA0	5%
PA1	10%
PA2	10%
PA3	15%

The assignment of final course grades from the computed final course average is subject to the guarantees in the following table.

Final course average of at least	Minimum final course grade
97%	A+
93%	A
87%	A-
85%	B+
80%	B
75%	B-
70%	C+
65%	C
60%	C-
56%	D+
50%	D
45%	D-

Instructor does not curve grades. It is theoretically possible for all students to get an A (or an F). When curving, a fixed percentage of students will get As, Bs, etc. In this course, your grade depends solely on your performance. Furthermore, in this grading scheme, students are encouraged to help each other, whereas curving discourages such cooperation. This class endeavors to create the cooperative situation that is more typical of real-world engineering jobs rather than the zero-sum game induced by curving.

Notes:

1. The final course average is the primary grading criteria, but not the only one. In particular, the instructor has been known to consider whether a student’s grades are improving or declining and a student’s classroom participation when assigning the final grade.
2. The instructor reserves the right to fail any student that does not pass the final exam.

Every term there are some students interested in discussing their final grade. The instructor is very happy to discuss this in person, but generally unwilling to do it through email. However, students should understand that grades are not arbitrarily determined. Therefore, in order to effect a change of grade, student will have to provide some information that the instructor does not possess. Of course not all information is relevant. For example, the instructor will not factor your overall GPA or your grades in other courses into the determination of the grade for this course. Additionally, it is necessarily the case that there is a student with the highest course average for each assigned grade. This may be disappointing, but it is not a reason for a change in grade.

Message board

A message board is provided for students and staff to disseminate information. Students are welcome and encouraged to post questions to the message board. Also, students are requested to help answering other students’ questions. There are two requirements of posts to the message board. First, the post must be courteous to and respectful of students, staff, and the general University community. Second, students must know the difference between answering a question and providing a solution. The latter is strict disallowed and must be avoided.

Academic integrity

Students are expected to maintain high standards of academic integrity and honesty. University guidelines regarding academic integrity will be followed. Cheating will result in disciplinary actions, up to the full penalties specified in the guideline. A grade of zero will be given to the assignment in question for a minor offense. A major offense, including any violation on a test, could result in failure of the course. All suspected violations will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct, where a guilty outcome on a second offense can mean suspension from the university.

Please keep in mind that academic integrity in the classroom translates to professional integrity in the workplace. Moreover, awarding similar grades to students who have maintained academic integrity and to students who have cheated results in conferring equivalent degrees on them, and reduces the value of that degree in the workplace. It is the responsibility of every student as well as the instructor and TA to see that this is not allowed to happen.

Dissemination of Information

The Web is the de facto distribution medium for this course. Do not expect any handouts. All lecture notes will be on the Web. In addition to the message board, there is a mail alias for the course, which will used to provide time-sensitive and important information.

Class announcements, such as due date and assignment changes, will be made by email notification and/or on the Web. You are therefore responsible for checking these two places. No allowances are made if you make an error because you did not check the Web and your email. If you have multiple email accounts, be sure wolfware is using the appropriate one.

NC State Policy on Working with Students with Disabilities

“No otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States. . . shall, solely by reason of his handicap be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Consult instructor as soon as possible to arrange for any accomodations which may be necessary. For further information, consult DSS.

Student affidavit

You must sign this affidavit and return it to the instructor. Failure to return this document by 1/17 may result in your forced withdrawal from the class

gu AT csc.ncsu.edu