Policies

Policies and Procedures

Add Requests. If you are not registered for this class but TRACS does not let you add (mostly due to the section being full), you should keep trying to register for it. Some students are likely to drop the class, in particular right before classes start and during the first weeks. There is a strict cap on enrollment due to the limited number of experimentation devices that we have available. The instruction will not sign any request forms for adds past the registration cap.
Attendance. I may not grade based on attendance, but I still expect you to attend. If this becomes a problem, I may have to check on attendance. In any case, I will present material in class that may not be in the text, which you will be responsible for knowing. By signing up for this class you commit yourself to attend.
Lateness. Coming late to class is disruptive and may be treated as an unexcused absence, especially if it is not the first time a student has done it.
Class Material. Most class material will be available on the web site. Please bring the lecture notes to class to fill in blanks and make notes. You should check the electronic message boards for announcements and Q&As regarding assignments. Q&As should address technical problems with class work. Posting solutions and significant contributions towards solutions are subject to rules about Academic Integrity (see below).
Student Presentations. This class will be composed of regular lectures and presentations of research material from papers. You will (most likely) be required to present the material from a research paper in front of the class. Your presentation as well as your presentation material are considered in the overall grade that your receive for this class as follows: If you were required to present a paper, the presentation is a prerequisite for receiving a grade. Your presentation will be graded by the instructor based on clarity, brevity, correctness, interpretation of significance of results, provided reference material (slides, web page summary and pointers) and presentation style.
Homework. Unless the assignment specifies otherwise, you must work in teams of three on homeworks, handing in one team solution per assignment. Your instructor may designate the teams. The assignment schedule is on the course web site. All assignments (written or programming) will be turned in electronically on the course web site. Grading also occurs electronically, and you will be able to inquire about your grades on the web site. Due to a shortage in support, not all problems may be graded. We hope to avoid this situation but we cannot guarantee so. Ungraded problems do not contribute toward your course grade, they serve as exercises to prepare you for the exams.
Homework format. Homeworks may include written assignments, programming assignments and a potentially project (with significantly larger weight). Assignments involving programming will be judged based on fulfillment of functional requirements by automated testing and also on proper coding styles and documentation. Each routine should start with a comment explaining its functionality and I/O requirements. Longer algorithms may require comments within the code. Meaningful variable names are helpful if the length of their names is not excessive. Written reports are only required if explicitly stated in the assignment.
Group work. Programming assignments will sometimes be required to be carried out in groups. If a student's name appears on a solution set, it certifies that he/she has participated in solving the problems. You are responsible for collaborative work within your group. It is imperative to address lack of team work before turning in assignments to ensure full credit. You may do so by first consulting the TA (and then the instructor) in case of problems that cannot be resolved in your group.
Peer evaluation. Group assignments are graded based on the number of points assigned to your solution multiplied with a personalization factor. This factor is the average of the factors indicated by your peer group members for your contribution to the group assignment. For example, if you are assigned subproblem S and you handle the subproblem on your own, your peers should give you "100%" on the peer evaluation since you kept your promise to solve S. However, if you only solve part of S and other group members have to pick up your work and complete it (or S remains incomplete), your peers may give you a lower evaluation than 100%, say 50%. If your group receives 20 points on the assignment, then you would receive 20 points or 10 points for an average of 100% and 50% of the peer evaluations, respectively. Students whose own grades suffer repeatedly from incomplete peer week may get their overall homework grade adjusted at the end of the semester. For each group assignment, students electronically submit their peer evaluations.
Group change.Group changes are only permissible through written request with justification within 48 hours after the due date of an assignment. Such requests have to be directed to the TA. New assignments are effective if and when the TA approves it. In extraordinary circumstances, exceptions may be granted if approved by the TA.
Firing group members.If a member does not contribute his/her share toward the homework, other group members may elect to "fire" this member. As with group changes, this is only permissible within a 48 hour window after a due date and by written request to the TA with documented justification by each member favoring such an approach. Your justification should be based primarily on peer evaluations. Do not be shy about firing members if they do not contribute their share. But be fair.
Late homework. Electronic submission does not allow you to turn in homeworks late. The web server will reject submissions automatically after the deadline. If you have ISP problems, come to a campus lab.
Academic Integrity. Students are expected to maintain high standards of academic integrity and honesty. University guidelines regarding academic integrity will be followed. University policy regarding academic conduct can be found at http://www.fis.ncsu.edu/ncsulegal/codeof.htm and general policies at http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/project/www/ncsu/provost/info/academic_policies/. Cheating on homeworks and tests will result in disciplinary actions, up to the full penalties specified in the guidelines, and an automatic "F" grade for the course. 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.
Tests. There will be a midterm and a comprehensive final exam or a set of smaller tests, all of which are closed book, closed notes, no electronic devices (incl. calculators).
Test and homework grading. The responsibility for grading tests and homework assignments reside with the teaching assistants (TAs). If you believe an error has been made in grading, bring it to the TA who did the grading during his or her office hours. If you believe that you should have gotten more points than you got, write a statement making your case and take it to the TA. If you are not satisfied with the TA's decision, bring the statement to your course instructor, who will make the final decision.
Missed tests. If you miss a test without either a certified medical excuse or prior instructor approval, you may take a makeup test at a designated time near the end of the semester. Only one makeup test will be given. It will be fair but comprehensive and challenging! Tests missed with certified medical excuses or prior instructor approval will be dealt with individually. If you miss the final exam without a valid excuse, a zero will be averaged into your grade.
Calculation of course grade. Grading is based on the following materials:

Assignment Percent of Grade

Homework + Project 50%

Presentation 10%

Midterm Exam/Tests 20%

Final Exam/Tests 20%

Using these weights, an average grade will be calculated as follows:

Total Score Minimum Grade

97% A+

93% A

90% A-

87% B+

83% B

80% B-

etc.

Your in-class presentation is a prerequisite to receiving any grade, i.e., failure to give a presentation can result in a failing grade! (see presentations for details)
Audit students have to turn in all homeworks and receive at least the equivalent of the letter grade C- for each homework. (Clarification: This includes everything but the exam. In other words, homeworks or equivalents, such as projects, and presentations.) Pass/fail students pass at the equivalent of the letter grade C-, which includes scores from homeworks and exams.
Note: Generally, we assign grades based on a fixed interval scheme determined at the end of the course. This means that the cut-off for an A- may be lower than indicated in the table. Your performance depends mostly on how you do, not so much on how everyone else in the class does. It is therefore in your best interests to help your classmates in every legal way possible.
Instructors' commitment. You can expect your instructor to be courteous, respectful, and punctual; be well organized and prepared for lecture and other class activities; answer questions clearly and in a non-negative fashion; be available during office hours or notify you beforehand if he is unable to keep them; and grade uniformly and consistently according to the posted guidelines.

Assignment	Percent of Grade
Homework + Project	50%
Presentation	10%
Midterm Exam/Tests	20%
Final Exam/Tests	20%

Total Score	Minimum Grade
97%	A+
93%	A
90%	A-
87%	B+
83%	B
80%	B-
etc.