18-642 Course Policies

Fall 2024
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Fall 2024 registration: do NOT sign up for a conflict with the class meeting time. You need to be available for the full meeting time of 6:00-8:50 PM.

Course Staff:

No meetings will be recorded. You are expected to attend all class meetings synchronously. This includes live class meetings, small group meetings, and office hours. All primary lecture material and lab introduction lectures are pre-recorded and available to watch at your convenience.

Send all e-mail to: ece642-staff@lists.andrew.cmu.edu


Grading:

The below table sets grading policies. You must meet ALL criteria in a row to earn that grade (highest completely qualifying grade row prevails).

Grade Lecture Quizzes
(graded)
Homework
(check-off)
Group Assignments
(check-off)
TA meetings
(timely attendance)
Project
(graded)
Weekly Status
(check-off)
Attendance
A All Completed;
>=95% average;
Maximum 4 late
All completed;
Maximum 2 late
Maximum 1 not completed Maximum 1 missed or substantively late >=90% average;
All project assignments completed
Passes all final acceptance tests
1 late penalty forgiven
All completed Miss at most 1 week
B Maximum 1 not completed;
>=85% average;
Maximum 8 late
Maximum 1 not completed (*)
plus
Maximum 3 late
Maximum 2 not completed Maximum 2 missed or substantively late >=80% average;
All project assignments completed;
Passes majority of final acceptant tests
1 late penalty forgiven
All completed Miss at most 2 weeks
C Maximum 3 not completed Maximum 3 not completed (*);
Any number can be late
Maximum 3 not completed Maximum 3 missed or substantively late >=70% average;
All project assignments completed;
Might not pass acceptance tests
1 late penalty forgiven
All completed Miss at most 3 weeks
R Does not meet all criteria for C Does not meet all criteria for C Does not meet all criteria for C Does not meet all criteria for C Does not meet all criteria for C Does not meet all criteria for C Does not meet all criteria for C

Assignment Expectations:

No Recording Policy:


Academic Integrity:


Special circumstances and student wellness:

Use of student-written code and other work products:

The goal of this policy is to give us concrete, representative examples to talk about, and to minimize the temptation for students to copy code instead of learning via the process of developing their own software.

During the course of the semester we plan to use student-submitted code and other submitted material for homeworks and/or projects in a variety of ways. This may include:

In general we will NOT give public (outside the scope of class meetings) credit to the student who originated the code or homework answer on the assumption that they would rather not be identified, since most uses of such code will be to point out opportunities for improvement. We will make our best effort to scrub identification of the code author before releasing code. If you would like to be given credit for a particular piece of code let us know and we'll be happy to do that.

We note that much of the code you'll be writing is based on code we've provided to you as a starting point to begin with. You are welcome to use the course code and your improvements in non-public projects. However, we request that you do not make the code public so as to avoid tempting future-year students to plagiarize your assignments. (Being so tempted is not a valid excuse to cheat.) We will be keeping records, and we will be checking student submissions for plagiarism across multiple academic years. In past years this has caught out students who were intentionally committing academic integrity violations and were given penalties in accordance the the course policy.

By participating in this course you grant us a non-revocable license to use any code you write, homework you submit, and group assignments you complete for the course in ways consistent with this policy. If you object to this policy or have other concerns please let the course staff know the first week of class, and in any event before you submit an assignment for grading. If a special circumstance arises please contact the course staff immediately for resolution.

Some homeworks may require submitting a brief recorded video made by the student (for example, summarizing a topical event such as a safety or security incident). By submitting such a video, students grant the course staff and the university non-exclusive permission to host and display the video for within-university-community purposes. For example, videos may be made available via Canvas for use by course participants. For large class sizes watching some student videos might be assigned as a homework rather than in-class activity. Videos will not be made available publicly beyond this scope without express student written consent.


University DEI Statement: (Updated August 2020)

Every individual must be treated with respect. The ways we are diverse are many and are critical to excellence and an inclusive community. They include but are not limited to: race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, ancestry, belief, veteran status, or genetic information. We at CMU, will work to promote diversity, equity and inclusion because it is just and necessary for innovation. Therefore, while we are imperfect, we will work inside and outside of our classrooms, to increase our commitment to build and sustain a community that embraces these values.

It is the responsibility of each of us to create a safer and more inclusive environment. Bias incidents, whether intentional or unintentional in their occurrence, contribute to creating an unwelcoming environment for individuals and groups at the university. If you experience or observe unfair or hostile treatment on the basis of identity, we encourage you to speak out for justice and support in the moment and and/or share your experience anonymously using the following resources:
Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion: csdi@andrew.cmu.edu, (412) 268-2150, www.cmu.edu/student-diversity
Report-It online anonymous reporting platform: www.reportit.net username: tartans password: plaid
All reports will be acknowledged, documented and a determination will be made regarding a course of action." All experiences shared will be used to transform the campus climate.


Other policies:


Updated 6/10/2024

Updates since start of semester: