CS/COE 1501

Algorithm Implementation

Tentative Course Information and Policies

Text: Algorithms in C++ (Robert Sedgewick, ISBN: 0-201-51059-6)

Languages/Environments: Java with some C / C++

Course Policies:

Grading: There will be 5 programming assignments and 3 midterms. There will be no cumulative final. Each midterm will be 12.5% of the total grade. Each of the six programming assignments will be 12.5% of the grade.

• Programming assignments will be assigned and discussed in recitations. Attendance will be taken in recitation. In case of unusual circumstances, students may attend a recitation other than the one in which they are enrolled. Students who skip recitation are asserting that they do not need assistance with the programming assignment, and should not expect course staff to individually cover recitation material during office hours.
• Attendance and participation in lecture and recitation may be used to decide borderline grades.
• Each student is expected to do his/her own work. However, collaboration is allowed in
1. Understanding the assignment
2. Discussing general problem that arise in implementation
3. Helping debug some problematic section of code
4. Comparing/Discussing the results/observations observed when running a program
• It is cheating to help someone write their code. It is cheating to help someone write their assignment.
• For a first cheating offense, a student caught collaborating/cheating in any way will receive a zero for the exam/homework/project in question. In the event of a second offense, the student will receive an F for the course and may be subject to stronger action. Note: Submissions that are alike in a substantive way (not due to coincidence) will be considered to be cheating by ALL involved parties. The course staff knows how to use Google.
• Students are encouraged to attend all lectures, which often may include material that is not directly taken from the text. If a student misses a lecture, he/she is still responsible for the material covered and is advised to copy the notes from a classmate.
• An abundance of information, including announcements, handouts, review sheets and solutions will be posted on the CS1501 Web page throughout the term. Students are expected to be aware of all information that is posted on the CS1501 web pages and on the CS 1501 Yahoo group, and should access them frequently.
• All graded materials that a student receives back should be saved in a safe place until after the term has ended and he/she has received and accepts his/her final grade. In this way, any grade discrepancies can be easily resolved.

Exams

• Students are expected to be present for all exams. Make-up exams will only be given in the event of an emergency, and only the instructor is informed in advance. If you cannot contact your instructor directly, send him email or call the CS department (624-8438) and leave a message. Failure to notify your instructor prior to missing an exam will result in a zero for the exam.

Programming Projects

• TAs are the first point of contact for issues related to programming assignments
• In addition to programming, projects may involve write-ups and analyses. These should be well written and will be graded for both form and content. Write-ups must be typed, not hand written.
• Projects will be given out electronically (via the CS1501 Web page) and will be discussed in recitations or office hours -- NOT in lecture.
• Projects will be submitted electronically to a submission directory set up for the course. More details on submission guidelines will be provided on the course Web site.
• On-time projects must be received at the submission site by 11:59 PM on the due date. Projects submitted after that time will be graded as late submissions.
• Projects will be accepted late up to the specified late due date (48 hours after the original due date), but 15 points will be deducted from the overall score. No assignment will be accepted after the specified late due date.
• Students are expected to have a backup disk (or AFS directory) for every assignment they turn in. In this way, if there is any problem with the copy that is handed in (corrupted data, etc) the backup can be used for grading purposes.
• Factors that will determine the grade given to a Programming Project include correctness of the algorithm and the program code, good programming style, documentation, and analysis and write-up of results.
• Some student may be asked to demo and explain their program. If a student can not explain how their program works, this will be taken as evidence that the program is not the student’s own work.
• More details on the programs will be given with the first assignment.

Extra Credit may be available on some assignments. Extra credit may also be available for developing course materials, but the instructor must be contacted early in the term.

W Students: We expect your reports to be longer, more formal, more polished, etc. They will count for a higher percentage of your program/project grade. If a report is not minimally acceptable, we may give it back to you to rewrite.