Policies and LogisticsGrading
The minimum scores for each grade are: You must keep track of your grade and if necessary improve your work throughout the course to get the grade you desire. There are no options to receive extra credit to further improve your grade. Research PaperStudents will be expected to complete a research paper. See research papers.Announcements and Class ReadingsRead emailed announcements carefully!Announcements will be made via email to the course list. You are responsible for reading each announcement carefully. If you have opted to not receive Canvas mailings, you are responsible for checking your Canvas email at least once a day. You are expected to read all the assigned readings posted on the schedule page before class (see the section on Quizzes below). Attendance and Class ParticipationBe engaged, and don't be late!Students are expected to participate actively in class. Lectures will be interactive and involve discussion. Attendance in lectures will be taken regularly and is part of your participation grade. You will be treated as absent if you are more than 5 minutes late. Repeated tardiness will be treated as a full absence following a warning from the instructor. The attendance portion of the grade will be a straight percentage of the classes you are marked as present. Unplanned absences will be excused up to 2 times (e.g., due to illness). Planned absences may be excused only when requested at least 2 weeks in advance and must be for university related travel (such as job interviews). The class participation grade will be determined by the instructor based on various factors such as engagement in class discussions, engagement in Top Hat (see next section) questionnaires, adherence to laptop/phone policy, and punctuality. Top HatWe will be using the Top Hat (www.tophat.com) classroom response system in class. You will be able to submit answers to in-class questions using Apple or Android smartphones and tablets, laptops, or through text message.You can visit the Top Hat Overview within the Top Hat Success Center which outlines how you will register for a Top Hat account, as well as providing a brief overview to get you up and running on the system.
An email invitation will be sent to you by email, but if don’t receive this
email, you can register by simply visiting our course website: https://app.tophat.com/e/204356 Should you require assistance with Top Hat at any time, due to the fact that they require specific user information to troubleshoot these issues, please contact their Support Team directly by way of email (support@tophat.com), the in-app support button, or by calling 1-888-663-5491. QuizzesInstead of having a final exam, you will answer a 10-minute quiz at the beginning of class every Monday. These quizzes will be closed-book and will cover: 1) all the material taught in class the previous week and 2) about 40–50% of the quiz will cover your reading assignment for the current week. Therefore you need to make sure you've finished the week's readings before the week begins.We will drop your lowest three quiz scores. Use these freebies wisely — they are meant for circumstances such as falling ill or interviewing. I will not grant any additonal drops except in rare cases such as extended illnesses. Group workStudents will work in pairs of two on their lab assignments. See the Honor Code below regarding acceptable collaboration (e.g., your written submissions must be your own).Lab and homework gradesLabs and homeworks will be graded as Pass/Fail only. The lab and homework component of your final grade will be computed as a straight percentage of the proportion of labs and homeworks that received a Pass grade. Labs are your opportunity to gain hands-on experience, which is vital to your success in the real world. The effort you put into the labs, beyond the bar to 'pass' is entirely up to you. Homeworks help solidify concepts learned in class, e.g., through practice problems.Lab and Homework Assignment Late PolicyManage your time well, and start early!Grace periods: To accommodate for unavoidable circumstances, you will be given a 3-day grace period for your assignments (3 days for each). Beyond the deadline (and grace period if applicable), you will be penalized 25% a day. For example, if you score 73% and are 5 minutes late, you will be penalized 25% for 1 day, resulting in a score of 73 – 25 = 48%). Use these freebies wisely — they are meant for circumstances such as falling ill or interviewing. I will not grant any additonal extensions. FormattingAll written assignments must be submitted in PDF format via Canvas. Pages must be formatted with 1-inch margins, 11-point font and single spacing. Research papers for graduate students will have additional requirements, as specified on the papers page.RegradesSince a single AI will be grading a given question, we do not expect any discrepancies in grading. Nevertheless, if any unfairness in grading is perceived, you must bring me both your assignment and the other student's assignment where the discrepancy is observed. If a discrepancy is demonstrated, both scores will be revised to the fair score (which could be the lower score). If you are convinced there is an error in your grading please discuss this with the graders first. If the grading error is not resolved, visit the instructor during office hours for a regrade.Laptop, Tablet and Cellphone UseLet's concentrate in class!No electronic devices must be used in class unless being asked to perform Top Hat assignments — bring a pen and paper. In case of observed infractions (e.g., reading/writing something on your phone/table/laptop when you're expected to be paying attention), you will be treated as absent. Honor CodeGive credit where it's due and don't plagiarize. Don't copy or read others' solutions. Remember, when you cheat, you cheat yourself above all else.Review my slides on plagiarism. IU's Honor Code and policies apply to your conduct in this course. You may discuss readings with other students in the course or with me. Work on lab assignemts will be performed in groups, but each student must submit their own written answers to questions on the assignments. You may not read or copy anybody else's written answers (including your project partner's writeup) — all submitted work must be your own, based on your own understanding of the content after such discussions. In particular, you may not read solutions for assignments on the Web (including websites for previous semesters, inside or outside of IU).
Credit your sources. In your assignments, list all your collaborators (e.g., "I discussed this assignment with Alice, Bob, ...") and credit any sources (including software) used. You must also credit sources that are permitted by the instructor. For example, you must credit code that we give you if it helps you with your work (either by direct use of the code, or by simply enhancing your understanding by reading the code). Violations of the Honor Code will be treated seriously and reported to the university for further disciplinary action. Please let me know if you have any questions—better to be safe than sorry! Special accommodationsPlease let me know before the end of the second week of the semester if you have any disabilities and would like me to make appropriate accommodations. All discussions will remain confidential, although the Disability Services office may be consulted to discuss appropriate implementation of any accommodation requested.Religious ObservancesI realize that some students may wish to take part in religious observances that fall during this academic semester. Should you have a religious observance that conflicts with your participation in the course, please come speak with me before the end of the second week of the semester to discuss appropriate accommodations. See IU's policy.General EmergenciesIf a class is cancelled, an attempt will be made to send an email out using Canvas by 1 hour prior to the class. Always try to check your Canvas email 1 hour prior to the class. There is only one event that triggers an automatic cancellation: a declared IU emergency (see http://emergency.service.indiana.edu/). If you feel you cannot safely get to class, or something prevents you getting to class, please contact an instructor or associate instructor as soon as possible. If the fire alarm goes off during class, we will stop immediately and you should proceed in an orderly fashion out through the nearest clear exit without further instruction (you do not need to wait for the instructor's permission).Winter WeatherAs described above, a decision will be made and emailed out by the instructor 1 hour prior to the class, based on the weather conditions. If there is a winter weather warning or advisory and we do decide to run the class (for details on current warnings and advisories see National Weather Service forecast site) then we will not take attendance for the class and will not reduce anyone's attendance grade for missing the class (but it will be up to you to catch up). If you feel you cannot safely get to class because of the weather, then you should not attend in these circumstances. |