CS280A – Class Policies – Fall 2005

 

  1. Class notes – All classroom materials will be made available on the web.  Lecture notes will be available prior to class.  In class exercises, surprise quizzes, and other participation activity material will be available in class only.  You are responsible for attending lecture or for making prior arrangements if you cannot do so.
  2. Grade book - I will be using Blackboard’s On-line Grade Book facility, so you will be able to see what work has been submitted and graded and where you stand at any point in time.  Since I use a weighted grading scheme, the total points will not be shown in the grade book since that is a meaningless number. 
  3. Communication – I will use Blackboard’s Announcements to post important announcements for the course.  In case of snow days, problems with submitting assignments, etc, it is up to you to check out the announcements.  If quick notice is required, I will also send e-mail to your JMU e-mail account, but always verify such announcements on Blackboard or the course web (users.cs.jmu.edu/harrisnl).
  4. Workload – This course is not designed with a large outside workload other than the normal reading, studying and class prep.  There will be a few projects that will require some outside of class time to complete.  For most project work (see list of projects in the course syllabus), you will have at least one week in which to complete the task.
  5. Attendance – It is important that you attend class.  While the book has much of the reading material for the class, there are demonstrations and in-class activity that will only be significant if you are there in class.  Consistent attendance will be one of the items that will contribute to your class participation grade.  If you must miss a class, be sure to get the notes from a fellow student.
  6. Longer absences – If you will be out of class for an extended time due to illness or family emergency, do let me know as soon as possible.  You may need to document such a situation, but I will try to help you catch up the work and or work out a makeup schedule with you. 
  7. Missing homework assignments – I do not allow students to make up lab work or homework without pre-approval or documented emergency.  The “grading” penalty for a single missed assignment is negligible.  It is, however, beneficial to you to do all assignments, even if you do not get credit and I will be happy to review them with you if needed.
  8. Lab assignments and homework – Students may work together on all assignments designated as lab assignments or homework.  There is educational value in having a student explain to another how something is done or why something works the way it does.  Take advantage of your peers when they can help.  That said, it is important that you be able to do the assignments on your own, because you will need to do so in exams.  Most homework or labs will appear in your exams in a different form.  Make use of help when appropriate, but make sure that you can work independently when required.  If you do work with another student, be sure to cite that student as a resource on anything that may be handed in.
  9. Projects – Each project will have a statement that will indicate the parameters for that assignment and what is allowed and not.  Violation of the stated policy will be considered a violation of the JMU honor code and will be handled within that system.
  10. Exams – Exams must be the student’s own work.  No assistance from other students is permitted. 
  11. Late projects – Projects carry a 10-point per class day penalty for lateness.  If you have a scheduling problem that will prevent you from completing the assignment in a timely fashion, let me know ahead of time.  If I agree that you may have a longer time on the assignment, I will send you an e-mail to document that agreement and your individual due date.  When you submit the hardcopy for the assignment, include a copy of the e-mail along with it.  I will not extend the assignment for a late illness, late scheduling problem, or for the computers being down for a day.  Plan to finish your projects at least two days ahead to allow for contingencies (and it will give you time off, with a clear conscience). 
  12. Office hours – My office hours are a guarantee that I will be available during that time (barring unforeseen emergencies).  I am also flexible with other time.  If I am on IM, feel free to ask me questions in that format.  And if I am in my office with the door open, I am generally available for questions.
  13. Exams – We have three exams including the final exam.  If you have an emergency and cannot take the exam, let me know as soon as possible and we will schedule the make-up.  You must document all such absences and must report them within 24 hours of the occurrence.    If you are ill the day of the exam, try to call me ahead of time to make arrangements.
  14. Exam lateness – If you arrive for an exam late, you will be permitted to take the exam if no one has left the examination room.  You will need to finish your work no later than the announced end time for the exam; in other words, unless prior arrangements have been made, you will need to finish the exam with the rest of the class.  If a student has finished the exam and left the examination room, you will not be able to take the exam and a 0 for that work will be assigned.
  15. Grading – I will publish with each project the grading rubric for the project.  For homework and labs the work will be graded on a 5 point scale with 5 being perfect work and a 1 given for deficient work.  I generally grade on completeness, not correctness for homework and other “educational” activities.  All in-class participation assignments will be graded on a 5 point scale, but participation guarantees you the 5.  Exams will be graded on the point system shown on the examination.  Overall grading for the course is shown in the course syllabus.
  16. Grading appeals – You may find that my grading of an exam question or program does not agree with how you think it should be graded.  If the problem is a simple calculation error, bring that to my attention on the day the work is returned and I will make the change.  If the discrepancy is with how I interpreted your answer or method of solving the problem, prepare a brief (one paragraph or less) argument for why I should award more points and submit it to me with your original work and my comments.  This should be submitted no later than the next class period following return of the work. 
  17. Classroom etiquette

a.       Cell phones should be off or on vibrate.  If you must answer a call, please discretely leave the classroom before speaking.

b.       If you must come in late or leave early, please do so discretely.

c.       Conversation in lecture should be limited to your questions or your answers to my questions or class activity participation.  Sidebar conversationalists will be asked to leave.

d.       Food and drink is allowed in the lecture hall, but please clean up after yourself.  No food or drink is allowed in the labs.

e.       Playing music during class is rude even if it is only to your own head.  Please keep the headphones and other musical gear in your bookbags.

18. IM and e-mail etiquette – Identify yourself at the beginning of the instant message or the e-mail.  Both mechanisms are best for informal conversation.  If you have something of a personal nature to discuss (like your grades), please see me during office hours.  If you must inform me about an absence or problem via e-mail, be sure that you use your JMU e-mail account.   Do not assume that informing me of an absence is permission to miss class.  Do not ever submit work via e-mail unless I specifically request it in that form.  I will not review unsolicited work submitted via e-mail or the Blackboard drop box.  All electronically submitted work will be submitted via Blackboard’s Assignments.

  1. Questions – I like to run class in an informal fashion.  We will usually have a prepared lecture or activity.  However, at any time that you have a question, please feel free to interrupt me by raising your hand.  Questioning what you hear or getting clarification on a point that is confusing to you is an excellent way to learn.
  2. Groups – I am planning to run group activities during the semester.  When we do so, I will organize the groups in a random fashion to have you work with students that you might not otherwise get to know.  These structured activities will carry only a participation grade with no penalty, so all classroom activities will be valued at 5 points.
  3. Success – You will be successful in this course if you do the following things:
    1. Come to class prepared and participate in any class discussions.
    2. Read the book and book assignments.  All of the words.  Read the assigned reading prior to coming to class.  You never know when a surprise quiz will be given.
    3. Question anything that is confusing to you.  Seek extra help from me if you need it.  In particular, don’t get behind on any of the project work.  If you are having trouble with HTML or JavaScript, be sure to come in to see me early.
    4. Participate in the lab and homework activities.  Not only will it help your grade, but more importantly, it will also help you to learn the material.
    5. Start the projects early.  Students who wait until the last minute will find themselves very frustrated with this course and will not successfully complete the assignments.  Leave time for contingencies at the end of the assignment span.
  4. Extra Credit - I do not provide extra credit assignments so please do not ask for them.  Get it right the first time.  I may provide extra practice exercises, but these will be for the entire class and are un-graded.
  5. Preparation - On lecture days, you should come prepared with your textbook, printed lecture notes (if you choose to use them), pencil, paper and any completed work.  Do the assigned reading prior to the class meeting time. 
  6. HONOR POLICY – I take very seriously the JMU Honor Code.  Any violation of the Honor Code will be dealt with within that policy.  I do report ALL violations to the Honor Council either through the informal resolution mechanism or the formal procedure.
  7. Withdrawal – If you decide to withdraw from this class be sure to do so by the Thursday, Oct 27th deadline.  At that point, you will have enough grades to determine whether or not you can successfully complete the course.  Be sure to see me if you have any question before that date.  Also, do not assume that I will withdraw you if you stop attending class.  It is your responsibility to withdraw through e-campus or the Registrar’s office by the deadline.  I do not issue WP or WF grades if you stop attending class.