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CS 466/666, Spring 2009

Course Policies

(link to CS466/666 home page)


Course Policies

Grades for CS 466:

Assignments: 35% (five of them, possibly of slightly different weight)
Midterm exam: 20%
Final exam: 45%

Grades for CS 666:

Assignments: 30%
Midterm exam: 15%
Final exam: 35%
Project: 20%

Assignments:

Assignments involve only written work (no programming). Your solutions will be judged not only for correctness but also for the quality of your presentation and explanations (justifications are implicitly required in most questions). Ensure that your solutions are complete and mathematically precise, but at the same time, easy to understand and concise.

Please write legibly and stable the pages of your solutions securely. Put your full name and ID number on the first page, and put the first two characters of your last name in big capital letters on the top right-hand corner of the first page (for ease of sorting and searching). For example: if your name is John Doe, write "DO".

Assignments are due at 5:00pm and are to be placed in the CS466 assignment box located on the 3rd floor of MC next to the elevators by the bridge to DC.

Late assignments will not be accepted and will be given a mark of zero. (Accidentally placing assignments in the wrong box or just "forgetting" are not considered valid excuses.) In case of genuinely extenuating circumstances such as serious illness, please let me know as soon as possible.

I'd recommend that you start early and hand in your assignment when it is completed, instead of waiting till the last moment.

Projects:

Each CS666 (grad) student will do a course project involving writing a review of a research paper related to topics covered in the course. More details will be available later.

Mark Appeals:

All mark appeals (for assignments and midterm) must be made within two weeks of the date of the return (if you pick up your assignment/exam late, your appeal period does not lengthen).

For assignments, you should first consult the TA who marked the question (see newsgroup postings for who). Only if the problem is still unresolved should you then bring the case to my attention.

For the midterm, your appeal should be submitted to me in writing. Note that as a result of closer scrutiny of your work, marks may go up or down.

Cheating:

Cheating includes not only copying the work of another person (or letting another student copy your work), but also excessive collaboration.

You are allowed to talk with classmates about assignment questions only at an "abstract" level (i.e., general ideas). You must work out the details of your solutions on your own; in particular, your writeup must be expressed entirely in your own words. If you have discussions with others, I'd recommend that you (i) do not take any written notes during such discussions, (ii) wait several hours before writing your solutions (to let details fade), (iii) never show your writeup to other students, and (iv) acknowledge any person you have talked to (or any sources you have consulted). Note that TAs are trained in spotting suspicious similarities.

University Policies:

Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. All members of the UW community are expected to hold to the highest standard of academic integrity in their studies, teaching, and research.

The Office of Academic Integrity's website contains detailed information on UW policy for students and faculty.

This site explains why academic integrity is important and how students can avoid academic misconduct. It also identifies resources available on campus for students and faculty to help achieve academic integrity in—and out—of the classroom.

Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 — Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offenses, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offense, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offenses (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about "rules" for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 — Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 — Student Discipline.

Avoiding Academic Offenses: Most students are unaware of the line between acceptable and unacceptable academic behaviour, especially when discussing assignments with classmates and using the work of other students. For information on commonly misunderstood academic offenses and how to avoid them, students should refer to the Faculty of Mathematics Cheating and Student Academic Discipline Policy.

Appeals: A student may appeal the finding and/or penalty in a decision made under Policy 70 — Student Petitions and Grievances (other than regarding a petition) or Policy 71 — Student Discipline if a ground for an appeal can be established. Read Policy 72 - Student Appeals.


(Maintained by Timothy Chan)