Exams:

There are two exams that total to 46% of your final grade. Exams are a primary tool we use to evaluate your performance in this course.

• Midterm (20%): Thursday, July 11th, in class
• Final (26%): Thursday, August 8th, in class

The exams are composed of three parts. Questions in part I are 1 point each and are choosing between two options such as true/false. Part II are 3 points each and are multiple choice. Written questions are for Part III and are worth a variable number of points. The midterm will cover primarily new material. The final will be in part cumulative but with the majority of the exam on the topics covered since the midterm. You are responsible for:

• lectures (including topics covered in lecture that are not covered in the readings),
• readings (including topics covered in the readings that are not covered in lecture),
• Homeworks, and
• Programs.

Exam Policies:

• Exam Materials: No textbooks, electronic devices, or help from neighbors are allowed during the exams.
• Exam Conflicts: must be brought to the course coordinator's attention during the first week of class.
• Make-Up Exams: are given only with your instructor's permission when you are unable to take the regular exam due to extenuating circumstances. Requests for make-ups after an exam are rarely approved and only for verifiable emergencies.
• Regrades: may be requested if you believe there was an error in the grading of your exam. You must contact your instructor within one week after the graded exam is returned. Note that we sometimes photocopy written exams to ensure that students cannot benefit from a re-grade by making changes to their answer (such attempts are academic misconduct).

Programming Assignments:

There will be three (3) programming assignments each worth 10% for a total of 30% of your final grade.

Accounts are provided on the CS lab computers for you to do your programming work. See the CS Computer Labs page for more information.

Links to programming assignment pages:

• Program p1
• Program p2
• Program p3

Policies for Programming Assignments:

• Collaboration: Programs can be done in pairs but you must follow the rules below.
• Questions: are to be posted on Piazza, a free tool that we're using to manage questions. Before posting a question, please search the assignment pages for an answer and also search Piazza to ensure your question hasn't already been asked.
• Late Programs: are allowed, based on the late policy specified below.
• Grading: See assignment grading information below.

Homework Assignment:

There will be eight (8) homework assignment each worth 3% for a total of 24% of your final grade.

Links to homework assignment pages:

• Homework h1
• Homework h2
• Homework h3
• Homework h4 (none assigned)
• Homework h5
• Homework h6
• Homework h7
• Homework h8

Policies for Homework Assignments:

• Collaboration: on homework assignments is NOT allowed.
• Questions: are to be posted on Piazza, a free tool that we're using to manage questions. Before posting a question, please search the assignment pages for an answer and also search Piazza to ensure your question hasn't already been asked.
• Late Homework: is NOT allowed.
• Grading: See assignment grading information below.

Late Policy:

Assignments may be submitted late, but the following penalty applies:

• 1 day late:   10% deduction, up to 24 hours late
• 2 days late: 20% deduction, from 24 to 48 hours late
• 3 days late: 30% deduction, from 48 to 72 hours late
• more than 3 days late: no work will be accepted after 72 hours late

One day late is defined as a 24-hour period starting at the time the assignment is due (weekday or weekend). For example, if an assignment is due on a Friday at 10:00 PM and it is handed in after 10:00 PM on Friday but by 10:00 PM on Saturday, a 10% penalty will be deducted.

You are also given three (3) free days that are automatically applied to reduce or eliminate a late penalty. Once your three free days are used, no additional free days will be provided. Consider them as insurance to be used in emergencies, such as when you may be unable to complete an assignment on time due to illness.

Late penalties for partnerships are determined separately. For example, if a pair submits a program 2 days late and one of the partners has 2 free days, that partner will not be penalized. If the other partner has only one free day remaining, that partner will be penalized 10%.

How to Submit Assignments Electronically:

Assignments are turned in electronically for your convenience and to save paper. You can submit your work at any time prior to the due date. The last section on each assignment page lists what to turn in. All assignments are to be submitted as plain text files containing source code for programs.

Handin Directories:

A directory has been created for you to use to electronically submit your work. This directory is located at:

/p/course/cs367-bgibson/handin/<YOUR_CS_ACCOUNT_NAME>

Where <YOUR_CS_ACCOUNT_NAME> is the login name that was assigned to you to access your computer science account. This is your main "handin" directory in which is found subdirectories:

• in for submission of programs,
• h1 for graded homework 1
• h2 for graded homework 2
• h3 for graded homework 3
• h4 for graded homework 4
• h5 for graded homework 5
• h6 for graded homework 6
• h7 for graded homework 7
• h8 for graded homework 8
• p1 for graded program 1,
• p2 for graded program 2,
• p3 for graded program 3,

You will always turn your assignments into the in directory.

Steps for Submitting Files:

There are five steps required for submitting your work from the CS lab computers. Assume you are turning in your first program:

1. Log into one of the CS lab computers
2. Open a terminal window (click on the background)
3. Change to the location on your machine containing your assignment, for example:
   cd private/cs367/assignments/p1
   Note: the private directory is already created for you; all other subdirectories (cs367, assignments, and p1 in this example) you'd need to create.
4. Copy your files to your "handin" directory as in this example:
   cp <FILE_NAME> /p/course/cs367-bgibson/handin/<YOUR_CS_ACCOUNT_NAME>/in
   Note: the handin directory is already created for you.
5. Verify that your files are in your "handin" directory as in this example:
   ls -l /p/course/cs367-bgibson/handin/<YOUR_CS_ACCOUNT_NAME>/in

Follow the instructions above. Trying to use the file browser to drag and drop your file into your handin directory will result in an error message.

Write permission will be enabled for your in directory after an assignment is released and disabled after the due date and time passes. You may submit your files multiple times. You may re-submit a file, by overwriting the one already in your handin directory. You do not have permission to delete files from your handin directories, and neither do the course TAs. This ensures that accidental deletion of your work cannot be done. If you want a file(s) removed, email the course instructor specifying your login name and the name(s) of the file(s) you want removed.

After the due date and time, your submission is moved to the corresponding assignment subdirectory, for example, p1. Late programs are moved and a note is made indicating the number of days late. You have permission to read from from these handin directories except while we are grading.

You may also submit your work remotely by using a file transfer application, such as the one included with SSH. You'll need to configure this application to connect to one of the CS lab computers. Then you will be able to use it to transfer your files to your handin directory.

Assignment Grading:

Homework assignments are graded by the Bryan and Project assignments are graded by John. Talk to the appropriate person if you have questions about the grading of your assignments.

Re-Grades Requests:

You may request a re-grade of your assignment, if you believe it wasn't correctly graded. Contact the appropriate person within one week after the graded assignment is returned.

Rules of Pair Programming:

• You may have only one partner for each programming assignment.
• You may have a different partner on different programming assignments.
• You may not pair program with multiple partners on the same assignment.
• Your partner must be currently enrolled in a CS 367 lecture.
• You must list your partner as a collaborator in the header comments of your source files (see Commenting Guide).
• Only one partner submits the program files, but both partners must submit and hand in the README.txt file.
• You must follow the principles of pair programming summarized below.

Submitting someone else's work as your own is academic misconduct, which will be dealt with in accordance with University Academic Misconduct procedures.

Principles of Pair Programming:

The following is a summary of successful pair programming principles taken from a paper by Williams and Kessler:

• Pair programming involves two people working together at one computer, continuously collaborating on design, coding, and testing. One person types; the other either provides directions ("Now we need to write a new method that does ..., Now we need a loop to do ...") or constantly reviews what the typer is doing, and provides comments.
• Pair programming has proved successful both in classes and in industry. Programmers usually report having more confidence in their solutions and enjoying programming more when working in pairs.
• It is important to switch roles often (slide the keyboard back and forth). Because pair programming can be quite intense, it is also a good idea to take breaks (to check e-mail, go for a walk, have a snack).
• It is important to provide honest but friendly feedback. To be effective, there needs to be some healthy disagreement and debate, but pairs also need to be respectful of each other, and try to avoid becoming defensive when receiving criticism.
• Inevitably, programmers do some independent thinking/working. For best results, that work should be reviewed by both partners (and perhaps revised) when they start working together again.
• To be successful, pair programmers must realize that the benefits of working together outweigh their usual preference for working alone, they must confidently share their work, accepting instruction and suggestions for improvement in order to improve their own skills and the code they are writing, and they must accept ownership of their partner's work and thus be willing to constructively express criticism and suggest improvements.

Studying Tips:

• Attend lectures and take notes. Taking your own notes on the material covered in class requires you to organize your thoughts and think about the topics in ways that simply listening does not. Reread your notes soon after lecture to find points that are not clear.
• Participate in class. Do in-class exercises and answer questions posed. These exercises give you additional practice on skills that you will need for homeworks, programming assignments and exams. Even more importantly, they help you identify which topics you do not understand. This will help you efficiently use your study time.
• Do the assignments. This is obvious, but some students mistakenly believe that the purpose of homework and programming assignments is to evaluate student's skills. That is not the case, their purpose is to provide opportunities for you to practice the concepts taught in lecture. This practice is vital for learning and for performing well on the midterm and final exams.
• Prioritize your studying. First focus on your lecture notes, then review the assignments, and finally go over the readings.
• Study by re-organizing your notes. Successful studying requires you to be actively thinking about the material. An effective way to study is to re-organize and rewrite notes succinctly in terms that you understand.
• Avoid getting bogged down on specific points. If you can't figure something out, move on to other material and wait to ask your instructor or TA for clarification.
• You'll need to do some memorizing. Memorizing is a practical way to learn the definitions of terminology and concepts. A good way to memorize information is through repeated exposure to the material.
• Form a study group. Often it is easier and more motivating to work with others when studying for an exam. You can distribute the work by having each group member come up with a few questions on a topic and then going over the solutions collectively. If you run into a concept that causes confusion often others in the group will feel similarly while some will have explanations. Working together will help you learn things by providing multiple perspectives and insights into the material. Try to find a study group that provides you with ample opportunity to communicate your understanding. It is your effort to express information that will be of the most benefit to your learning.
• Finally, avoid cramming! We all know this, but often we find ourselves waiting until it is too late. This habit is worth breaking! Research has shown that studying in half hour to hour intervals followed by half hour breaks is far more effective than non-stop cramming.