Course Syllabus

If you are on the waiting list, you may want to consider the following options:

• Wait until the first week of classes as we will admit more students from the waitlist once we see how many registered students drop the course.

• Take the class when it is offered again in another semester.

• Please contact CS Enrollment Office (enrollment@cs.wisc.edu) for any enrollment related question.

The teaching team will post announcements, clarifications, hints, etc. on Piazza. Hence you must check the CS540 (Section 3) Piazza page frequently throughout the term. If you have a question, your best option is to post a message on Piazza. The teaching team will check the forum regularly, and if you use the forum, other students will be able to help you too. When using the forum, please do not post answers to homework questions before the homework is due.

If your question is personal or not of interest to other students, you may mark your question as private on Piazza, so only the instructors will see it. If you wish to talk with one of us individually, you are welcome to come to our office hours. Please reserve email for the questions you can’t get answered in office hours or through the forum.

Homework assignments are posted in Canvas. Homework must be submitted via the Canvas system. If there is a programming part, electronically hand in files containing the python code that you wrote for the assignment. We will provide specific instructions for each homework.

You are encouraged to discuss with your peers, the TA or the instructors ideas, approaches and techniques broadly. However, all examinations, programming assignments, and written homeworks must be written up individually. For example, code for programming assignments must not be developed in groups, nor should code be shared. Make sure you work through all problems yourself, and that your final write-up is your own. If you feel your peer discussions are too deep for comfort, declare it in the homework solution: “I discussed with X,Y,Z the following specific ideas: A, B, C; therefore our solutions may have similarities on D, E, F…”.

You may use books or legit online resources to help solve homework problems, but you must always credit all such sources in your writeup and you must never copy material verbatim.

We are aware that certain websites host previous years’ CS540 homework assignments and solutions against the wish of instructors. Do not be tempted to use them: the solutions may contain “poisonous berries” previous instructors planted intentionally to catch cheating. If we catch you copy such solutions, you automatically fail.

Do not bother to obfuscate plagiarism (e.g. change variable names, code style, etc.) One application of AI is to develop sophisticated plagiarism detection techniques!

Cheating and plagiarism will be dealt with in accordance with University procedures (see the UW-Madison Academic Misconduct Rules and Procedures)

The University of Wisconsin-Madison supports the right of all enrolled students to a full and equal educational opportunity. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Wisconsin State Statute (36.12), and UW-Madison policy (Faculty Document 1071) require that students with disabilities be reasonably accommodated in instruction and campus life. Reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities is a shared faculty and student responsibility. Students are expected to inform the instructors of their need for instructional accommodations by the end of the third week of the semester, or as soon as possible after a disability has been incurred or recognized. The instructors will work either directly with the student or in coordination with the McBurney Center to identify and provide reasonable instructional accommodations. Disability information, including instructional accommodations as part of a student’s educational record, is confidential and protected under FERPA.(See:McBurney Disability Resource Center)

Respect for Diversity: It is the intent of the instructors that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. It is our intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let us know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or for other students or student groups. In addition, if any of our class meetings conflict with your religious events, please let us know so that we can make arrangements for you.

Please, commit to helping create a climate where we treat everyone with dignity and respect. Listening to different viewpoints and approaches enriches our experience, and it is up to us to be sure others feel safe to contribute. Creating an environment where we are all comfortable learning is everyone’s job: offer support and seek help from others if you need it, not only in class but also outside class while working with classmates.