Posted Handouts

Programming assignments are posted as electronic handouts called specifications ("specs") on the course Web page. Helpful hints are also posted electronically in "FAQ" (frequently asked questions) format. If you believe you need more information than is provided in the initial assignment specification, be sure to check the FAQ handout. If you still need more information, let a TA, lab assistant, or Professor Shinnerl know. Your question and its answer may be added to the FAQ file to help others.

Most assignment specifications will be posted early in a clearly marked preliminary form called a beta version to encourage you to start early and to allow for early correction or clarification of any possible errors or ambiguities in the handout. Your constructive feedback on these beta versions is appreciated. The final official version of each assignment will always be posted at least one week before its due date. As there is usually no significant difference between the beta spec and the official spec, you should not hesitate to start working on the assignment from the beta spec. However, please be sure that your submitted assignment conforms to the specs of the official assignment handout, not the beta version, to ensure that your assignment is graded properly.

A page of frequently asked questions (FAQ) and answers will accompany each specification. FAQ pages provide useful hints and clarifications and are updated frequently.

Debugging

You are expected to learn the use of a debugger program; this will reduce your debugging time significantly. A debugger allows you to run your program one line at a time, watching how your variables change as you go. Alternatively, you can set breakpoints and halt execution only at those points. Try it. The TA and Lab Assistants can help get you started. The Visual Studio package includes a debugger.

Due Dates and Late Submission

Programming homework is usually due Wednesdays at 10:00 PM. Late homework may be turned in until the following Friday (2 days later after the due day) at 10:00 PM. Late penalties are levied as follows.

Configuring and Formatting Programming Assignments

Before you begin coding, you must configure the Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE) in a certain way. Follow the instructions given online.

To receive full credit for your work, you must follow the Programming Project Requirements. Please follow the link and read this handout carefully before you begin.

If you regularly attend a discussion section other than the one in which you are enrolled, you should list both of these sections on your assignments and exams and specify which is which. If possible, you should attend the discussion section in which you are enrolled. If you can't, then you may attend any other discussion section that has room for you.

Grading of Homework

Graded programming projects are returned to you by your TA in discussion section about one week after their due dates. Homework grades will be based both on the program's operation (50--80%) and on its adherence to the principles of good style and structured programming discussed in lecture and the text (20--50%). Blocks of code should be separated by explanatory comments. Partial credit will be given to programs that are substantially correct. Programs which do not compile cannot be run and will receive at most half credit. Programs which compile but do not do anything sensible when they are run will also receive at most half credit. As some of the grading process will be automated, it is imperative that your program follow the specifications in the assignment exactly. In particular, make sure data items are inputted and outputted in the proper sequence and format. Failure to comply with the assignment specifications may result in both substantial penalty and significant time loss as you go through the regrade process.

Because exceptional circumstances like illness or accidents sometimes arise, and because grading mistakes are sometimes made, your lowest program score of the quarter will be dropped. However, this courtesy does not excuse you from completing any assignments. You must complete and submit every assignment by within the final submission deadlines if you wish to pass the course.

Please do not ask for permission to submit homework late without penalty unless the circumstances are particularly extreme, such as severe and prolonged illness with documentation. If for any reason you are unable to complete more than two programming assignments on time, you should drop the course.

Homework Regrades

If you believe an error was made in the grading of your program, you may submit a written request for regrading by e-mail to your TA. These requests must be submitted no more than a week after the graded project is made available to you to be picked up. Check with your TA, and, if the regrade has not been resolved after 2 weeks from the time you request it, inform Professor Shinnerl. No requests for regrades will be considered unless they meet these deadlines. It is your responsibility to verify that the request has been processed on time. Be forewarned that the whole piece of work will be regraded, so the grade may go down rather than up. Pick up graded work from your TA.

Software Platform and Working at Home

The compiler used for CS 31 is currently Microsoft Visual Studio .NET running on Microsoft Windows XP, as installed in the SEAS Labs. You are encouraged to work at home on whatever platform you normally use, and as a registered CS 31 student you may obtain a free copy of Visual Studio from Boelter Hall 2567 (Mon.--Fri 9--4:30) for your own personal academic use. There are subtle differences between different compilers and even between different versions of the same brand of compiler running on the same or on different operating systems. If your platform at home is at all different from the one in the SEAS Labs, you should play it safe and test your programs in the SEAS Labs before submitting them for grading.

Visit the SEASnet Web pages to learn how to activate your seasnet account. Human assistance is available Monday--Friday from 8--4:30PM at the SEASNET Help desk in 2684 Boelter Hall.

Academic Honesty Policy

You are both allowed and encouraged to discuss general algorithms and approaches to programming problems with your classmates. But these discussions must remain at a high level and not involve actual C++ statements being exchanged. In particular, THE CODE YOU SUBMIT AS SOLUTIONS TO PROGRAMMING ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE YOUR OWN INDEPENDENT WORK. DO NOT SHARE CODE. Do not use any code other than that which you write yourself or which is posted publicly on the course web pages. Any algorithm, code, or idea that you adapt from the course texts or any other text must be explicitly attributed to that source in your documentation.

Please read the additional academic integrity guidelines posted separately. They are part of this policy.

Be aware that any detected activity bordering on infringement of these academic honesty guidelines will be forwarded to the Dean of Students for full investigation. The penalties may be severe. In several recent cases, students have been suspended and have had the incident permanently recorded. If you witness any cheating by classmates, please report it to Professor Shinnerl as soon as possible.

Before your programming projects will be graded, you must read sign and submit the hardcopy Academic Honesty Pledge distributed in lecture the first day of class. The pledge simply states that you understand the policy expressed here and agree to follow it.

Theft

Unauthorized copying of any proprietary commercial software is a crime and is therefore strictly prohibited. Don't do it . Any evidence of such copying will be reported at once to the Dean of Students and may result in disciplinary action. If you witness any such copying, report it at once.

Subject Matter and References

We will cover most material in the course text by Walter Savitch. On exams, you will be expected to understand everything covered in lecture or discussion section. You will not be held responsible for material in the text that is covered neither in lecture nor in discussion.

You are encouraged to consult the references listed above and placed on reserve at Powell library.

Lectures, Discussion Sections, and Notes

Regular attendance at lecture and discussion section is strongly recommended.

You will learn best if you use all the sources of instruction available to you. Participating actively in lectures and TA-led sections is especially important. This means nodding your head once in a while when you understand, and shaking it when you don't. Pertinent questions help everyone. Please ask them, and please pay attention when others ask them. If you can't hear the question, ask for it to be repeated. It is ok to interrupt if you do it politely and discreetly. It is also ok to whisper to your neighbor, if you are trying to clarify a point being made by the speaker. Talking in lecture for any other reason is distracting, inconsiderate of other students, and inappropriate. Please let Professor Shinnerl know if someone else's conversation is distracting you.

Please refrain from any activity in lecture that might be disruptive to the learning process; for example, talking, eating and drinking, reading, or leaving early from the center of the room. If special circumstances require you to leave early, plan ahead and sit near the exit. Thank you.

Taking notes is a good way to help yourself stay focused, but it is probably best to take them selectively. As all programming examples covered in lecture will be made available to you in the online handouts (see "Electronic Resources" above), copying down the code of each example is unnecessary. It is far more important to understand the purpose and syntax of each program presented.

If possible, you should attend the discussion section in which you are enrolled. If you can't, then you may attend any other discussion section that has room for you, but list both and indicate which is which on all your homework and exams.

Office Hours and E-mail

Professor Shinnerl and the TA will all hold office hours at various regularly scheduled times throughout the week. Most of these will be held in regular offices in Boelter Hall (BH). but some may be held in the SEAS Labs. Attending office hours now and then with your specific course-related questions is a great way to accelerate learning. Be advised, however, that office hours tend to be rather crowded at peak times, like the day before a tough homework assignment is due, or the day before an exam. Preparing your questions in advance helps everyone. At other times office hours are often empty, and you can receive relatively detailed one-to-one help.

Virtual Office Hours

Please do not send questions through the campus "virtual office hours" system. Instead, e-mail them directly to a TA or to Professor Shinnerl. This ensures a more prompt response and facilitates construction of the FAQ files.

Electronic Mail

You are encouraged to send questions, comments, and requests via e-mail. Professor Shinnerl and the TAs usually check their E-mailboxes several times a day for messages. Keeping your message clear and concise greatly increases the chances of a prompt response. Requests for help with homework projects should usually be sent to your TA rather than to Prof. Shinnerl.

Do not send your entire program's source code for help with debugging. To receive debugging help, you must do your part by narrowing the error down to at most 5 or 10 lines of code. Longer fragments received by e-mail are unlikely to be read. If you cannot narrow the error down, try bringing a printout of your code and a flowchart or other design diagram to office hours.

When you e-mail Prof. Shinnerl, please specify your discussion section and TA; your message may be forwarded to him or her on busier days.