Motivation

CSE 331 is primarily concerned with the technical aspects of algorithms: how to design them and then how to analyze their correctness and runtime. However, algorithms are pervasive in our world and are commonplace in many aspects of society. The main aim of the project is to have you explore some of the social implications of algorithms.

Some examples of these implications include:

• Big data is widely used, and there is a common belief that by running (mainly machine learning) algorithms on large datasets, we can detect patterns and use those to potentially make policy decisions. Here is a cautionary talk:
• For a longer documentary on the societal impacts of algorithms in general (and specifically machine learning), see Coded Bias :

• Another societal impact of technology stems from unequal access to technology. In CSE 331 this fall, we will touch upon the issue of access to high-speed Internet a few times, and the project will be motivated by the topic of high-speed Internet. For a primer on the issues regarding unequal access to high-speed Internet, see the following webinar:
  

  (Click on the image above and then check out the recording (the access code is in the linked webpage). We found the webinar informative.)

The Project Has Three Parts

Your project will have three parts:

1. Complete five programming problems that involve making tradeoffs between various choices, some of which have ethical dimensions. This will be a group assignment.
2. Each programming question will be paired with (a series of) reflection questions that ask you to describe and reflect on some of the design decisions you made in the corresponding programming problem. In particular, these questions will ask you to reflect on the societal and ethical implications of your decisions. This will also be a group assignment.
3. At the end of the project, each group member will fill in a survey rating their own and the other group members' contributions to the project.

Before we give more details on the programming problems, reflection questions, and survey aspects of the project, we present details on some logistics: in particular, the deadlines and details on forming a group.

Logistics

We begin by collecting all the relevant deadlines and then giving details on forming groups.

Deadlines

For your convenience, the current project deadlines are listed below. Please plan accordingly. Project deliverables are due by 11:30 PM on the due date unless otherwise announced in class.

Deliverable	Due Date
Team Composition	September 18, 2026
Team Registration (on Autolab)	September 28, 2026
Problem 1 Code	October 26, 2026
Problem 2 Code	October 26, 2026
Problem 1 Reflection	November 2, 2026
Problem 2 Reflection	November 2, 2026
Problem 3 Code	November 16, 2026
Problem 3 Reflection	November 23, 2026
Problem 4 Code	November 30, 2026
Problem 5 Code	November 30, 2026
Problem 4 Reflection	December 7, 2026
Problem 5 Reflection	December 7, 2026
Survey	December 7, 2026

Forming groups

You will form groups of size exactly three (3) for the project. Below are the various logistics:

• You have two choices in forming your group:
  1. You can form your group on your own; that is, you can submit the list of exactly three (3) group members in your group.

     Note

     Note that if you pick this option, your group needs to have exactly three (3) members. In particular, if your group has only two members, you cannot submit as a group of size two. If you do not know many people in class, feel free to use Piazza to look for a third group member.

     Also, if you form a group of size three, please make only one submission per group.

  2. You can submit just your name, and you will be assigned a random group among all students who take this second option. However, note that if you pick this option, you could end up in a group of size $2$. There will be at most two groups of size $2$.

     Potential risk

     Note that if you pick the option of being assigned a random group, you take on the risk that an assigned group might not "pull their weight." We unfortunately cannot help with such aspects of group dynamics. (Of course if a group member is being abusive, please let Prof. Carlson or Prof. Luo know.) Please note that a group member who does not do much work will may receive a reduced score on the individual component of the project grade.

• Submitting your group composition

  The Group Composition Form will be posted and announced in class at a later time. The form will allow you to choose one of the two options above.

• You need to submit the Group Composition Form by 11:30 PM on Friday, September 18, 2026.

• Deadline is strict!

  If you do not submit the Group Composition Form by the deadline, then you get a zero for the entire project.

Registering your group on Autolab

Coding Component

In the coding component of the project, you will be developing and implementing algorithms in a scenario that is heavily influenced by a real-world case study.

Reflection Component

In the reflection component of the project, you will be reflecting on the choices you made in the coding component as well as the implications of your choices.

Survey

Each group member will fill in a survey rating their own and their other group members' contributions to the project under the categories of team role, leadership, participation, professionalism and quality of work (on a scale of $0$–$3$ on each). These scores will then be used to divide the team’s points so that individual students’ survey grades reflect how well they contributed to the overall result. The table below explains what the different numerical values for various categories mean.

Category	0 points (Unsatisfactory)	1 point (Developing)	2 points (Satisfactory)	3 points (Exemplary)
Teamwork	Does not willingly assume team roles; Rarely completes assigned work	Usually accepts assigned team roles; Occasionally completes assigned work	Accepts assigned team roles; Mostly completes assigned work	Accepts all assigned team roles; Always completes assigned work
Leadership	Rarely takes leadership role; Does not collaborate; Sometimes willing to assist teammates	Occasionally shows leadership; Mostly collaborates; Generally willing to assist teammates	Shows an ability to lead when necessary; Willing to collaborate; Willing to assist teammates	Takes leadership role; Is a good collaborator; Always willing to assist teammates
Participation	Often misses meetings; Routinely unprepared for meetings; Rarely participates in meetings and does not share ideas	Occasionally misses or does not participate in meetings; Somewhat prepared for meetings; Offers unclear or unhelpful ideas in meetings	Attends and participates in most meetings; Comes prepared to meetings; Offers useful ideas in meetings	Attends and participates in all meetings; Comes prepared to meetings; Clearly expresses well-developed ideas in meetings
Professionalism	Often discourteous and/or openly critical of teammates; Does not want to listen to any alternate perspectives	Not always considerate or courteous towards teammates; Usually appreciates teammates' perspectives, but often unwilling to consider them	Mostly courteous to teammates; Values teammates' perspectives and often willing to consider them	Always courteous to teammates; Values teammates' perspectives, knowledge, and experiences, and always willing to consider them
Quality	Rarely contributes to the coding and reflections components of the project; Others often required to revise, debug, or fix their work	Occasionally contributes to the coding and reflections components of the project; Others sometimes needed to revise, debug, or fix their work	Often contributes to the coding and reflections components of the project; Others occasionally needed to revise, debug, or fix their work	Frequently contributes to the coding and reflections components of the project; Others rarely needed to revise, debug, or fix their work