Policies:

This page contains important policy that is reprinted from the syllabus.  These policies as they are stated will be strictly enforced.

Disclaimer

I reserve the right to change the syllabus for the course if circumstances of the class/semester require me to do so.  These changes will be announced and posted to this website.

Academic Integrity

We will follow the University Policy on Academic Integrity, detailed in the Undergraduate Catalog. For more information, see Article 11of the Student Conduct Rules, University Standards and Administrative Regulations and the UB Teaching and Learning Resources Student Conduct Rules web page. A good application of these rules to computer science is given on the department's web page, and is reprinted below. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with the contents of these pages.

Departmental Statement on Academic Integrity in Coding Assignments and Projects:

The following statement further describes the specific application of these general principles to a common context in the CSE Department environment, the production of source code for project and homework assignments. It was developed by several members of our Department over a period of time and should be thoroughly understood before undertaking any cooperative activities or using any other sources in such contexts.

Students are always encouraged to review class notes, handouts, practice problems and text material together. Beyond that, in general you may discuss any problem or assignment in the course as long as no one is using a writing implement (computers included) nor looking at any source code for the assignment. That is, group work must be verbal only. There are two circumstances requiring exceptions to the verbal-cooperation-only rule. One is when an assignment is explicitly set as a group assignment, in which case the rule applies to those outside your designated work group. The second is that when a friend is having trouble with a small bug, and you notice a typo or other "silly little mistake", you may point it out to them. More substantive assistance is definitely not allowed, from any source whatsoever, including tutors or friends not enrolled in the course. The professor or teaching assistants will be able to give more help if you are stuck with concepts.

All academic work must be your own. Plagiarism, defied as  copying or receiving materials from a source or sources and submitting this material as one's own without acknowledging the particular debts to the source (quotations, paraphrases, basic ideas), or otherwise representing the work of another as one's own, is never allowed. Collaboration, usually evidenced by unjustifiable similarity in assignments, is never allowed. After an appropriate informal review, if any students are found in violation of maintaining academic integrity, sanctions will be imposed, which can be as severe as receiving an F in the course. Especially flagrant violations will be considered under formal review proceedings, which can call for harsher sanctions including expulsion from the University. If you ever have any questions or concerns regarding the policy, particularly as it relates to this course, see your instructor.

It is your responsibility to maintain the security of your computer accounts and your written work. Do not share passwords with anyone, nor write your password down where it may be seen by others. Do not change permissions to allow others to read your course directories and files. Do not walk away from a workstation without logging out. These are your responsibilities. In groups that collaborate inappropriately, it may be impossible to determine who has offered work to others in the group, who has received work, and who may have inadvertently made their work available to the others by failure to maintain adequate personal security In such cases, all will be held equally liable.

Anyone caught in violation of the policies on academic dishonesty on any assignment will immediately be given a grade of F in the course. For especially flagrant violations, formal proceedings will be initiated. Such proceedings can call for harsher sanction including expulsion from the University.

We have recently acquired access to an electronic means of cheating detection that make it possible to check the entirety of class submissions with ease. All submissions for this class will be run through the analyzer. Nearly every semester, I have seen assignments for which there is strong evidence of academic dishonesty.  There is always proper sanction taken against these violations.  Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated.

Example Infractions of Academic Integrity

Examples of conduct considered in violation of the policies on academic integrity include but are not limited to:

Writing code is a lot like writing an essay for an English class. While everyone might have to write an essay on the same topic, each person would not write a paragraph of the essay and then turn in the resulting paper. There is a lot of room for individuality, even when writing on a topic - coding a solution to a problem is the saem.

Incomplete (I) Grades

We will follow the UB Undergraduate Catalog Statement on Incomplete Grades, outlined in the Undergraduate Catalog. Take the time to familiarize yourself with the contents of this page.

Generally, incomplete ("I") grades are not given. However, very rarely, circumstances truly beyond the student's control prevents him or her from completing work in the course. In such cases the instructor can give a grade of "I". The student will be given instructions and a deadline for completing the work, usually no more than 30 days past the end of the semester. University and department policy dictate that "I" grades can be given only if the following conditions are met:

An Incomplete will only be given for missing a small part of the course.

An Incomplete will only be given when the student misses work due to circumstances beyond his/her control.

An Incomplete will only be given when the student is passing the course except for the missed material.

An Incomplete is to be made up with the original course instructor within the time specified by the appropriate University regulation (see appropriate document above), and usually within the following semester.

An Incomplete will not be given to allow the student to informally retake the entire course, and have that grade count as the grade of the original course.

Incompletes can not be given as a shelter from poor grades. It is the student's responsibility to make a timely resignation from the course if he or she is doing poorly for any reason.

Regrading of Work

Any questions about the grading of a piece of work must be raised within 1 week of the date that the work was returned by the teaching assistant or the instructor. In other words, if you do not pick up your work in a timely fashion, you may forfeit your right to question the grading of your work. Please note, we reserve the right to regrade the entire assignment brought to our attention, possibly leading to a reduction in the overall assignment grade.

Disablities

If you have a diagnosed disability (physical, learning, or psychological) and are registered with the Office of Disability Services, please inform the instructor during the first two weeks of the course. Do not assume that the instructor has received any paperwork about it. It is the student's responsibility to make sure the instructor receives the paperwork as soon as possible from Disability Services.

Obstruction or disruption in the classroom

The University recognizes that faculty members are responsible for effective management of the classroom environment to promote conditions which will enhance student learning.  Accordingly, instructors should set reasonable rules for classroom behavior and must articulate these rules, in writing, in materials provided to the students at the start of the semester.

Fortunately, student obstructions or disruptions in UB classrooms are rare and seldom lead to disciplinary actions.  The term "classroom disruption" means behavior that a reasonable person would view as substantially or repeatedly interfering with the conduct of a class.  Examples could include persistently speaking without being recognized, continuing with conversations distracting the class or, in extreme cases, resorting to physical threats or personal asults.

Lawful, civil expression of disagreement with the instructor or other students is not in itself "disruptive behavior" and is not proscribed under these or any other regulations.  However, when student conduct interferes with or prevents the conduct of classes or other university functions or when the safety of members of the campus community is endangered by threats of disruption, violence, or violent acts, the administration has approved the following course or actions:

If a student is disruptive, he/she should be asked to stop and warned that continuing such disruptive behavior can result in academic or disclipinary action.  Many students may be unaware that their behavior is disruptive so that a private conversation with the student is often effective and preferable as an initial step.
Should the disruptive behavior continue, the faculty member is authorized to ask the student to leave the classroom or site.
A student may be dismissed from the course for the remainder of the semester, subject to Student Conduct Regulations and due process proceedings, as appropriate.
If a student refuses to leave the area after being instructed to do so, the student should be informed this refusal is a separate violation subject to additional penalties.
If, in the instructor's best judgment, the behavior creates a safety risk or makes it impossible to continue class or function, the instructor should contact Public Safety to assist in removal of the student and/or may dismiss class for that day.

Behavioral Expectations

To prevent and respond to distracting behavior faculty should clarify standards for the conduct of class, either in the syllabus, or by referencing the expectations cited in the Student Conduct Regulations.  Classroom "etiquette" expectations should include:

Attending class and paying attention.  Do not ask an instructor to go over material you missed by skipping class or not concentrating.
Not coming to class late or leaving early.  If you must enter a class late, do so quietly and do not disrupt the class by walking between the class and the instructor.  Do not leave class unless it is an absolute necessity.
Not talking with other classmates while the instructor or another student is speaking.  If you have a question or a comment, please raise your hand, rather than starting a conversation about it with your neighbor.
Showing respect and concern for others by not monopolizing class discussion.  Allow others time to give their input and ask questions.  Do not stray from the topic of class discussion.
Not eating and drinking during class time.
Turning off the electronics: cell phones, pagers, and beeper watches.
Avoiding audible and visible signs of restlessness.  These are both rude and disruptive to the rest of the class.
Focusing on class material during class time.  Sleeping, talking to others, doing work for another class, reading the newspaper, checking email, and exploring the internet are unacceptable and can be disruptive.
Not packing bookbags or backpacks to leave until instructor has dismissed class.

 

Handouts & Attendance Policy

All handouts, lab assignments, homework assignments, quiz questions and solutions, and other printed course material are available on the course webpage.  Attendance is required for all lectures and recitations. Students who do not attend class regulary generally do not do as well in the course as those who do. If for any reason you can not attend a lecture, it is the student's responsibility to make up the missed work.  I will not take time out of my office hours to reteach material to students who did not attend class.  If you are absent, get the notes from someone.  Handouts and important announcements are always available on the webpage, so if you need to be absent, you can get the materials you missed. Attendance at the exams is mandatory. Attendance may be taken on occasion and may be used to determine how to resolve borderline grades at the end of the course.