CS 54 - Spring 2007 Syllabus

Instructor Information

Instructor: Dylan McDonald, Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA)
Office: Computer Science 305
Office Hours: MW 12:00 - 14:00 or by Appointment
Email: dlmyr8@umr.edu

Rules to Live by

1. Attendance: Attendance is vital to this class! All assignments are presented and done in class, so missing class precludes your success in this class. If you miss a class, you will not be able to make-up the missed assignment unless you have a valid excuse as outlined under the Grading section. If you miss more than three classes, I will drop you from the class. However, if you wish to drop the class for any reason, please bring me a drop slip instead of assuming I will drop the class for you. Take responsibility for your own actions and life.
   
   
2. Cell Phones: Cell phones, pagers, etc. going off during class will not be tolerated. Set all such devices to silent, vibrate, or simply turn them off. If you are part of an emergency response team or have an emergency that requires you to have your device on during class, set it to vibrate and sit by the door. If you ever answer a call during class, take all your things and leave. Do NOT come back until the next class meeting. You will not be able to make-up the missed assignment unless you have a valid excuse as outlined under the Grading section.
   
   
3. Grading: Grades are determined by a total points basis. You earn points for all class assignments and exams and earn a grade based on the percentage of points earned. Grades are not curved in any way. I don't want you to compete with the other students. Instead, I want you to compete with yourself to see how much you can learn and improve. Grades are determined by the following scale:
   
   

   Percentage	Grade
   90.0 - 100.0	A
   80.0 - 89.9	B
   70.0 - 79.9	C
   60.0 - 69.9	D
   0.00 - 59.9	F

   
   Assignments will be given every week at the start of class and will be submitted at the end of class. If you miss assignments for any reason, you may NOT do a make-up assignment unless an arrangement is made with the instructor. Make-up assignments will only be given for emergencies such as a death in the family, personal injury, act of God, etc.
   
   At the end of the semester, your lowest score will be dropped and not count against you. So, if you have 118 points out of 150 and your lowest score is a 3, your final grade is 115 out of 140.
   
   
4. Academic Honesty: Simply stated, don't cheat! Perish the thought! Cheating includes plagiarism from outside sources, copying work from a classmate (whether she/he allowed it or not), and letting other students copy from you. To clarify, feel free to ask questions amongst your friends to facilitate your understanding of the concepts and task at hand, however, do not share algorithms, code, processes, etc. under any circumstances. On the first offense, a 0 will be given for the assignment AND the class grade will be lowered by a full letter grade. On the second offense, you will be removed from the class.
   
   
5. Ask for Help: I am always available during class time and office hours to answer any questions about assignments or computer science topics in general. If you want to talk to me and cannot make my office hours, feel free to make an appointment to see me. I will always try my best to accommodate you. UMR also provides tutoring help for CS 53/54 students. You can find more information about tutoring at http://campus.umr.edu/lead/.
   
   
6. Students with Disabilities: If you have a learning disability and have approved accommodations, please tell me and I will do my best to accommodate you. If you think you need accommodations, please contact Disability Support Services in Norwood 203 or call 573.341.4222 (voice) or 573.341.6645 (TTY).
   
   
7. Email/Instant Messengers: The use of Email and instant messaging programs (such as AIM, Yahoo!, MSN, etc.) is strictly prohibited. Please check your Email and talk to your friends on your own time. Any violation of this policy will result in you being asked to leave the class.
   
   
8. Respect: Have respect for everyone (students, staff, faculty) and everything (computers, chairs, other equipment) around you. This is a lab class and collaboration (that does not fall under Academic Dishonesty) is encouraged. Live, breathe, and laugh a little! I will have nothing but respect for you and I don't bite. :)
   
   
9. Concerns: I will do my best to address any concerns you have about the class. You simply need to ask me. My immediate supervisor is Clayton Price, professor of Computer Science. If there are any problems that I am unable to resolve for you relevant to this class, address your concerns to Clayton Price. His office is Computer Science 325A and his Email is price@umr.edu.