Course Grade

Homework (30%)

  • There will be 5 homework assignments.
  • Homeworks are to be done in groups of 2-3 students. It is up to you to form your own groups. If you would like to discuss anything related to the homework during office hours, only 1 member of the group needs to sign up on Calendly, and everyone in the group can go to the corresponding office hour.
  • Academic Integrity Principles:
    • Homework can only be discussed within the study group that you’re in without outside help other than from the teaching staff.
    • It is OK to discuss concepts with students in other groups.
    • Do not look at code that is not by your study group.
    • Do not share your study group’s code with anybody.
    • See the academic integrity section below.

Prelims (30%)

  • There will be two in-class prelims: October 14th and November 23rd. Please let us know before October 1st if you have a conflict.
  • The prelim will cover material from lectures, and homeworks until one week prior to the prelim.
  • If anyone is found cheating in the prelim, both the copy-ers and the copy-ees will get a straight F grade – yes, its your responsibility to ensure that nobody can see your solutions. See the academic integrity section below.

Final exam (35%)

  • The dates for the final will be announced soon.
  • The final will cover material from lectures, and homeworks.
  • If anyone is found cheating in the final, both the copy-ers and the copy-ees will get a straight F grade – yes, its your responsibility to ensure that nobody can see your solutions. See the academic integrity section below.

Course Feedback (5%)

If you fill out the course evaluations, you get the entire 5% marks.

In-class Surprise Quizzes (10%)

  • There will be several in-class surprise quizzes for bonus credit.
  • The whole point of having surprise quizzes is to have you review the material on a regular basis. Thus, the quizzes can happen any day and at any point during the lecture.
  • There may be a quiz every lecture, or there may be no quiz at all. All quizzes will contribute equally to this component of your grade.
  • If anyone is found cheating during a quiz, both the copy-ers and the copy-ees will get a straight F grade – yes, its your responsibility to ensure that nobody can see your solutions. See the academic integrity section below.

For Students Registered in CS5410

For students registered in CS5410, the grade is calculated in a slightly different way to account for the paper surveys.

  • Homework: 30%
  • Prelims: 25%
  • Final exam: 35%
  • Paper survey: 10%

Academic Integrity

As with all other classes at Cornell, you are expected to maintain a high level of ethical standards and integrity in this course. This means that all work you submit must be the result of your own individual effort. Any violations of the academic integrity code will be penalized according to the Cornell Academic Integrity Policy, and may result in failure in the course, suspension, or expulsion from the university.

Here is a simple tip to avoid any problems: do NOT cheat. You know it when you are cheating! It so happens that when you are cheating, we know it too!