Policies

Current Classes

Past Classes

Policies
All of my courses are conducted under the same policies. Any exceptions will be noted in the individual class or project descriptions.

General

I do not take attendence in class, but there will be many things discussed that are not in the readings, so if you miss class you will need to get the notes from someone in class. The best way to get the material is to attend. Students are responsible for all class material. You will find that exams are weighted towards the material presented in class.

Students are responsible for keeping a backup of their projects on a university machine (i.e., cs-class or mclovin).

Students must take the final exam with your section during the period designated by the Registrar.

Students bringing cell phones to class must either set the phone to vibrate, turn the ringer volume off, or turn the phone off completely. I retain the right to answer ringing cell phones in class. If the call is for me, I get to keep the phone.

I retain coyright to material I produce and you may not distribute it to any website outside the university

Submission Format

For many classes, I accept submissions of homework my e-mail. If you submit a project by e-mail, it must be a single document in PDF. I do not accept Microsoft Office formats. If you use a program that has its own format you should be able to produce PDF easily by using the "Print to File" option when printing. With a Mac, then choose "Print as PDF". For Windows, you may need to install something like pdfforge if your version of the OS doesn't natively produce PDF.

In the case of computer code, I will generally provide instructions on how to submit it. For code, I prefer text files for single-file submissions, and tar files for multiple-file submissions. Please do not submit code in printable form; I am more interested in running it than reading it, though I assure you I will do both.

Due Dates

All assignments are due on the date specified. It is the student's responsibility to manage their time so that the assignments can be submitted before the deadline. If there is some legitimate reason to miss the deadline, then it is the student's responsibility to get in contact with the instructor to receive permission for late submission well in advance of the deadline.

Any submission that is later then the specified due date and time will either be returned ungraded or penalized.

If you have a problem with the grading of an exam or assignment, you must let me know within two weeks of when it is returned to the class. If you miss the return, it is your responsibility to come pick it up. If you leave an assignment or midterm to the end of the semester to pick up, you forfeit the right to complain about the grading.

Academic Honesty

I wish to foster an open and collegial class environment. At the same time, I am vigorously opposed to academic dishonesty because it seriously detracts from the education of honest students. Because of this, I have the following standard policy on academic honesty, consistent with Georgetown University's official policy.

  • It is permissible to discuss a method of solution with other students, or to make use of reference materials in the library or online. If you do this, you will be expected to clearly disclose with whom you discussed the method of solution, or to cite the references used. In the case of computer code submissions, these references should be cited in the program comments. Failure to do so may consitute cheating or plagiarism. Note that the use of "method of solution" means a general discussion of a technique or algorithm, such as one would reasonably expect to occur standing in front of a whiteboard, and precludes the detailed discussion of code or written assignments.

  • Unless otherwise explicitly specified, all written assignments or code that is submitted is to be entirely the students own work. Using any code or copying any assignment from others is strictly prohibited without advance prior permission from the instructor. This includes the use of code others have submitted in the past.

  • All students work is their own. Students who do share their work with others are as responsible for academic dishonesty as the student receiving the material. Students are not to show work to other students, in the class or not. Students are responsible for the security of their work and should ensure that printed copies are not left in accessible places, and that file permissions on accounts on shared machines are set to be unreadable to others. If you need assistance securing your work, please contact your TA or instructor.

  • Students who encourage others to cheat or plagiarize, or students who are aware of plagiarism or cheating and do not report it are also participating in academically dishonest behavior.

  • Be aware that I will sometimes use a software tool called moss to check for similarities between submitted assignments. Additionally, the instructor and TA will be inspecting all submitted material.

Any case of academic dishonesty will be dealt with by a referral to the Honor Council.
Having been a student myself, for a really long time, I fully understand that the pressures of academic life can be severe. There are times when students are overworked, ill, or have other reasons for being unable to complete the required assignments. If you, the student, ever feel that you are unable to complete the course work, talk to the instructor or your advisor. We want to see you succeed, and are willing to make allowances for your individual situation. If you feel that you cannot talk to any of us, you may go to the office of the Student Affairs. They can help you deal with many issues that the faculty cannot.

Please know that as a faculty member I am committed to supporting survivors of sexual misconduct, including relationship violence, sexual harassment and sexual assault. However, university policy also requires me to report any disclosures about sexual misconduct to the Title IX Coordinator, whose role is to coordinate the University’s response to sexual misconduct.

Georgetown has a number of fully confidential professional resources who can provide support and assistance to survivors of sexual assault and other forms of sexual misconduct. More information about campus resources and reporting sexual misconduct can be found at http://sexualassault.georgetown.edu.