CS 158 introduces the tools of software development that have become valuable for creative problem solving in Science and Engineering disciplines. We believe that it is important for future professionals in these field to be able to function as part of a technical team and will require students to work in assigned teams for lab assignments. Educational research informs us that structured collaboration leads to increased learning gains for students participating in an introductory programming course.

• Collaboration is a requirement of the course.  You will be assigned to your teams by your lab instructor.

CS 158 explores programming concepts and how those concepts can be used to solve a problem.

Pre-requisites/Preparation:

The University asks students to place 2-3 hours outside of class per week in preparation for each credit hour of a course. The most successful students in previous offerings of CS 158 report habits such as reading the text, attending every lecture, and daily code writing that goes beyond the minimum of completing assignments.

• CS 158 does have a co-requisite of MA 161/165. Authorized equivalent courses or consent of instructor may be used in satisfying the course co-requisite.

Lecture Quiz (50 total points possible): 

Dates of in-lecture quizzes will not be made known in advance, you should assume a quiz will take place at each and every lecture meeting.  Quizzes may take place at the start of lecture, in the middle, and/or at the end of lecture. 

iClicker response pads are required to participate in lecture quizzes.  You should bring your response pad to every lecture.  Should your pad fail, or if you forget your pad, you may submit a written quiz using the form found in the back of your notes packet.  You may only utilize this method once during the semester.  Only the form provided in the current version of the packet will be accepted.

• See the academic integrity policies regarding the misrepresentation of identity as it relates to taking a lecture quiz for another student.

Exams (two midterms 100 points each, one final exam 150 points):

Exams will be individual assessments of your knowledge.  Exams will consist of multiple-choice problems. You will notice from the point distribution of the course that we feel being competent on exams is very important. You need to be able to communicate intelligently with others, including supervisors, on this topic without needing to be in front of a computer to demonstrate what you know.

You are expected to arrive to lecture on time and to remain attentive. Disruptive students will be excused from lecture and asked to meet with course staff before returning to class. Please silence your cell phone during lecture. Lecture seats will be assigned by section and group. Check Blackboard for your seat assignment.

CS 158 labs will meet weekly (see lab schedule). You are expected to attend and to participate in every lab this semester. All lab assignments (as described previously) will be completed in collaborative teams assigned by your lab instructor. These lab assignments will be due 30 minutes before the start of your next lab and may require that your team meet outside of lab to complete the assignment.

Several lab sessions will be dedicated to teaming principles. Attendance at these sessions will be required as will completing the required teaming reflection responses as assigned throughout the semester. Failing to comply will result in a loss of lab points.

Because of our use of teaming, no points will be given to a student who is absent from, or late arriving to, a lab. If you are going to have a regular conflict with your lab time, please change sections.

• Any student missing more than two labs (unexcused) will receive a failing grade for the course.  We feel that you must be present in lab as you are expected to function as part of a team.  Secondly, you are receiving one credit (of the three for the course) based on the laboratory component of the course. 

You must bring your books and notes to every lab.

To request a re-grade on any assignment you must formally make your request in writing to the instructor during office hours. You have five days to appeal any grade from the day the assignment is returned to you. After that period the grades are frozen and no appeal will be considered.

A re-grade request must include the following:

• The originally graded assignment that was returned to you (if applicable).
• The reason you feel a re-grade is warranted. (What do you feel was overlooked in the original evaluation of your work?)
• Note: A re-grade isn't a second chance to complete an assignment. It isn't a means to challenge posted policies, such as the acceptance of late work or the submission of un-testable work.

Only documented serious hardships will be considered for any make-up work.

If you have documentation of what you consider to be a serious hardship then you should contact the instructor in a timely manner during office hours. Any student who knows in advance of a coming absence must make a request for consideration one week prior to the planned absence.

• University policies on absence and absence reporting are available here: http://tinyurl.com/classabsence
• Do not expect assignment deadlines to be altered for reason of personal travel or vacation.
• Make-up requests for reasons of illness MUST be accompanied by a physician’s note stating the dates you were under their professional care and the date you were cleared to return to school/work.

Important Assignment Guidelines:

All assignments must abide by the programming and documentation standards of the course.  In ALL cases no credit will be given for programs that do not compile (that is, execution is suppressed due to compilation errors). Programs that execute and meet minimum assignment requirements but are not correct or complete will be considered for partial credit. To receive full credit, your program must produce correct results, be well-designed, be efficient, follow assignment requirements, and adhere to course programming and documentation standards.

Resources and course staff may become heavily loaded as an assignment deadline nears. Waiting until the last minute to work on your project is dangerous! Our policy is NOT to extend deadlines unless campus resources (not your local ISP) are unavailable for an extended period near the deadline for an assignment.

ITaP’s Outage (scheduled and unscheduled) Notification RSS Feed:
http://www.itap.purdue.edu/web/infrastructure/operations/change/unscheduled/unscheduled_RSS.xml

You are responsible for knowing how to use the technology utilized by the course, this includes but is not limited to UNIX and related course tools such as the assignment submission script.

Here are our expectations of you and your group:

1. Make time to meet with your group regularly.  There are 168 hours in a week, finding some common time for two or three people to meet should not be that difficult.  It is acceptable for just part of the group to meet some of the time if everyone cannot attend every meeting.  It is up to each individual to plan their contribution to the group effort accordingly.
   • A group may exclude the name of a member from the lab assignment header as a means of indicating a lack of satisfactory contribution to the group assignment.
2. Allow everyone an opportunity to express their ideas on how to approach an assignment.  One benefit of collaborative teaming is that everyone brings a different idea to the group and the resulting effort should be a stronger one than if it was completed individually.
   • When a group member becomes unresponsive to requests to meet or to update the other members of the goup then those contributing members must continue without unresponsive member.
3. All group members must be satisfied with the final submission.  It is not acceptable for a group to submit an assignment that is not approved by all group members.  "It is good enough" may be true for you but it is unfair for the others in the group who aspire for the strongest grade possible.
   • Likewise, each group member must be satisfied with your contribution to the group effort.
4. Each group member must fully understand the entire assignment submitted.  Do not start your group meetings by trying to delegate the tasks to the different group members.  Everyone must understand and contribute to every aspect of the assignment and its development.
   • Assignments are an opportunity for you to demonstrate your knowledge of the topic. Additionaly, an assignment can be a measure of what you don't know.
5. Designate who will turn in the assignment, when it will be turned in, and how successful submission will be communicated with the rest of the group.  Only one person from the group will submit the assignment.  Set a goal to submit the assignment well in advance of the due date to avoid any last minute problems related to group communication.
   • All groups are encourage to exchange that work which was developed in lab before leaving.  Should a group member be unresponsive outside of class the remaining group members can proceed without starting over.
6. You will work with the group assigned.  There is no other option in this course.  Please see us with concerns you may have with your group.  Take a professional approach with your group experience as similar to what you may experience at an internship or co-op experience.
   • Groups will be re-assigned after every four labs.

CS 158 applies very strict set of criteria regarding academic integrity and the consequences for violating course policies are serious.

You are encouraged to discuss any CS 158 topic including ideas about how to complete assignments. But, under no circumstances will exchange of code via written or electronic means be permitted between teams for collaborative assignments or individuals for individual assignments. It is considered dishonest either to read another team's solution or to provide anyone with a copy of your work.  Be very careful when working with others on individual assignments as this is generally discouraged.  The work you submit must be your own original effort.

Every student is responsible for protecting his/her own work.  Do not make the assumption that roommates, neighbors, significant others, or other "trusted" individuals would not take advantage of knowing your password, having access to your computer (use a password protected screen saver, logout when done), or finding a stray copy of your work left on a printer.  You are responsible for such events that leave your work unprotected.

Do not make the mistake of thinking that superficial changes in a program (such as altering comments, changing variable names, or interchanging statements) will avoid detection. If you cannot do the work yourself, it is extremely unlikely that you will succeed in disguising someone else's work as your own. We are adamant that violations in any form will not be tolerated. Even the most trivial assignment is better not done than if you violate course integrity policies to complete it.

Assume that every submission you make during the semester will be analyzed by a software similarity service.  This service will return the percentage of similarity between your solution and those submitted by others in the course.  The service indicates the number of lines matched.  You will be solving problems this semester that have no unique solution and your solution is expected to be uniquely yours.  Concerns regarding any of our policies should be addressed during office hours.

• First offense, a zero for the assignment, a reduction of one letter grade at the end of the semester, AND a referral to the Office of the Dean of Students for disciplinary action.
• Second offense, a zero for the assignment, a failing grade for the course, AND a referral to the Office of the Dean of Students for disciplinary action.
  • Penalties for being found in violation from the Office of the Dean of Students will typically range from disciplinary probation, to probated suspension, to dismissal from the University.

• Any violation on an exam will result in a failing grade for the course and a Dean of Students referral.
• Acts such as a misrepresentation of identity will result in a failing grade for the course and a Dean of Students referral. (This includes lecture quizzes.)