Course Information CS221: Spring, 2009

You will need the username and password given in class in order to access the Course webpage:

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/lballest/cs221_s01/index.htm

Textbook

DIGITAL DESIGN AND COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE, David Harris and Sarah Harris

Course Hours:

Lectures: T Th 8:35-9:50 in Clapp 218.

Labs:

There are no pre-scheduled lab periods for this class, but you will need to schedule time on your own to complete the lab assignments. Course software is loaded on the PCs in Clapp 202.

Instructor:

Professor Lisa Ballesteros

Office: 220 Clapp

Email: lballest@mtholyoke.edu

Office Phone: 538-2421

Office Hours: TBA

If you have any problems, concerns, or issues you would like to discuss, come to office hours or contact me via email to make an appointment. I am always available during office hours and am happy to try to schedule appointments outside these times when necessary. Under NO circumstances is it acceptable to call me at home. I check email regularly.

Attendance:

Announcements made during normal class meetings are official communications for this course. Although I do not always take attendance, regular attendance is expected. Consequently, absence is no excuse for failure to act in accordance with class announcements. If you miss class, talk with your classmates to find out what you missed.

Working on Assignments:

All assignments submitted for grading are to be done independently, unless specified by the instructor as a group assignment. All assignments should be typed. I will not accept handwritten assignments.

All programming assignments are to be individual work and are graded on the completeness and correctness of the program results and answers to any accompanying questions. Follow instructions exactly. For example if an assignment tells you not to change the order in which statements are given, then don’t. Programs that do not generate any correct results will rarely get more than 60%. Comments in your code may help in determining partial credit when your solution is not completely correct.

Lab/programming assignments are due on the dates specified. Late assignments lose five points for each day late. Labs will not be accepted beyond 3 days late unless some other arrangement has been made with me in advance. Bring a USB drive with you to the laboratory in order to save project files as this protects you in the event that the network goes down and your home directory cannot be accessed. Inability to access your account is not an acceptable excuse for not finishing a programming assignment.

It is extremely important to keep up to date in this class. The lectures and labs are integral parts of this course. In order to understand the material covered in a given day, it is important that you understand the material and concepts covered on previous days. The most successful approach to this course is to work regularly on readings and assignments. Don’t put things off until you feel pressured by a deadline as problem solving typically takes longer than you expect it will. If you get behind, don’t wait to get help. Ask questions in class and come to office hours.

Grading

Class participation: 5%

In-class exercises/Quizzes: 5%

Homework: 25%

Exams (2): 30%

Labs/Programming assignments: 35%

Academic Honesty

Copying any assignment or any portion of an assignment whether homework, exam, lab, or programming project with or without the author’s permission is not permitted.

A student submitting any work not entirely her/his own violates the Honor Code. The penalty for such a violation is a zero on the assignment. In accordance with the student handbook, all such violations will be reported to the Dean of Students.

A comment about working together:

I have no problem with students discussing concepts related to homework and programming assignments. Discussion is an important aspect of learning. However, there is a fine line between discussing a concept and solving a problem together. It is not O.K. to write programs together and it is not O.K. to write homework assignments together unless it is specified as a group assignment. You may discuss assignments at a high level, but the actual solution and the write-up or coding of that solution must be done independently. All of your resources for solving homework or programming problems must be cited. This means that if you use other books or reference materials to solve a problem, you must indicate the name of the reference used and the page on which the solution was found. If you work in a study group, the names of your study partners must be included on all assignments. Failing to appropriately cite any and all resources used to complete an assignment is a violation of the honor code.

What is cheating?

· Submitting a solution to any assignment that was not written or typed entirely by you. Group assignments, when given, may be solved and written only by the members of your group.

· Sharing code, written assignments, any electronic files, or written files: either by copying, retyping, looking at, or supplying a copy to another person.

• Turning in some else's work as your own (with or without his or her knowledge): Turning in a completely duplicated assignment is a flagrant offense, but even copying only a portion of the assignment and turning it in as your own is considered cheating.

· Allowing someone else to turn in your work as his or her own. Be sure to store your work in protected directories and remove any printouts promptly from printers.

• Several people writing one program and turning in multiple copies, all represented (implicitly or explicitly) as individual work.

• Using any part of someone else's work without proper acknowledgement.

• Taking a solution to an assignment or part of an assignment from the web, a textbook, or any other resource and turning it in as your own.

What is not cheating?

• High-level discussion of course material for better understanding.

· Clarifying ambiguities or vague points in class handouts or textbooks.

• Discussion of assignments to understand what is being asked for.
• Turning in work done alone with the advice of the instructor or TA’s.
• Submission of one assignment for a group of students if group work is explicitly permitted (or required).
• Getting or giving help on how to operate the computer or terminal.
• Getting or giving help on how to debug code. Debugging code includes identifying a syntax or logical error and does not include giving or getting help to write or re-write code.