Syllabus

Course staff

Professor : Wojciech Jarosz

TAs : Zack Misso, Shaojie Jiao

Slack

After lecture/x-hour, your next step should be to ask a question on Slack. You can access Slack directly from Canvas in the navigation on the left. There is also a mobile app.

Please do not email the course staff individually with questions, and do not DM course staff individually over Slack. Instead, ask (and answer) questions in our Slack channels. This allows everyone to benefit from seeing the question and subsequent response. We encourage you to contribute answers to other people’s threads, or initiate open-ended discussions on topics relevant to the class. The course staff will strive to regularly monitor Slack and address unanswered questions in a timely manner.

The only exception to the no email/DM rule is if your question is private, or concerns a regrade request. In those cases, please do not DM me on Slack but instead email the entire course staff (or just me if it is private), using the email addresses we have listed on our internal Canvas page

Office Hours

You can visit the course staff during office hours. We will have extensive office hours throughout the week as outlined below:

• Wojciech Jarosz: Fridays, 11:15am-1:00pm ECSC 209
• Zack Misso: TBD
• Shaojie Jiao: Thursdays, 4:00-5:30pm, ECSC 005

Some of the office hours may be conducted via Zoom, and we may need to switch from in-person to Zoom office hours on short notice. Check the Zoom section of our internal Canvas page for all the zoom links. Note that each staff member's office hours uses a different Zoom meeting, so you need to click on the one corresponding to the office hours session.

If for some reason none of the office hours work, you can make an appointment with the course staff (but keep in mind it may take some time to schedule).

If you find you need additional, individualized help beyond office hours, you can reach out to Dartmouth's Tutor Clearinghouse.

Graduate & Extra Credit

The undergraduate (87) and graduate (287) sections of this class will be graded separately and we will generally grade graduate students more strictly. For graduates enrolled in 287, I will convert an A to High Pass (HP) and B- or above to Pass (P). Low Pass (LP) starts at C+, and anything D or below receives No Credit (NC).

Some of the assignments will denote work that is required only for graduates, and sometimes, these portions may count as extra credit for undergraduates enrolled in 87.

Extra credit in this course will be tallied separately from regular scores and will only be granted if the foundation of the original assignment has been completed correctly (e.g., at least 90% of the original requirements/grade are met). If you end up on a borderline between two grades at the end of the course, extra credit will count in your favor. Failure to do extra credit will never be counted against you. You should do extra credit work if you find it interesting and think that it might teach you something. It never pays to skimp on the regular assignments in order to do extra credit problems.

Submission Deadlines & Grading

You will turn in a link to your code through Canvas, and we will have a strict deadline. We will strive to post programming assignment grades on Canvas within roughly a week of the due date. The assignments will build off of one another, so you do not want to fall behind! There is a stiff penalty for late submissions, as discussed in the first lecture and below.

Honor Principle and permissible sources of information

If you are not already, you should familiarize yourself with Dartmouth's policies on the Academic Honor Principle, and Proper Citation of Sources.

In short: You are welcome and encouraged to chat about assignments with other students in general terms, but code must be written on your own.

I assume the work you hand in is your own, and the results you hand in are generated by your program. You’re welcome to read whatever you want to learn what you need to complete the work, but I do expect you to build your own implementations of the methods we are studying.

Undeclared copying of code or images (either from other students or from external sources) is strictly prohibited! I take this very seriously! If you violate this rule, you not only risk a failing grade on the assignment or entire course, I’m required to report the case to the Dartmouth Office of Judicial Affairs, resulting in a lot of wasted time, a COS hearing, and possible suspension or even explusion from the College. Don’t do it. We know how to use Google and will use automated tools to check for similarity in solutions between students (past or present) and to other sources available online. The goal of the class is to learn and have fun. Let’s keep it that way.

If you’re ever in doubt, just include a citation in your code and report indicating where some idea came from, whether it be a classmate, a website, another piece of software, or anything – this always maintains your honesty, whether the source was used in a good way or not. The same basic principle applies to your presentations. Any material you reuse from outside sources must be properly attributed.

Over the years we have developed and refined a number of homework and exam problems, and I plan to reuse some of them for this class. You should not look at any solutions to such problems assigned in previous terms, including sample solutions, or solutions written by other students.

COVID-19 Information

Mental Health and Awareness

The following is standard text provided by Dartmouth [here].

The academic environment at Dartmouth is challenging, our terms are intensive, and classes are not the only demanding part of your life. There are a number of resources available to you on campus to support your wellness, including your undergraduate dean, Counseling and Human Development, and the Student Wellness Center. I encourage you to use these resources to take care of yourself throughout the term, and to come speak to me if you experience any difficulties.

Respect, Diversity, and Inclusion

I would like to create a learning environment for my students that supports a diversity of thoughts, perspectives and experiences, and honors your identities (including race, gender, class, sexuality, religion, ability, etc.). To help accomplish this:

If you have a name and/or set of pronouns that differ from those that appear in your official college records, please include them in DartHub or let me know privately.

If at any time you feel uncomfortable about the interactions in our classroom I encourage you to contact me privately so I can better understand how I can manage the course; indeed, I am eager for feedback about how I can maximize everyone’s experience. If you feel like your performance in the class is being impacted by your experiences outside of class, likewise, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I want to be a resource for you. If you prefer to speak with someone outside of the course, the contacts in the Mental Health and Wellness section above can be an excellent resource.

I (like many people) am constantly learning about diverse perspectives and identities. If something was said in class (by anyone) that made you feel uncomfortable, please talk to me about it.

As a participant in course discussions, you should also strive to honor and respect the diversity of your classmates.

Title IX

The following is standard text provided by Dartmouth [here].

At Dartmouth, we value integrity, responsibility, and respect for the rights and interests of others, all central to our Principles of Community. We are dedicated to establishing and maintaining a safe and inclusive campus where all have equal access to the educational and employment opportunities Dartmouth offers. We strive to promote an environment of sexual respect, safety, and well-being. In its policies and standards, Dartmouth demonstrates unequivocally that sexual assault, gender-based harassment, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking are not tolerated in our community.

The Sexual Respect Website at Dartmouth provides a wealth of information on your rights with regard to sexual respect and resources that are available to all in our community.

Please note that, as a faculty member, I am obligated to share disclosures regarding conduct under Title IX with Dartmouth's Title IX Coordinator. Confidential resources are also available, and include licensed medical or counseling professionals (e.g., a licensed psychologist), staff members of organizations recognized as rape crisis centers under state law (such as WISE), and ordained clergy (see https://dartgo.org/titleix_resources).

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Dartmouth's Title IX Coordinator or the Deputy Title IX Coordinator for the Guarini School. Their contact information can be found on the sexual respect website.