Grades will be divided between individual work and group work as follows:
This will include two projects during the quarter. Each group member will also evaluate the work of his or her fellow group members: this will be factored into the grades each member receives out of the group grade as a whole.
Assignments are due in class on the day indicated. There is a late policy.
This will cover lecture and reading material for weeks 1-4. It will be an in-class exam.
This will cover lecture and reading material for weeks 6-10. It will be an in-class exam.
Individual work will be tested by two in-class exams. If you do not keep up with the reading or lecture material, it is unlikely you will pass these exams. Further, some project material will show up on the exams. Hence, you must have a general idea of how your group project pieces fit together, even if you don't work on all sections. In other words, if you don't participate fully in your group, you will not do well on the exams.
We expect groups to be self-contained and not share work with other groups. We know that it may be tempting to ask other groups for help if your group is stuck. Don't do it. We have plenty of help available (two instructors and two GTFs). See us.
If another group asks your group for help, politely say no. Remind them that there is plently of help available through 422 staff. And you really are not helping them by giving them hints or answers - they will not learn the skills of 422 if you provide them answers.
To more unpleasant matters, we understand that it may be tempting to borrow other groups' code given that every group is working on the same project. The 422 staff will be on the lookout for duplicate sections of code from two or more groups. If we see code that look suspiciously similar, we will follow the rules layed out by the university (see below).
Here are university policies for cheating: Policies and Guidelines for Faculty, Instructors and Students
Our interpretation of this is as follows: any case of suspected cheating in 422 will require that we write a letter to the student conduct department on campus describing the details. We meet with the groups, with counsel. The case may go to a university board for trial. Penalties can vary from no credit on a project (in all probability leading to failure of the course) to being kicked out of CS major to being kicked out of university. In any case, grades are held until final determination.
For your group to avoid this unpleasantness, consider the following: (1) Do not leave your code listings laying around. If you print something out, go get it immediately. This is the most likely place where someone else can get your code. You don't want this to happen. We cannot determine who took what code from whom so both groups enter the lengthy cheating process described above. (2) Make sure your cvs directory remains unreadable and unwritable by others. (3) Don't ask another group for help. You are putting them in danger. Come see a 422 staff member if your group needs help.
Read the details of the university process. But the bottomline is to be protective of your group's work, and to see 422 staff if you are stuck.