Attendance & Labs: Four unexcused absences from the lecture will be accepted, but the fifth absence will result in an automatic F. Labs attendance is also required, though will only factor towards your participation points. You may choose not to attend a lab if you have completed the assignment being worked on that week.
Methods of Evaluation: All produced work will be evaluated in terms of adherence to the assignment specifications and overall quality. All produced work will be evaluated in terms of usefulness (does it work?), quality (does your solution scale to other instances of the same type of problem?), efficiency (does your solution solve the problem in a reasonable amount of time?), and general insightfulness (did you think the problem through thoroughly?). You should not simply regurgitate information or copy and paste programming functions you find in the textbook or online. Exams and quizzes will be evaluated using grade points. All coursework will be graded using standard grade points or using the following grading scale: A, B, C, D, and F. Grade points will be converted into letter grades using the standard conventions. Final grades will be assigned using the UCF grading scale.
Email Policy: When sending me an email, include the course prefix, course number, and day of the week in the subject line of your email. For example, for this course your subject line should read dig3716 in all email you send me regarding this class. I will not read any email that arrives without this formatted subject line.
Assignment Format Policy: All assignments should be submitted according to the instructions provided for that assignment. Any deviations from these instructions will result in a loss of grade points for that assignment.
Exam and Quiz Policy: There are 2 exams in this class: a midterm and a final. Material for the exams will come from in-class lectures and activities and from assigned readings. Makeup exams will only be given in case of a medical emergency or other type of documented medical or legal crisis. Documentation is required to schedule a makeup examination. We reserve the right to administer reading quizzes at any time in the semester. Points for reading quizzes will be allocated as in-class activities or as part of your class participation grade. Any scheduled or pop quizzes cannot be made up for any reason. If the majority of the class keeps up with reading assignments and attends class on a normal basis, then quizzes will likely not be given.
Plagiarism: Students should only present material that is their own original work. Presenting material from any other author must be documented as such. Plagiarism is not acceptable and will result without exception in a failing grade, subject to further academic inquiry and discipline not excluding academic probation and expulsion.
Dates and Deadlines: Important dates and deadlines will be noted on our class web site. The class schedule may change at any time. We will make any announcements regarding changes to our schedule in class. It is your responsibility to attend class and to discover the most current dates and deadlines for projects; don’t simply assume the entire semester will progress according to this schedule. If you miss class for any reason, it is your responsibility to contact a student in the course for notes and any assignments. “I wasn’t in class so I didn’t know this was due” is not an excuse for a missed deadline.
Makeup Policy: It is college policy that with proper documentation, makeup exams are given for jury duty and military service. Otherwise, I won’t offer any makeup exam unless your situation is dire and documented. Assignments CANNOT be made up. However, assignments can be turned in late (within one week of the original due date) for less than full credit. See “Late Assignments Policy” below.
Late Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to a week after their due date with points deducted.
Student Disability Access Statement: The University of Central Florida is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities. This syllabus is available in alternate formats upon request. Students with disabilities who need accommodations in this course must contact the professor at the beginning of the semester to discuss needed accommodations. No accommodations will be provided until the student has met with the professor to request accommodations. Students who need accommodations must be registered with Student Disability Services, Student Resource Center Room 132, phone (407) 823-2371, TTY/TDD only phone (407) 823-2116, before requesting accommodations from the professor.
