Intro to Computer Engineering
Course Policies
Grading Policy
Your course grade in CSE 132 will be based on a weighted average of the following components:
Studio work (15%)
Your work in studio will typically be undertaken in small groups. You must arrive on time and be present in studio to receive credit, and you must work steadily through the session until the TAs have cleared your group's work. You are not graded on how far you get, but on how well you explore the issues you are investigating. (See Late Policies and Missed Work too)
Arrival more than ten minutes late will result in forfeit of the studio credit.
Assignments (45%)
Assignments are designed to provide practical experience with central topics of the course. For most assignments you will be able to work in pairs. For each assignment you will have conferences with a TA to explain your design, demonstrate your working solution and to present of your implementation. Your presentations at these conferences are part of your grade on the assignment. Each assignment will have a rubric that details how the work will be graded. (See Late Policies and Missed Work too)
Exams (30%)
There will be three exams (each worth 10%) to evaluate your understanding of concepts covered in lecture and in the readings. There will be a help session devoted to reviewing for each exam. (See Late Policies and Missed Work too)
Quizzes (10%)
Quizzes will cover content from the prep material and assignments. There are two types of quizzes:
- Pre-Studio (A) Quizzes. These quizzes are short and are intended to ensure that you are prepared for the day's studio session. These will be due before studio. Three attempts are allowed.
- Post-Assignment (B) Quizzes. These quizzes are more complex and review the material. These will be due the same day as the assignments. Three submissions are allowed.
See Late Policies and Missed Work too.
Course Evaluations (1% Extra Credit)
1% extra credit can be earned for the entire class if at least 75% of the enrolled students complete the standard university course evaluation survey, which will be emailed to you near the end of the semester. Providing feedback to help us improve the course is an important part of course participation, so it is worth 1% of your grade. Credit is based on completing the survey before its deadline (not your responses to the survey — specific responses are not provided until after final grades are in and are provided in an anonymized form).
Late Coupons (1% Extra Credit)
Each unused late coupon (See Late Policies and Missed Work) is worth 1/14 of 1% extra credit. So, a total of 1% extra credit can be earned if no late coupons are used.
Practice Exams (1% Extra Credit)
Before each of the three exams, a Canvas quiz with sample exam questions will be made available. Up to 1/3 of 1% extra credit can be earned by successfully completing each of these. 1% extra credit can be earned in total. Three attempts are allowed for each one.
Course Grades
Your course grade will be determined approximately as follows:
| Range | Grade |
|---|---|
| [93-100 | A |
| [90-93) | A- |
| [88-90) | B+ |
| [83-88) | B |
| [80-83) | B- |
| [70-80) | C |
| [60-70) | D |
| <60) | F |
Grades will be recorded on Canvas. Please check there periodically to be sure everything is correct.
If you have concerns about your grade at any time during the course, see an instructor or contact the Head TA. Please do not direct these kinds of questions to other TAs, unless it is a question about an assignment graded by that particular TA.
Late Policies and Missed Work
Success in CSE 132 depends on keeping up with the assignments. At the same time, we don't want you to be stressed out over deadlines. With this in mind, the following late policy has been established. Please read it carefully so that you understand your options. Exceptions to this policy will be granted only in the case of a documented extended illness, documented family emergency, directly conflicting religious observance, or documented university conflict (such as travel for an athletic event). Consult the course calendar for quiz dates, exam dates, and assignment due dates.
Quizzes
Quizzes must be submitted by the day they are due as shown on the course calendar. No make up quizzes will be given.
Your lowest two (2) quiz scores will be dropped and not impact your grade.
Exams
Exams must be taken on the day they are given. If you anticipate that you must be away from campus on the day of an exam, you should notify the instructor by email at least one week in advance of the date of the exam. Include in your email the reason for the anticipated absence and a list of alternative times when you could take the exam. If you are ill on the date of an exam, you should provide the instructor with documentation of the illness and arrange for a make-up exam date as soon as possible. In any case, you must not discuss the contents of an exam with anyone between the time it is given and the time you take the exam.
Assignments
Start assignments right away, so you have time to complete them and submit them by the due date. If you wait until the last minute and get stuck, you may have trouble getting help. Also, by finishing assignments on time, you will be ready to start each new assignment as soon as it is assigned.
The deadline for any assignment may be extended at the discretion of the instructor. The CEC labs may be unavailable for brief periods due to unforeseen circumstances. Such outages are to be expected and will not normally result in an extension.
Fourteen late coupons: Each student is issued fourteen virtual late coupons for use during this semester. Please read the details below carefully:
- Assignments will only be accepted until the end of the Thursday session following the original due date! That is, there is a maximum of one week late.
- Assignments may be demoed during most TA office hours except during Wednesday office hours, which are dedicated to helping students with the current assignment.
- Assignment demos will be done on a first-come-first-served basis. There is no guarantee that all demos will be complete, so arrive early or risk having to use additional late coupons.
- It may not be possible to sign up for demos in the last 20 minutes of office hours. You must sign up with sufficient time for the demo.
- A coupon will be used for each calendar day until an assignment is demoed.
- If you are working on an assignment with a partner, each member of the team must contribute a late coupon for each day and both people need to have sufficient late coupons.
- A small amount of bonus credit will be given for unused late coupons.
Just to recap:
- No assignment can be more than one calendar week late.
- Demo as soon after the original due date as possible to minimize the number of late coupons used.
- When you expect to complete work late, take into consideration the schedule of TA office hours.
- Remember that TA hours can be busy. If you plan to demo during office hours, arrive early, sign up, and be patient.
Assignment Demos
Assignments require that you give a demonstration of your working assignment to a TA. This may be done during a lab section or during normally scheduled TA hours, with the exception of Wednesday hours. You should complete your demo by the end of the lab session on the day your assignment is due, or a late coupon must be used.
Since lab sessions serve as the normal time to demo assignments, the TAs will first demo individuals or groups that have finished the assignment before answering questions on the next assignment. TAs will not answer questions on the assignment due that day. If you are doing a demo in a lab section, you must sign up for your demo at the beginning of the lab section (within the first 15 minutes) and you must be prepared to demo immediately when it is your turn. If you have questions or need help on the current assignment, Urbauer 216 will have help available.
You can not re-demo your work under ordinary circumstances (i.e., you can not have your work partly graded then ask to be regraded if you are disappointed with the result). Do not request a demo unless you are done with your work and it is ready to be graded.
Your work in this class often depends on circuits constructed on breadboards (and carried to class). Unfortunately these sorts of projects are somewhat fragile. You should always thoroughly test your work before signing up for a demo to ensure everything works correctly. Often simply tightening connections will fix any problems, but this isn't always the case. If you believe you are suffering from a hardware failure, see if you can borrow hardware from a classmate, TA, or instructor and proceed with the demo. If you're unable to find substitute hardware you may have to use a late coupon to complete your work.
Studios
As stated in the attendance policy, studio sessions are required. You can miss one studio during the semester without penalty. No make up studios are allowed.
Attendance Policy
Attendance isn't normally taken, however credit for studios does require both attendance and participation in studio sessoins. Physically attending class but actively working on things from other classes (for example) will result not getting credit for that day’s studio. Attending Thursday sessions is the primary way to demo assignments, however it is possible to demo an assignment during TA office hours Thursday through Tuesday.
Collaboration Policy
Honestly represent your work. The material you turn in for course credit must be a fair representation of your own work. Copying another's work is strictly prohibited.
Give help appropriately. When helping someone, it is important not to simply give them a solution, because then they may not understand it fully and will not be able to solve a similar problem next time. It's always important to take the time to help someone think through the problem and develop the solution. Often, this can be accomplished by asking them a series of leading questions. Remember the old saying:
Give someone a fish and they'll eat for a day. Teach someone to fish and they'll eat for a lifetime.
Give credit for help received. If you receive help from people (besides the TAs or an instructor), you must list their names where appropriate using comments in the material you submit.
Work individually or in groups. Studio work is collaborative and is always performed in groups of two to four people. Working in groups can be beneficial because you can discuss design options and catch each other's mistakes. Pair programming is permitted for most lab assignments, subject to the following rules:
- Only two people may work together. (Groups of three or more are not allowed.)
- You must work side by side on the entire lab. It is your responsibility to schedule time to complete the lab when both of you are available.
- You must take turns at the keyboard, preferably switching at each step of the assignment.
- You must discuss each solution as you are completing the lab (not just watch the other person type).
- You may NOT divide up the assignment and each do part of it. Both partners must participate in completing the entire assignment.
There is zero tolerance of Academic Dishonesty. We will be actively searching for academic dishonesty on all homework assignments, quizzes, and exams. If you are guilty of cheating on any assignment or exam, you will be referred to the School of Engineering Discipline Committee. In severe cases, this can lead to expulsion from the University, as well as possible deportation for international students. If you copy from anyone in the class both parties will be penalized, regardless of which direction the information flowed. This is your only warning.
Please refer to the University Undergraduate Academic Integrity Policy, for more information. If you suspect that you may be entering an ambiguous situation, it is your responsibility to clarify it before the professor or TAs detect it. If in doubt, please ask.
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