CMPSCI 250: Introduction to Computation

All work submitted must be your own in presentation. How much outside help is allowed depends on the course component.

The exams are closed-book and no outside help is allowed. Any cheating on an exam is grounds for an F in the course.
In discussions, almost anything goes as a source of information, including the instructor, TA, and your classmates, but you must still write up the solution in your own words so direct copying is not allowed.
With homework the situation is in between and the rule harder to specify. You may discuss homework with other students, in fact students should talk to each other about the subject matter of this class and help each other. It is fine to discuss the problems and ask questions about them. We encourage such questions in class as well as elsewhere. But the writeup must be your work. Copying is not allowed, and collaboration so close that it looks like copying is not allowed. (In general, if I get two identical homeworks I will accept neither of them, i.e., both get F's, and will give you a stern warning that could lead to formal action the next time.) A good practice is to divide your work into an "ideas phase" where you collaborate and a "writeup phase" where you work alone -- enter the writeup phase with notes, but not written solutions.
If you make use of a printed or on-line source for the homework, other than specific course materials such as the textbook or web site, please mention it in your writeup. Of course copying a solution to a problem from the web is cheating, and this is easier for us to detect than you might think.

Last modified 31 July 2006