CMPSCI 513 & 613 Requirements Fall, 2021

Work: Very important is that before each class you have read the material for the upcoming class. As you read, please make a comment on Piazza or ask a question or try to answer someone else's question at least once per week. If the reading is for Lecture 3, then use the label lect3 for your question or comment. There will be problems sets due every other Thursdays (35% of grade), a midterm (25% of grade) and a final for 513 and a project for 613 (25% of grade). The other 15% will be based on participation. These numbers are approximate. I will try to get to know as many of you as I can and evaluate what you have learned and what you have contributed.

Homeworks will be due in pdf, on line, every other Thursday before midnight. You should create your solutions using LaTex. (If your hw is created with a different system, or written by hand and scanned, we will not grade it unless it is extremely neat and easy to read.) Late homework may be handed in no later than 1 week late, for a deduction of 10% of the grade except everyone gets one free late hw. Homeworks more than 1 week late will not be considered because solutions to the homework will be posted on Piazza Friday mornings, a week after they were due. I want everyone to do all of the hw's, so I don't drop the lowest hw grade, but I look at all the grades and from there try to come up with a fair final grade. One poor hw won't hurt you.

Cooperation: 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. I encourage such questions in class and office hours and on Piazza. However, there is a line past which you must not go, e.g., sharing or looking up a solution is not okay. If a significant part of one of your solutions is due to someone else, or something you've read then you must acknowledge your source! Furthermore, all solutions must be written up by you, alone, in your own words. Handing in anything that you have copied from any source will be considered plagiarism and could result in a zero on the assignment, failure in the course, or worse. See the UMass, Amherst Academic Honesty Policy and Procedures for more information.

Please do not look up answers to problems, especially not on the web. The only appropriate places to look things up are in the readings, your notes and the notes I post. To do a problem, ask for clarifications until you understand the problem. Try it on small examples, play with it, make sure you understand the problem or ask a simple question about a small instance of the problem on Piazza. This will help clarify your thoughts and it will help your classmates and me, by making sure that all questions have been clearly stated and you can fruitfully work towards their solution. This fruitful work is the best way to learn the course material and this kind of learning will stay with you.

Which Questions about the Homework are Appropriate on Piazza? If you have a question about the meaning of any current homework question, that's fine for Piazza. However, please be very careful not to give anything away towards a solution. If you are not sure if your question is appropriate, then send it privately to the instructors. We will answer and we will make it public if appropriate.