Instructor: Neil Immerman, immerman@cs.umass.edu
Work: Very important is that before each class you have read the material for the upcoming class. Comments and questions on the reading on Piazza, especially if posted before the relevant class, will be a great help to the learning process.
We will have short problems sets due approximately every other week (50% of grade) and we will have a take-home midterm handed out at noon, March 11, and due by noon March 12 (35% of grade). The other 15% will be based on various kinds of participation including asking and answering questions about the readings, handouts and lectures in class, at office hours and on Piazza.
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.
Please do not look up answers to problems, especially not on the web. The only appropriate places to look things up are in the text and 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.
Late Homework: Homework will be submitted in pdf to Gradescope. I encourage you to to use LaTex. You may produce your solutions some other way as long as they are neat, clear and easy to read. It is important to keep up with the current material by handing in your homework on time. If your homework is late, but less than one week late, we will deduct 10% off that homework's grade. Everyone gets one free late hw, i.e., the first time you are late, we won't take off the 10%.
Office Hours and Piazza: I am delighted to answer questions and discuss the course material -- broadly construed -- during and after class or during my office hours, and on-line on Piazza. If someone asks a question on Piazza and you think you can answer, please go ahead! This helps all of us. Thoughtful questions and answers on Piazza help the whole class and they will be a positive contribution to your "participation" grade.