Policies
Getting Help. Take advantage of the instructor and TA office hours. We will work hard to be accessible to students. Please send us email if you need to meet outside of office hours. Don’t be shy if you don’t understand something: come to office hours, send email, or speak up in class!
Announcements. Important announcements, such as assignment corrections or deadline changes, will be sent to the class via the Collab announcements for this class. Make sure that you have setup Collab to send you announcements to an email address that you will check regularly, as they may be time-sensitive.
Anonymous Feedback. Comments or suggestions are always welcome! Feel free to send them through the anonymous feedback tool in Collab.
Grading. The final course grade is based on the homework assignments (70% total) and exams (30%).
Homework assignments will consist of writing Python code to solve problems as well as written questions. Submissions must be Jupyter notebooks, which lets you combine formatted text and Python code in an easy-to-use format.
Homeworks are due by 11:59 PM on the due date. Late assignments will receive a 10% deduction during the first 24 hours they are late, and a 20% deduction if they are 24-48 hours late. Assignments will not be accepted beyond 48 hours late. If you have extenuating circumstances that would require an extension, for example, a medical emergency, please notify the instructor before the due date. Deadline extensions will not be given after the deadline has passed.
If you believe there is an error in grading (homeworks or exams), you may request a regrading within one week of receiving your grade. Requests must be made in writing by email, explaining clearly why you think there was an error in your grade.
Letter grade score ranges:
| Letter | Score Range |
|---|---|
| A+ | 98 - 100 |
| A | 93 - 97 |
| A- | 90 - 92 |
| B+ | 87 - 89 |
| B | 83 - 86 |
| B- | 80 - 82 |
| C+ | 77 - 79 |
| C | 73 - 76 |
| C- | 70 - 72 |
| D+ | 67 - 69 |
| D | 63 - 66 |
| D- | 60 - 62 |
| F | 0 - 59 |
Working Together. You are welcome to discuss the concepts in a homework assignment with your fellow classmates. However, you must develop and write up your solutions entirely on your own. Do not read another person’s answers or code, and do not show your answers or code to anyone else. Presenting someone else’s solutions as your own will be considered cheating.
You are welcome to use any online sources for learning concepts, example problems, programming tips, etc. However, posting homework questions on internet forums, or finding answers to specific questions from the internet, is not allowed and is considered cheating.
There must be no collaboration on quizzes.
You should be familiar with the UVA https://honor.virginia.edu/. If a student is caught cheating on a homework or exam, they will potentially receive grade penalties and be reported to the Honor Committee.
Students with disabilities or learning needs. It is my goal to create a learning experience that is as accessible as possible. If you anticipate any issues related to the format, materials, or requirements of this course, please meet with me outside of class so we can explore potential options. Students with disabilities may also wish to work with the Student Disability Access Center to discuss a range of options to removing barriers in this course, including official accommodations. Please visit their website for information on this process and to apply for services online: https://www.studenthealth.virginia.edu/sdac. If you have already been approved for accommodations through SDAC, please send me your accommodation letter and meet with me so we can develop an implementation plan together.
Discrimination and power-based violence. The University of Virginia is dedicated to providing a safe and equitable learning environment for all students. To that end, it is vital that you know two values that I and the University hold as critically important:
- Power-based personal violence will not be tolerated.
- Everyone has a responsibility to do their part to maintain a safe community on Grounds.
If you or someone you know has been affected by power-based personal violence, more information can be found on the UVA Sexual Violence website that describes reporting options and resources available - https://www.virginia.edu/sexualviolence.
As your professor and as a person, know that I care about you and your well-being and stand ready to provide support and resources as I can. As a faculty member, I am a responsible employee, which means that I am required by University policy and federal law to report what you tell me to the University’s Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX Coordinator’s job is to ensure that the reporting student receives the resources and support that they need, while also reviewing the information presented to determine whether further action is necessary to ensure survivor safety and the safety of the University community. If you wish to report something that you have seen, you can do so at the Just Report It portal. The worst possible situation would be for you or your friend to remain silent when there are so many here willing and able to help.
Religious accommodations. It is the University’s long-standing policy and practice to reasonably accommodate students so that they do not experience an adverse academic consequence when sincerely held religious beliefs or observances conflict with academic requirements.
Students who wish to request academic accommodation for a religious observance should submit their request in writing directly to me by email as far in advance as possible. Students who have questions or concerns about academic accommodations for religious observance or religious beliefs may contact the University’s Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights (EOCR) at UVAEOCR@virginia.edu or 434-924-3200.
Addendum (01/18/2023): Late Penalty Waivers. The first two days of homework late penalties that you incur will be waived. In other words, you will not receive the 10 pts deduction for either of the first two days you submit a late homework. This can be for used on any homework throughout the semester. You can take two days for a single homework, or one day each for two homeworks.