Collaboration and Academic Misconduct

Collaboration Policy

You are strongly encouraged to collaborate with one another in studying the lecture materials and preparing for quizzes and exams.

Problem sets will include two types of problems:

• individual-only problems that you must complete on your own

• pair-optional problems that you may complete alone or with one other student.

For both types of problems, you may discuss ideas and approaches with others (provided that you acknowledge this in your solution), but such discussions should be kept at a high level, and should not involve actual details of the code or of other types of answers. You must complete the actual solution on your own (or, in the case of a pair-optional problem, with your partner if you choose to use one).

Rules for working with a partner on pair-optional problems:

• You may not work with more than one partner on a given assignment. (However, you are welcome to switch partners between assignments.)

• You may not split up the work and complete it separately.

• You must work together at the same computer for every problem that you complete as a pair. While you are working, the screen should be visible to both of you. One person should type, while the other person observes, critiques, and plans what to do next. You must switch roles periodically, and your solution should be a true collaborative effort.

• You must both submit the same solution to each problem that you did as a pair, and you must clearly indicate that you worked on the problem as a pair by putting your partner’s name at the top of the file.

Academic Misconduct

We will assume that you understand the University’s Academic Conduct Code.

Prohibited behaviors include:

• copying all or part of someone else’s work, even if you subsequently modify it; this includes cases in which someone else tells you what you should write for your solution

• viewing all or part of someone else’s work (with the exception of work that you and your partner do together on a pair-optional problem)

• showing all or part of your work to another student (with the exception of work that you and your partner do together on a pair-optional problem)

• consulting solutions from past semesters, or those found online or in books

• posting your work where others can view it (e.g., online).

Incidents of academic misconduct will be reported to the Academic Conduct Committee (ACC). The ACC may suspend or expel students found guilty of misconduct. At a minimum, students who engage in misconduct will have their final grade reduced by one letter grade (e.g., from a B to a C).