Data Structures and Algorithms

Policies

Academic Integrity

In Brief

The spirit of this policy is that actions which shortcut the learning process are forbidden while actions which promote learning are encouraged. Studying lecture materials together, for example, provides an additional avenue for learning and is encouraged. But using a solution you did not develop yourself (even if you asked a robot to do it) is prohibited because it avoids the learning process entirely. It is your responsibility to know what is permissible and what is not. If you have any questions or doubts, please contact your instructor.

In Detail

Academic honesty is required in all your work. Under no circumstances may you hand in work done with or by someone else under your own name. Discussing ideas and approaches to problems with others on a general level is encouraged, but you should never share your solutions with anyone else nor allow others to share solutions with you. You may not examine solutions belonging to someone else, nor may you let anyone else look at or make a copy of your solutions. This includes, but is not limited to, obtaining solutions from students who previously took the course or solutions that can be found online. The use of generative AI (e.g., chatGPT or GitHub CoPilot) is also considered to be unauthorized collaboration with an outside source and is a violation of our academic integrity policy.

You may not share information about your solution in such a manner that a student could reconstruct your solution in a meaningful way (such as by dictation, providing a detailed outline, or discussing specific aspects of the solution). You may not share your solutions even after the due date of the assignment.

In your solutions, you are permitted to include material which was distributed in class, material which is found in the course textbook, and material developed by or with an assigned partner. In these cases, you should always include detailed comments indicating on which parts of the assignment you received help and what your sources were.

When working on tests, exams, or similar assessments, you are not permitted to communicate with anyone about the exam during the entire examination period (even if you have already submitted your work). You are not permitted to use any resources to complete the exam other than those explicitly permitted by course policy. (For instance, you may not look at the course website during the exam unless explicitly permitted by the instructor when the exam is distributed.)

Failure to abide by these rules constitutes academic dishonesty and will lead to a hearing of the College Judiciary Committee. According to the Faculty Handbook:

Because plagiarism is considered to be so serious a transgression, it is the opinion of the faculty that for the first offense, failure in the course and, as appropriate, suspension for a semester or deprivation of the degree in that year is suitable; for a second offense, the penalty should normally be expulsion.

This policy applies to all course work, including but not limited to code, written solutions (e.g. proofs, analyses, reports, etc.), exams, and so on. This is not meant to be an enumeration of all possible violations; students are responsible for seeking clarification if there is any doubt about the level of permissible communication.

Please ask an instructor if you have any questions about what is permissible in this course.

Grades

Grades in the course are weighted as follows:

Lab Assignments 35%
Tests 30%
Final Exam 30%
Class Participation 5%

Tests

Tests are given at the beginning of lab on the days posted in the schedule. Please arrive at class promptly to ensure that you do not lose time on the test. If you are unable to attend class for a test, contact your instructor as soon as possible to make appropriate arrangements.

Tests are conducted on paper but have a great deal to do with course material. A test may ask, for instance, what a given program will do when it is executed. Generally, you must complete the test without the use of a computer. Practice what you’ve learned in class so you can be prepared!

Lab Assignments

Every student taking CS35 must also be enrolled in a corresponding lab section. Labs assignments are always due on Wednesday night (at 11:59 pm) unless an exception is noted in the schedule.

Throughout the course, there are two forms of lab assignment: individual labs and team labs. The first labs will be individual labs to ensure that everyone is familiar with the basics of C++ and the course material. Later, we will transition to labs completed in two person teams to allow you to work on larger, more interesting projects and to ensure that each student has experience working in groups to build software.

Late Policy

Lab assignments will typically be assigned in lab and will be due before midnight on Wednesday. You are strongly encouraged to start early and to attend the ninja sessions for extra practice.

You must submit your assignments electronically by pushing to your assigned git repository. You may push your assignment multiple times, and a history of previous submissions will be saved. You are encouraged to push your work regularly.

To help with cases of minor illnesses, athletic conflicts, or other short-term time limitations, all students start the course with two “late assignment days” to be used at your discretion with no questions asked. To use your extra time, you must email your professor after you have completed the lab and pushed to your repository. You do not need to inform anyone ahead of time. When you use late time, you should still expect to work on the newly-released lab during the following lab section meeting. The professor and ninjas will always prioritize answering questions related to the current lab assignment.

Your late days will be counted at the granularity of full days and will be tracked on a per-student (NOT per-partnership) basis. That is: if you turn in an assignment two hours after the deadline and contact your professor to use a late day, you have used one full late day. For partnered labs, using a late day counts towards the late days for each partner.

Exceptional Cases

If you feel that you need an extension on an assignment or that you are unable to attend class for two or more meetings due to a medical condition (e.g., extended illness, concussion, hospitalization) or other emergency, you must contact the dean’s office and your instructors. Faculty will coordinate with the deans to determine and provide the appropriate accommodations. Note that for illnesses, the College’s medical excuse policy, states that you must be seen and diagnosed by the Worth Health Center if you would like them to contact your class dean with corroborating medical information.

Final Exam

The format of the final exam is very much like the tests, but longer. By the time you take the final, you’ll have prepared for these questions by taking the tests throughout semester. As long as you’re comfortable with those questions, you should have little to worry about.

The final exam has not yet been posted. Check the schedule for when it will be announced.

Participation

This portion of your grade is established based upon your engagement in the course. It is not graded stringently; participation is effectively a free boost to your grade as long as you:

Students who are routinely absent from lecture, miss lab sessions, or otherwise do not interact meaningfully with the course will not receive full credit here. This is an easy way to improve your grade; don’t miss out!

Academic Accommodations

If you believe you need accommodations for a disability or a chronic medical condition, please visit the Student Disability Services website for details about the accommodations process. Since accommodations require early planning and are not retroactive, contact Student Disability Services as soon as possible. You are also welcome to contact your instructors privately to discuss your academic needs. However, all disability-related accommodations must be arranged, in advance, through Student Disability Services.

Exam Policy

Students must strictly adhere to the following policy, which applies to all exams taken in a Computer Science course at Swarthmore.

Exam takers must place all non-essential items at the front of the room (or other designated area). Unless otherwise permitted, students may not have any electronic devices or course materials in their possession during the entirety of the exam. This includes cell phones, tablets, laptops, smart watches, course notes, articles and books, among others. These items should be placed at the front of the room near the proctor. If you need to leave the room during the exam, you must obtain permission from an instructor first. Any non-permitted discussion or aide in regards to exam material will result in immediate forfeiture of the exam and a report to the College Judiciary Committee. Please discuss any concerns or accommodations with your instructor prior to starting the exam.