Software Engineering

Policies

Academic Integrity

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. Your code should never be shared with anyone; you may not examine or use code belonging to someone else, nor may you let anyone else look at or make a copy of your code. This includes, but is not limited to, obtaining solutions from students who previously took the course or code that can be found online. You may not share solutions after the due date of the assignment.

Discussing ideas and approaches to problems with others on a general level is fine (in fact, we encourage you to discuss general strategies with each other), but you should never read anyone else’s code or let anyone else read your code. All code you submit must be your own with the following permissible exceptions: code distributed in class, code found in the course text book, and code worked on with an assigned partner. In these cases, you should always include detailed comments that indicates on which parts of the assignment you received help, and what your sources were.

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.” Be aware that we will be routinely running plagiarism detection software on your submissions!

Please contact me if you have any questions about what is permissible in this course.

Coursework and Grades

The work in this course is divided into the following categories with the following weight on the final grade:

Group Project

Throughout this course, students will work in groups to complete a semester-long software engineering project. This project proceeds in a number of iterations as listed on the course schedule. The group project will also involve two presentations: one to the class during the semester and one to the instructor in lieu of the final exam.

After each iteration, group members will be required to complete a confidential review of each other group member’s performance. Failure to complete this review will have a negative grading impact. These reviews are used to ensure that group members are contributing fairly and equally to their project. Students who do not contribute equally to their group projects should expect to see their grades adjusted accordingly. Grade adjustments are not made solely on the basis of peer review, but this information is taken into account.

Group project iterations are due on Sunday evenings (except where indicated due to college breaks). Late iteration submissions will only be accepted in exceptional cases as discussed below.

Individual Assignments

Students will also complete individual written and coding assignments throughout the semester. These assignments are to be completed according to the Academic Integrity Policy above. Group members may not assist each other in the completion of individual assignments. Although students are encouraged to discuss the general concepts of the course with their groups, sharing answers to these assignments is a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy and will be treated accordingly.

Individual assignments are due either on Wednesday or Sunday evenings; see the assignments on the course schedule. To assist 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 the student’s discretion, with no questions asked. To use extra time, students must email the professor after completing the assignment. Students are not required to inform anyone ahead of time. Late days will be counted at the granularity of full days; that is, if you turn in an assignment five minutes after the deadline, it counts as using one day.

In-Class Test

This course will include one test to be held during lecture time. The contents of this test will be much like the individual assignments listed above. The best preparation for this test is the completion of those assignments.

Attendance

Attendance is required in all lab sessions and some lecture sessions. Lab sessions are primarily used for group project work; students must attend lab in order to support their group partners. Some lecture sessions are interactive and operate in much the same way as lab sessions; attendance is required in these lectures as well. Those lectures where attendance is required are clearly marked on the course schedule. Attendance in other lectures is not required but is strongly encouraged, as this is the source of much of the individual assignment material.

Exceptions to Late Policy

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.

Academic Accommodations

If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact the Office of Student Disability Services (Parrish 113W) or email studentdisabilityservices at swarthmore.edu to arrange an appointment to discuss your needs. As appropriate, the Office will issue students with documented disabilities a formal Accommodations Letter. Since accommodations require early planning and are not retroactive, please contact the Office of Student Disability Services as soon as possible. For details about the accommodations process, visit the Student Disability Service Website. You are also welcome to contact me [the faculty member] privately to discuss your academic needs. However, all disability-related accommodations must be arranged through the Office of Student Disability Services.