These policies are subject to change until the beginning of the semester and throughout the remainder of the course, at the judgment of the course staff.
All times listed on the course webpage are in Eastern Standard Time (EST).
You are not alone in this course; the course staff are here to support you as you learn the material. It’s expected that some aspects of the course will take time to master, and the best way to master challenging material is to ask questions. We will use Piazza for online questions and discussions.
The course staff will be holding regular office hours. We have listed their times on our staff page.
The Q-Center is a great resource as well. You can book an appointment online.
More academic support, e.g. peer mentors, academic coaches, and others, can be found at https://www.brynmawr.edu/academicsupport/academic-and-student-support-services. Students are encouraged to reach out to the Director of Academic Support to explore effective learning, studying, test-taking, note-taking and time and stress management strategies that are essential to success in this course and college life. Students can schedule a meeting with the Director of Academic Support by visiting the Office of Academic Support website.
Grades in this course are largely quiz/exam based (70%) with homeworks and labs being worth a total of 30%. The assignments are meant to assist you in learning the material and practicing your programming skills. Having a strong understanding and mastery of the material will give you the best chance to perform well on the exam, and beyond. This course is foundational for a CS career, both at Bryn Mawr and beyond. Learning the content and building your skills in this course are crucial to investing in yourself as a computer scientist.
Understanding a given solution is very far away from being able to come up with one yourself. The following are guidelines to avoid shortcuts:
Attendance at and active participation in all lectures and labs are expected of all students. Participation will be taken into account when awarding final grades for students who are “on the edge” between two grades. For example, a student with a B+/A- average and a strong attendance and participation record would receive an A-, while a student with a weak record would receive a B+.
Missing a quiz or exam without prior approval will result in a 0. Conflicts with scheduled quizzes and exams for reasons such as religious observances, athletic events or other planned absences must be reported to the instructor during the first two weeks of classes (or as soon as such events are announced), with documentation so that makeup dates may be arranged. Medical, family or other emergencies must be reported as soon as possible, with accompanying documentation from a doctor or your dean.
Deadlines on assignments are intended to help students stay on track and prevent work from accumulating to an unmanageable level. In addition to the posted due date, a “late deadline” will be set in Gradescope 2 days after the original deadline. During this period, the submission window will remain open and no late penalty will be applied. Timely submissions may also be considered when determining final course grades for students whose overall performance falls near a grade boundary. After the late deadline, students must request an extension by emailing the instructors with accompanying documentation from a doctor or your dean.
It can be difficult to estimate how long an assignment will take. Start assignments early and work incrementally. As you are coding, compile early and often. There is no limit to the number of times you can submit to gradescope while the submission window is open. Continue submitting partial solutions to incrementally earn points. A submission that does not compile on gradescope will not earn any correctness points (up to 95% of the overall grade). Be strategic in your work such that you can earn partial credit if the assignment is not fully completed by the deadline.
Collaboration is encouraged. You may discuss ideas and approaches with classmates, but your submission must reflect your own work. Please do not directly share code or answers.
Students with learning accommodations are encouraged to contact the instructors early in the semester with a verification letter.