CS/ECE 372  Introduction to Computer Networks
Spring 2008
Course Policies and Expectations

Preparation and Attendance
    Please be on time for class with reading assignments and homework assignments completed.  Some of the material covered in class is not covered in the textbook, and much of the material in the reading assignments will not be covered in class.  Most of the information required for completing projects and other assignments will be presented in class.  All of these sources are covered on exams.  Do not expect a private tutorial if you skip lectures.
    You are encouraged to ask questions in class, as this can often benefit the entire group.
    A student who is absent from class due to illness or family emergency should notify instructors as soon as possible (either by phone, e-mail or in person). Notifying instructors and discussing missed work is the responsibility of the student.
    In serious situations or when the student is unable to contact instructors, the student or family members may contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 541-737-8748 for assistance. The Office of Dean of Students will provide notification of the absence to the student’s instructors and the college head advisor. Students are reminded that providing false or misleading information to obtain an excused absence is a violation of student conduct regulations and may result in university student conduct action. See OAR 576-015-0020(6) at website http://oregonstate.edu/admin/stucon/regs.htm

Accommodations
    Students with documented disabilities who may need accommodations, who have any emergency medical information the instructor should be aware of, or who need special arrangements in the event of evacuation, should make an appointment with the instructor as early as possible, and no later than the first week of the term.  Class materials will be made available in accessible format upon request.

Academic honesty
    Honesty is absolutely essential in order for learning to take place.  It will form the foundation of your professional integrity in your career.  In homework and programming assignments, it is often difficult for a grader to distinguish between legitimate help and plagiarism.  Therefore, you might be able to get a good score without really understanding what you have handed in.
    If you are having trouble with an assignment, you are encouraged to discuss it with other students, TAs, the instructor, or anyone else who will listen, but don’t just have someone else tell you how to solve the problem!  If other students ask you for help, don’t just let them copy your work!  It is possible to discuss problems without plagiarizing.  One of the best methods of debugging is to explain your solution to someone else.
    If you get help from, give help to, or "work together" with someone, you must (in the program header block) list that person as a collaborator and describe the help.  Programs that are very similar will be subjected to review unless both programs indicate that they were produced collaboratively.
    If you get help from printed or online sources, you must cite your references.
    The bottom line is:  Each student is expected to produce and understand all aspects of his/her own programs and solutions.

Evaluation criteria

Labs / reports (10% of total): In most cases, you will be required to sign up for a 2-hour time slot in order to complete each lab. Labs will be run by the TAs in Dearborn 205.  Reports are due by 11:59 PM on the due date, and should be submitted as word-processed documents.  Although you are encouraged to collaborate on lab experiments, each student is expected to write and submit an individual lab report.  The submission web site can be found at:  http://engr.oregonstate.edu/teach.   No late reports will be accepted.  Labs are graded for completeness and accuracy.

Homework assignments (5% of total): These are usually made up of problems from the textbook and other short-answer problems. A hardcopy of each assignment is to be submitted in class.  Homework answer keys will be posted and/or discussed in class.

Programming assignments (20% of total) will be implemented in C, and must be executable on the engr flip server. Programs must be submitted by 11:59 PM on the due date. The submission web site can be found at:  http://engr.oregonstate.edu/teach
    Programs are graded on a 50-point scale, distributed as follows:
   ·        10           Identification, program description, where to execute, documentation (including function headers), etc.
   ·        25         Correctness, completeness and robustness
   ·        10*       Fulfills system requirements
   ·        5           Readability of code/output
* Programming assignments include a set of system requirements.  These specify certain methods, structures, etc., that must be used in the solution (even if they might not represent the “best” way to solve the problem).  Remember that the purpose of these requirements is to reinforce the concepts.

Quizzes (15% of total) are given in class.  These will usually contain short-answer type questions.   Three quizzes will be given, but the lowest of these scores will be dropped.  This is intended to cover all kinds of reasons and excuses for missing one quiz, so missed quizzes may not be made up.

Exams - midterms (30% of total) and final (20% of total) - will contain multiple choice, short answer, and coding questions. If you have a conflict for any exam, be sure to resolve it before the end of the second week of classes.  Missed exams may not be made up except in cases of verifiable medical emergencies.

NOTE: Extra credit may be available in any of the evaluation categories, but excess points in one category may not carry over to another category.

Grading scale

Your term total will be calculated using the weights described above, and converted to a letter grade using the following scale: