You are strongly encouraged to collaborate with one another in studying the lecture materials and preparing for quizzes and exams.
Problem sets will primarily involve individual-only problems that you must complete on your own. We may occasionally include a pair-optional problem that you may complete either 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 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.
Several problem sets will require you to write database queries. When writing a query, you must limit yourself to aspects of the query language that we have discussed in lecture, unless the problem indicates otherwise. At a minimum, failure to do so will result in a score of 0 for the corresponding problem.
We will assume you have carefully read and understood the University’s Academic Conduct Code.
You should also carefully review the CS department’s page on academic integrity.
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
using ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot or other forms of generative AI when writing code or solving other types of problems as part of your work on the homework assignments
posting your work where others can view it (e.g., online), even after you complete the course
receiving assistance or collaborating with others during an exam, or using materials or devices except those that are explicitly allowed.
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 receive a score of 0 on the assignment or exam in question.
Last updated on January 16, 2025.