CS 5/662, Winter 2023
| Participation 15% |
Attendance at all sessions and labs; other participation. |
| Homework 50% |
Completion of all homework problem sets and other assignments |
| Final Project 35% |
As described |
Attendance is required. If you need to miss a class, I will need advance notice except in cases of emergencies.
In addition to attending each class session, I expect all students to actively participate in the discussions. This can be in the form of asking a question, responding to another student’s question (or one from the instructor!), raising an issue, etc.
That said, this class is taking place during a global triple-pandemic that has affected our lives in countless ways and is still continuing to do so. If you encounter challenges during the term that affect your attendance or ability to participate, please contact me as soon as possible so we can discuss alternatives.
We expect and require that all submissions be the student’s own, original work. Any and all text, code, etc. that you include from any other source must be properly cited, including quotation and paraphrasing.
This specifically includes re-use of figures from papers, blog posts, presentations, etc. in your own work: this is generally acceptable, as long as it is properly cited.
Here are some resources you may find helpful:
If you are unsure about whether something must be cited, the answer is almost certainly “yes”; when in doubt, please ask. Similarly, if you are unsure about how to cite something, please ask.
Note that the School of Medicine has a policy regarding ethical and professional conduct for graduate students that specifically addresses plagiarism (sections 4.b and 4.c). We expect all students to be aware of and familiar with this policy. If you have any questions about this policy, please ask.
Automated code- or text-generation tools such as GitHub’s Copilot or OpenAI’s ChatGPT pose a particular challenge to both students and instructors. As a guiding principle, recall that we expect and require that all submissions be your own, original work. When considering using such a tool, ask yourself: will the tool’s output be something I will be turning in directly? In general, you may use such tools as a reference or source of information, but not to produce output that you intend to turn in.
Here are examples of appropriate, in-bounds uses of AI text-generation tools:
lxml Python library?”)Here are examples of inappropriate, out-of-bounds uses:
Out-of-bounds uses of AI tools will be screened for and treated in the same manner as other forms of plagiarism; if you are uncertain about whether your use is in- or out-of-bounds, please ask. This technology is very new and is also developing rapidly, so there may be situations and use cases that this policy does not address- we are figuring this out together, in real-time!
One might ask, “why can’t I just cite ChatGPT’s output like I would any other source?” There are several reasons:
In my experience, students who engage in plagiarism typically do so because they feel that they have no other choice. A deadline is looming, they are overwhelmed by some aspect of the assignment, a personal crisis comes up that keeps them from being able to finish, etc., and they feel like using somebody else’s work, or reusing some of their own work from another class, is the best option available. I can 100% guarantee that this is not the case: you have other options, and choosing plagiarism will not result in a good outcome.
When we catch you, the consequences will depend on the precise circumstances, but will at a minimum involve a score of zero points for the assignment or project in question, and often involve a failing grade on the course.
In nearly every past case of plagiarism that I have encountered, the circumstances were such that, had the student come to me for help instead of plagiarizing, I would have been very willing to assist the student with whatever situation they were in by granting an extension, helping them to get un-stuck on their project, etc.
So: don’t wait for me to catch you: ask for help early and often, and save us both a lot of head and heartache.
See the syllabus page on Sakai for a full list of university policies, etc.
I would like to make an additional note regarding accessibility and accommodations. The syllabus link above will include the University’s official language about accessibility, and will list the various resources that you have available to you. While comprehensive, the official verbiage is pretty dense; in the past, some have found its “legalese” language to be off-putting or unclear. I am committed to helping each of you succeed to the best of my ability, and I fully support the University’s Office of Student Access.
If you anticipate needing any kind of accommodation, I encourage you to reach out to the Office of Student Access or to myself as early as possible in the term. I will be able to help you more effectively if we begin our discussions around your needs earlier rather than later. If you have a need that is not covered by the OHSU accessibility and accommodation policies, or if you have questions or concerns about anything along these lines, please do not hesitate to ask me for information or help.