Communication Policy
This is a large course, and there are several ways to get in touch with the course staff depending on your need.
- For basic syllabus information, policies, schedule, etc., please see the course website.
- For resources such as lecture notes, recordings, readings, etc., please see Canvas.
- For regular questions about course content, please attend helper hours or use Ed Discussion (see the Help page for more details).
- For personal questions about the course (grades, student accommodations, emergencies, etc.) you should email the teaching associate and/or instructor. Please do not use email for anything other than these sensitive topics that should not be handled through the other means above.
Grades
Course grades will be calculated by averaging with the following weights.
| Category | Total Category Weight | Subcategory | Subcategory Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exams | 50% | Exams Part 1 | 25% | Better of Midterm and Final Part 1 |
| Exams Part 2 | 25% | Better of Lateterm and Final Part 2 | ||
| Homework | 40% | Homework | 40% | 2 drops |
| Participtaion | 10% | Lecture Exercises | 6% | 6 drops |
| Recitation Attendance | 3% | 3 drops | ||
| Course Surveys | 1% | Midsemester and end-of-semester, in addition to course evaluations |
Course grades will be converted to letters according to the following adjusted thresholds. There is no statistical curve, and there is no rounding up of grades.
| Letter | Needs at Least | Letter | Needs at Least |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 97 | C+ | 74 |
| A | 90 | C | 70 |
| A- | 87 | C- | 67 |
| B+ | 84 | D+ | 64 |
| B | 80 | D | 60 |
| B- | 77 | D- | 57 |
Exams
All exams will be written and in-person. They are closed book and closed note. You may not use any electronic devices of any kind, nor may you communicate with other students in any way about the exams.
25% of your course grade comes from Exams Part 1, and another 25% comes from Exams Part 2, covering the first and second half of the course material respectively.
There are two exams scheduled during the semester: A midterm exam (MID) and a lateterm exam (LATE), plus a final exam (FINAL) during the registrar scheduled final exam period. The final exam will be in two parts (FINAL-1 and FINAL-2) corresponding to the MID and LATE exams respectively. Your exams grades will be calculated as:
- Exams Part 1 = better of MID and FINAL-1
- Exams Part 2 = better of LATE and FINAL-2
The final exam thus serves as the makeup (without penalty) if you need to miss an exam during the term for any reason, as well as an opportunity to improve your score if you are unhappy with your scores prior.
If you do not attend the final exam and have completed the mid and late term exams, we will assign a letter grade based on those according to the above calculations. We will otherwise follow Duke policy regarding possible absence from a final exam due to illness or emergencies, which require you to contact your academic dean.
Collaboration Policy
Collaboration is an encouraged part of the course, but only within boundaries that will ensure your learning and maintain academic integrity. Homework assignments can be completed in groups of size 2 (that is, you can work with a partner). This is voluntary and we do not assign partners – you can work by yourself if you choose, and you can work with whomever you like. You can switch partners between assignments, but once you begin working with a partner for a particular assignment you may not change for that same assignment.
Apart from your homework partner, you may discuss ideas and study with other students in small groups of up to 5. You may not, however, write or share solutions. As a rule of thumb, if you find yourselves sharing written text, taking pictures of solutions on boards, or looking over someone’s shoulder at a laptop, you have moved beyond the bounds of acceptable collaboration across groups. The same goes for the internet – you are welcome to use it as a resource, but you may not search for or use solutions from the internet.
Generative AI and Large Language Models
Appropriate uses of LLMs (such as ChatGPT) include editing, requesting examples, and asking questions to aid your understanding. Inappropriate uses of LLMs include asking to solve problems and presenting the solutions (with or without your editing) as your own work. Any time you use an LLM, you should attribute and describe how you used it.
Attendance
In lecture we will typically have one or more in-class exercises that are graded for completion, not for correctness. You must be in-class to complete these exercises. We drop 6 lectures from the grade, so you can miss up to 6 lectures (and the corresponding exercises) without any penalty to your grade. These 6 drops cover all absences, excused and unexcused. We do not track excuses for lecture, and we do not provide additional drops.
In-person attendance and active participation in your recitation section is required. We drop 3 recitation grades, meaning you can miss up to three with no penalty to your grade. These 3 drops cover all absences, excused and unexcused. We do not track excuses for recitation, and we do not provide additional drops.
Most of the time, you must attend the recitation section to which you are assigned. However, if you have one or two times during the semester when you have a conflict, you must inform both sets of TAs in advance and they will be able to transfer your attendance credit.
