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 Time (ET).
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.
The course staff will be holding regular office hours. See Help 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.
The main text is a free online textbook called ThinkJava that has been modified for CS113.
Homework assignments are a required part of the course. Homeworks will typically be released weekly. Each student must submit each homework independently, but you are encouraged to discuss problems with other students and course staff.
Late days: By default, we will not be accepting any late assignments. Because of the course's fast pace and weekly assignment schedule, it will be very easy to fall behind if you regularly submit assignments late. However, emergencies and unforseen circumstances inevitably arise. If you are requesting an extension for an unforseen emergency, please email Mike. Briefly state why you are requesting the extension and a proposed date for submitting the assignment. Poor planning or heavy work loads in other courses are not valid reasons for extensions.
There are weekly lab meetings. Attendance in Lab is required. The labs are designed to be a space where you will get more experience programming.
At Bryn Mawr, we assume students are trustworthy and work with honesty and integrity. Look here for information about Bryn Mawr's Honor Code.
As you progress in this course, you will see that programming is a creative process, similar to writing. The same problem can be solved in multiple ways. It's essential that you develop your own skills for developing algorithms and implementing them through programs.
Academic Integrity in Computer Science: Discussing ideas and approaches to problems with others on a general level is fine (in fact, we encourage you to discuss general strategies with each other), but you should never read anyone else's code or let anyone else read your code.
Students needing academic accommodations for a disability must first register with Access Services. Students can call 610-526-7516 to make an appointment with the Director of Access Services, Deb Alder, or email her at dalder@brynmawr.edu to begin this confidential process. Once registered, students should schedule an appointment with the professor as early in the semester as possible to share the verification form and make appropriate arrangements. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive and require advance notice to implement. More information can be obtained at the Access Services website: http://www.brynmawr.edu/access-services/.
To receive an accommodation for a course activity (such as more time on exams), you must have an Accommodation Letter from the Office of Student Disability Services and you need to contact us to work out the details of your accommodation at least two weeks prior to the activity. Forms can be emailed to me, the instructor. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Please do not record lectures or labs without permission from the instructor. Thank you!