In-class Work
One of the primary assessments in this course is in-class work (constituting 35% of your final grade). Attending and participating in class is essential to your success in this course. The two portions of in-class work are Presentations and Discussions, and Reports.
In-class Presentations and Discussions
During each class session, students will be given problems to work on, focusing on certain topics. Students will work either individually or in groups, working on these problems (designing, implementing, and analyzing algorithms to solve these problems). After some time has passed, we will shift to a problem discussion phase.
A student or group (or groups of students) will then be asked to lead a presentation and discussion about the problem session. You will be expected to do (at a minimum) the following:
- Present the problem;
- Present your solution;
- Justify why you think your solution works;
- Analyze your solution; and
- Lead a discussion / answer questions about your solution.
Note that if you (or your group) was not able to solve the problem, that is okay! Your presentation will then be what you did to try to solve the problem, what issues you were running into, and then open the discussion to your peers to see if you can get the problem resolved.
Evaluation
This portion of class is meant to give you practice with the soft skills you need to be a successful computer scientist. As such, there is no rigid evlauation for the presentations and discussions. Giving your best effort towards solving, presenting, and discussing the problems will give you full credit. However, any half-attempts are easily identifiable and will result in point deductions. Just do your best and you will get full points.
In-class Reports
To conclude each week of class, students are expected to individually submit a report of the work done this week. This include the at least (but not limited to) following:
- Problems given in class;
- How the student and/or their group approached solving the problem;
- Challenges or insights found while solving these problems; and
- The final solution you came up with to solve the problem (if applicable).
This is not meant to be a rigorous report; it is meant to help you track your progress and help you identify your strengths and weaknesses. You might notice a pattern in the challenges you faced when trying to solve a problem, or a pattern of solving specific types of problems easily. It is in your best interest to be thorough with these reports to help you help yourself.
These reports must be submitted individually, even if you worked in groups. You are required to identify all group members and any other students you practiced with to get to your final solution. You need not acknowledge the in-class discussion in your report.
Evaluation
Reports should be 2-5 pages, save for weeks when material is sparse (e.g., the first week, Thanksgiving week, etc.). Be thorough with your report and findings, but you do not need to be overly formal.
Submissions are required to be digital and in .pdf format.
is preferred but not required.
Templates
Please find a .docx and a .tex template for your reports below.