CS010 -- Introduction to Computer Science I
Fall, 2007
Extremely Important Information
(last updated 9/6/2008)


Working Together:  In general, learning takes place best within a community. I encourage you work together; in fact, I expect you to participate in study groups for all of your classes. However, when learning to write programs, there is a strong temptation to give and receive help at a level of detail that prevents one of the parties from actually learning the skill.  If you are asked to give help, try to offer help by asking questions and leading your peers to discover the solution for themselves.  If you think you need help, first make sure you have followed the "other tips" below. 

This topic also raises the issue of academic honesty.  As specified in the syllabus, I expect you to submit only your own work with appropriate citations and acknowledgments.  Unless explicitly instructed to do so, you should never share electronic copies of your work or portions thereof.  From the syllabus:  

As in every area of life, I expect that you will conduct yourself honestly within the context of this class. You are expected to have read and agreed to the Academic Dishonesty policy as part of the general Westmont Academic Policies, as well as the specifics of the policy on Plagiarism. Do not attempt to receive credit for work that is not your own without properly acknowledging sources via appropriate citations or references. You are encouraged to get help from your peers, but you must acknowledge such help (both received and given) and that you understand the issue on which help was received. Except where explicitly provided or allowed by the instructor, you must not use electronic copies of any portion of code for the exercises or project (unless distributed by me). The consequences of violating the trust I implicitly extend to you will be according to the Westmont policy.


In all cases, document that you gave or received help.  (Even if no help is given or received, you must include the acknowledgments header described below.)  Make sure you understand the help you receive at a level that you could help someone else with the same problem you were having.

Submitting Assignments:  (These instructions apply to homework exercises, project deliverables, and online exams.) Apart from solving the assignment, you should attend to two details when preparing your work for submission. First, make sure you include and complete(!) this standardized header at the top of your file. Failure to include and complete this header will result in a zero grade for that assignment.  Second, save your submission in a file that specifies your Westmont email address and the assignment id. For example, Eva Bailey would submit a file "ebaileyHW1.scm" for her first assignment. (Do not submit a file called "homework" or "project1".) Whenever possible, submit a single file containing your solutions to all the assigned problems.  Identify each solution by exercise number.  I am providing a sample solution as a possible model.   Sometimes two different questions will ask you to write different versions of a function with the same name.  In such a case, add a postfix to the names in order to distinguish them.  For example, one question may ask you to write a function "cube-me", while another asks you to write the same function in a different manner; in this case, define the second function as "cube-me-2".  On rare occasions, there may be no way for a single file contain all your work.  In such a case, put all your files in a directory named with your email and the homework assignment. For example, "ebaileyHW1".  Then, create either a tar or a zip file of the folder. Note, I want the folder with your email-name to be created when I unpack your file. Do not use any package format other than tar or zip. If you encounter problems with Eureka, email your submission to iba@westmont.edu.

Other Tips:  Most people find that they cannot write a program as a stream of consciousness.  This is especially true of students first learning to design programs.  You will save yourself significant frustration if you follow several guidelines.