Course Policies

Academic Integrity and Unauthorized Copying

Please review and reflect on the academic integrity policy of the University of Illinois, http://studentcode.illinois.edu/article1_part4_1-401.html, to which we subscribe. By turning in materials for review, you certify that all work presented is your own and has been done by you independently, or as a member of a designated group for group assignments.

Important: At the first instance of unauthorized copying, a grade of zero will be given for the respective assignment or test. At the second instance, you will automatically receive an F for the entire course.
What constitutes unauthorized copying:
  • Using material from fellow students or the internet without proper attribution
  • Sharing or copying code without proper attribution
  • Solutions that appear to be generated using AI coding assistants without proper documentation
  • Submitting work from previous semesters
  • Violating the terms of any licensing agreement
Collaboration Guidelines:
  • You are encouraged to discuss assignments with each other
  • Coding and writing of reports must be done individually or only within your team
  • Feel free to search the Web for tips or code snippets, provided this does not make the assignment trivial and all external sources are explicitly acknowledged in the report
  • Discussion of concepts with classmates is encouraged
Note: To minimize future instances of unauthorized copying, we ask that you do not post solution code for the class assignments online, e.g., on your personal webpage or on github. It is all right to use your own solution code as part of your personal projects, but do not release such code with an explicit identification with a specific class/assignment.

AI Coding/Writing Assistants Policy

Guidelines for using ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and other AI tools
Remember: You are in this class to learn! If you use ChatGPT to do all of your assignments you will not do well later -- for example, during corporate coding interviews. The intent of class assignments is for you to type your own code.
What is NOT allowed:
  • Using ChatGPT or another chatbot to solve quiz questions
  • Solutions produced using coding auto-complete without understanding
  • Submitting AI-generated code as your own work
  • Using AI to write entire functions or complete assignments
What is allowed:
  • Using ChatGPT or other chatbots for debugging/understanding purposes
  • Getting help understanding error messages or concepts
  • Using AI to help understand documentation or API references
Important Requirement: If you use chatbots in any allowed way, you MUST submit the transcript of your conversation in the zip file accompanying your assignment. Failure to include the transcript will be considered unauthorized use.

Detection: Solutions produced using coding auto-complete are highly likely to be flagged as plagiarism. We have tools to detect AI-generated code and will use them.

Late Submission Policy

Assignments and Projects
Free late days:
  • Homework assignments: Each student gets a total of one late submission of up to 2 days without penalty
  • This applies to one and only one deliverable throughout the whole semester
  • No need to request an extension - just submit within 2 days
Late penalty:
  • For every other deliverable, and past the 2 days for the first late deliverable: 20% penalty per day
  • Submissions that are more than five days late will not be accepted
  • You are not allowed to submit different parts of the assignment at different times to receive a late penalty on only part of the assignment
Extension requests:

Extension requests will be considered only in case of extraordinary circumstances. If you think that your circumstances qualify, email the instructor with relevant documentation.

Graduate students: The same late policy applies to the additional project component.

Working in Pairs/Groups

When choosing to work with a partner, you assume all associated risk, including but not limited to:

  • Partner not completing a fair share of the work
  • Partner producing incorrect or late work
  • Partner engaging in cheating
Important: The course staff does not have the ability to arbitrate disputes between partners or to assign separate scores to partners. Any cheating or lateness penalty will automatically apply to both partners, even if one of them disclaims all awareness or responsibility for the offense.

If you find yourself in an unsatisfactory partner situation, the only solution is to switch to individual submission. Note that you are free to pick different partners for different assignments, or to switch to working individually at any time.

Discussion Board Policy

You are highly encouraged to ask and answer questions about assignments on the discussion board (Campuswire).

Guidelines:
  • Avoid directly giving away key elements of solutions
  • Refrain from publicly posting key solution code or parameter values
  • Do not post code publicly for debugging purposes
  • Posting sample code for utility functions is acceptable
  • Publicly debugging system/platform errors is acceptable

Getting help with code: If you need help with code, the preferred route is to attend TA office hours. However, if this is impossible and you wish to make a post with your code, be sure to make it private.

Quizzes

Quiz Policies:
  • Quizzes must be done individually
  • You are allowed to refer to the Web and to course notes
  • You may write Python code or use a calculator
  • Use of ChatGPT or another chatbot to solve quiz questions is NOT allowed
  • There are no free late days and no extensions on quizzes
  • Each quiz can be completed during a period of about four days

If you have an exceptional circumstance that you believe warrants an extension, email the instructor with relevant documentation.

Regrade Requests

Questions about an assignment score or requests for a regrade must be submitted within one week of receiving your score (or sooner if otherwise specified, such as at the end of the semester).

The requests must be directed to the TA who did the initial grading. Include a clear explanation of why you believe the grading was incorrect.

Submission Requirements

Important submission policies:
  • Students must submit their assignments via Gradescope before the planned deadline
  • Students may not submit links to Drive or Box folders
  • All files must be submitted in their entirety
  • Code must be properly documented and follow Python PEP 8 style guidelines
  • Include any AI chatbot transcripts if used for debugging

Other Important Policies

Incomplete Requests

Requests for an incomplete in the course will only be accepted through the last day of class and must be accompanied by documentation of your special circumstances.

Students with Disabilities

To obtain disability-related academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact the course instructor and the Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) as soon as possible. To contact DRES, you may visit 1207 S. Oak St., Champaign, call 333-4603 (V/TDD), or e-mail a message to disability@illinois.edu.

Sexual Misconduct Policy and Reporting

The University of Illinois is committed to combating sexual misconduct. Faculty and staff members are required to report any instances of sexual misconduct to the University's Title IX and Disability Office. A list of confidential resources is available at wecare.illinois.edu.

Emergency Response

Emergency response recommendations can be found at http://police.illinois.edu/emergency-preparedness/. Please review this website and the campus building floor plans within the first 10 days of class.