CS161 Homework Policies

• For both theoretical homeworks, as well as for the programming project, you may work in groups of up to three students per group.
• For the paper-and-pencil homeworks, each student must write up solutions individually. The names of the team collaborators must be listed in the homework write-up. Again, collaboration in a team of up to three is OK when developing the solutions -- but the solution write-ups themselves must be done separately and independently.
• For the programming project, a single write up per group will suffice.
• It is important that the homeworks be turned in on time. Each student is allowed two 24-hour grace periods during the quarter. That means a single homework can be handed in late by two days, or two homeworks may be handed in late by one day each. Other than these grace periods, late homeworks will not be accepted.
• Paper-and-pencil homeworks must be submitted by the day they are due, in electronic form, by 5:00 pm PDT. The programming project and write up must submitted by running the provided submission script, again by 5:00 pm PDT the day they are due.

The Honor Code

Each student is expected to do his/her own work on the problem sets in CS161. A good point to keep in mind is that you must be able to explain and/or re-derive anything that you submit. Students may discuss problem sets with each other as well as the course staff -- in fact close collaboration in groups of up to three students is permitted, as explained above. Any discussion of problem set questions with others must be noted on a student’s final write-up of the problem set answers.  Each student must turn in his/her own write-up of the problem set solutions, except for the final project, as noted above. Questions regarding acceptable collaboration should be directed to the class instructor prior to the collaboration.

It is a violation of the honor code to copy or derive problem set or exam question solutions from other students or anyone at all, textbooks, previous instances of this course, other courses covering the same topics either at Stanford or at other schools. or any web sources.  Copying of solutions from other students, or from students who previously took a similar course is also clearly a violation of the honor code.

Again, the basic rules to follow are:

1. You must not look at solutions or program code that are not your own.
2. You must not share your solutions or code with other students, except within the group (as above) that you are part of.
3. You must indicate on your submission any assistance you have received.

FYI, since 1921, academic conduct for students at Stanford has been governed by the Honor Code, which reads as follows:

THE STANFORD UNIVERSITY HONOR CODE
A. The Honor Code is an undertaking of the students, individually and collectively:
(1) that they will not give or receive aid in examinations; that they will not give or receive unpermitted aid in class work, in the preparation of reports, or in any other work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of grading;
(2) that they will do their share and take an active part in seeing to it that others as well as themselves uphold the spirit and letter of the Honor Code.
B. The faculty on its part manifests its confidence in the honor of its students by refraining from proctoring examinations and from taking unusual and unreasonable precautions to prevent the forms of dishonesty mentioned above. The faculty will also avoid as far as practicable, academic procedures that create temptations to violate the Honor Code.
C. While the faculty alone has the right and obligation to set academic requirements, the students and faculty will work together to establish optimal conditions for honorable academic work.

Grading Weights

• Each of the six paper-and pencil homeworks will be 10%
• The midterm will be 20%
• The programming project will be 20%

We may give a "lighter than normal" homework around midterm time -- if so, we will shift a bit of weight from that homework to the project.