Participation
All students are expected to attend all classes and ALL PROJECT AND PROPOSAL PRESENTATIONS. Classes are highly interactive and you are expected to participate in discussions and project-related activities weekly. Classes are not usually recorded, so it is important to attend on time (class starts promptly at 10:05 am MIT time). The last two days of class are mandatory because students usually enjoy learning a lot from each other's project presentations.
Absence from class, especially on project and proposal presentation days, will significantly affect your class participation grade, and even more your learning experience. Please contact one of the course staff in advance if you have an emergency and have to miss class or if you need to request extra time for an assignment.
Evaluation:
40% Homework (written and verbal critiques of weekly readings)
20% Class attendance and participation - includes discussions inside the classroom, and conversations outside the classroom involving the course staff, and contributions that we hear you make when you support other teams with their projects - such as sharing ideas or helpful resources.
40% Final project (no exam)
Late homework will lose 10 points for each hour it is late after a one hour grace period. Each assignment is worth 100 points so after 10 hours it is a zero. The lowest homework grade for the semester will be dropped. If you have a medical or family emergency that threatens timely completion of your work, let the instructors know as soon as possible and we can give you more time or make other accommodations. Please take care of your health first - it matters more than your grade!
MIT Writing Center:
You are expected to write and speak in clear English, even if it is not your first language. Grades in this class include communication style as well as the ideas being communicated.
The Writing and Communication Center (12-132) offers free professional advice from published writers about oral presentations and about all types of academic, creative, and professional writing. To schedule an appointment, go to http://web.mit.edu/writing.
The Writing Center has adapted their services to be completely virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past, we've found the service has frequent cancellations on the day of the appointment (sometimes as many as 15 cancellations in one day), so please avail yourself of their Wait List functionality (the blue strip that says “Is the time that you want already reserved?”). Whenever a cancellation occurs on that day, you will be automatically notified by email.