There are two hard prerequisites (equivalent courses are also acceptable):
COMPSCI 201 Data Structures and Algorithms
COMPSCI 230 Discrete Math for Computer Science
This is a "proof-based" course. The students will be expected to demonstrate mathematical maturity commensurate with having taken the above courses and mastered their material. If you do not satisfy these prerequisites, please contact the instructors.
There will be TEN required homework assignments, roughly ONE PER WEEK. Each assignment will count for ONE unit. Of the TEN units in total, the best NINE units will be considered for the final grade. Each unit will carry a weight of 6.67% of the final grade.
There will be THREE quizzes and ONE final exam. The quizzes will count for ONE unit EACH, and the final exam will count for TWO units. Of the FIVE units in total, the best FOUR units will be considered for the final grade. Each unit will carry a weight of 6% of the final grade.
Participation in your recitation section every week will earn 1% of the final grade, up to a cumulative maximum of 10% over the course of the semester. There are no excused absences for recitation; the three over the 10% cap are intended to cover all absences, excused and unexcused. See below for details regarding which section you should attend.
The remaining 6% of the course grade will be based on participation levels in surveys, etc. sent throughout the semester.
As long as we get at least 130 responses to each survey (75% of the class), everyone will get one dropped survey for the semester. However, there will be two specific surveys that are not eligible to drop; this detail will be included in their announcements.
Review the detailed guidelines on collaboration. Any violation of these guidelines will be reported without exception to the relevant authorities. This has led to disciplinary action in the past, so better be safe than sorry.
We will use Gradescope for all homework submissions.
Homework solutions must be submitted by 11:59 pm Durham (Eastern) time on the due date.
You will get no credit if you submit your homework after the submission deadline. A submission will be considered late if the submission website (Gradescope) marks it as late. Submissions submitted between 12:00 am and 12:29 am to Gradescope will be penalized with a 10% deduction of the final grade. A submission received after 12:30 am will not be graded and awarded no credit. This means that it is in your best interest to submit sufficiently early so that there is no possibility of the Gradescope server receiving it after 11:59 pm.
In the event that you have technical difficulties submitting to Gradescope, you may send an email to the course staff with your submission file(s) attached. The lateness penalty described above applies regardless of which platform the homework is submitted to.
In exceptional circumstances, you can contact the instructors before the submission deadline to request an extension. You should send an email to Professors Panigrahi and Ge if you are requesting an extension, with a clearly stated reason for your request. Requests for extension are at the discretion of the instructors and may be refused. This implies that last-minute requests for extension are at your own peril, since the original deadline will stand if the request is denied. Only the written consent of either of the instructors granting an extension will be considered valid. Nobody other than the instructors is authorized to grant an extension.
If you are using an official Duke form related to extensions, such as the Short-Term Incapacitation Notification Form, please send it directly to Kate (cco9).
For both types of extensions, you should expect to get an email with instructions on Thursday night or early Friday afternoon.
The homework solutions have to be typed. It is strongly encouraged that you prepare your homework submissions in LaTeX.
You will have 24hr to take the exam - midnight to 11:59PM Eastern time - and it will be administered on Gradescope, with the same 30min late-with-penalty period as we have on the homeworks. Each quiz will be designed to take one hour, but you can take however long you wish within the 24hr period.
Recitation will still be held on those days, though it will be shorter (at most an hour). Participation will still be counted, but if you feel strongly about not attending on those days, please note that there are three drops for the semester and there are three quiz days total.
Most of the time, you must attend the recitation section for which you are registered, and if you are in a large section that is split into two you must attend the section to which you are assigned. However, if you have one or two times during the semester when you have a conflict, you must inform both sets of TAs in advance and they will be able to transfer your attendance credit.