Policy

Academic Honesty

  • Computer science faculty at Binghamton wrote a letter to all computer science students about the importance of academic honesty. This letter is available on Brightspace and at this link.

  • Please review the academic honesty document and make sure that you understand it!

  • Some common academic dishonesty behaviors include:

    • Sharing assignments with other students or copying work done by other students. Students who share and students who copy will both be penalized.

    • Copying with paraphrasing and format changes to hide copying.

    • Finding solutions from the Internet or from students who took the course previously and submitting them as their own.

    • Posting project code to web forums (e.g., GitHub), making it possible for others to copy.

    • Posting any assignment-related work before the end of the semester.

    • Copying/communicating during exams.

Course Policies

  • Late assignment penalty policy.

    • Try not to be late. Once you fall behind, it is difficult to catch up.

    • Late assignments will be penalized 20% per day (including weekends and holidays) and no assignment will be accepted if it is more than 5 days late.

    • Late assignment penalty will be waived with a valid reason.

  • Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence

    • The use of generative AI tools or apps for assignments in this course, including tools like ChatGPT and other AI writing or coding assistants, is prohibited.

    • Representing as one’s own an idea, or expression of an idea, that was AI-generated may be considered an academic offense in this course.

    • Students may not copy or paraphrase from any generative artificial intelligence applications, including ChatGPT and other AI writing and coding assistants, for the purpose of completing assignments in this course.

    • This course policy is designed to promote your learning and intellectual development and to help you reach course learning outcomes.

  • Collaboration on assignments

    • Students are encouraged to help one another in clearing up concepts and to form study groups.

    • You are free to discuss assignments in general terms with one another. However, showing your work to other students is a violation of academic honesty. Both parties will be penalized.

    • Students must complete the assignments on their own.

    • Students submitting solutions (including code) that are determined to be “too similar” are likely to be punished equally and harshly.

    • We can tell whether you have done the work on your own, so please do the work on your own.

    • Posting solutions to and seeking out solutions from Web/online forums are not acceptable.

  • Grading disputes, re-grading and missing grades

    • If you dispute the grading of a question, please be aware that the new grade may be higher, lower, or stay the same. This new grade will not be changed.

    • No re-grading can be requested two weeks after the graded work is returned to students.

    • The scores of your assignments will be posted on Brightspace after the assignments are graded. Please check your status on Brightspace regularly and make sure that there are no missing grades or errors. A missing grade at the end of the semester will indicate that the work has NOT been done.

  • Class attendance requirement

    • Attendance is required and as regular attendance leads to better grades.

    • Attendance can be excused with a valid reason.

    • You may miss three classes without penalty (without the need to provide any reason).

    • After that your final grade will be reduced 1 point for each missed class without a valid reason. If you miss 10 or more additional classes without a valid reason you automatically fail the course.

    • Please let the instructor know any valid reason for missing a class and please inform the instructor ahead of time by email whenever possible.

COVID Policies

The full up-to-date university guidance is available at this link. Below is a summary of some key points of the current guidance:

  • All students who have a physical presence on campus are required to complete a primary series of COVID-19 vaccines (fully vaccinated).  

  • Students who have not received a booster shot may be subject to quarantine if exposed to an individual who tests positive.

  • Students, faculty and staff who have not been vaccinated must participate in weekly surveillance testing. Skipping the test may lead to suspension and/or dismissal from the university.

  • Students with medical or religious exemptions will continue to be required to undergo regular surveillance testing at the University surveillance testing site unless they are in a program that does not require an on-campus presence. The University will no longer offer courtesy surveillance testing to vaccinated students. Home test kits will be available on campus while supplies last.

  • Decker Student Health Services will provide diagnostic testing for students with symptoms by appointment.

  • The University no longer requires masking, except for individuals in healthcare facilities (e.g., Decker Student Health Services, surveillance testing sites). However, the CDC continues to communicate that masks can protect you and others from COVID-19. The campus community is asked to remain supportive of those who choose to wear masks and especially sensitive to individuals who may be immunocompromised. Please consider wearing a mask when you live with or have social contact with someone at high risk for severe illness.