Course Policies

Academic Fairness

To ensure fairness for all students, all course policies must be applied consistently. Requests for individual exceptions, such as extra credit, grade changes based on effort, retroactive extensions after deadlines or extensions due to stress, will not be granted.

That being said, I understand that unforeseen circumstances can occur. In cases of emergency, such as serious illness, personal injury, urgent family matters etc, please contact me as soon as possible and appropriate accommodations can be made at my discretion.

Academic Integrity and Honor Code

If I suspect a possible violation of the Honor Code, I am required to report it to the Chair of the Honor Court and the Associate Dean of Students for Academics. The full rules are laid out in the Honor Code.

The Honor Code applies to all assignments submitted for a grade, including pre-class quizzes, homework assignments, and exams. You are absolutely encouraged to discuss concepts and problem solving strategies with other students, learning from each other is part of this course! Just make sure that whatever you turn in is your own work and reflects your own understanding. As such, copying another student’s work or the textbook answer key is considered a violation of the Honor Code.

If the Honor Court determines the Honor Code is violated, the penalty depends on the type of assignment. For homework, a first violation will result in a score of 0 on that assignment and a full letter grade deduction from the overall course grade, a second violation an automatic failure of the course. For exams, any violation will result in automatic failure of the course.

Use of AI Tools

With the rise of Generative AI usage in higher education, it is important to establish what AI can and cannot be used. You are in college to learn material about a subject. AI can be used to support you in learning, but it should not be a substitute for your own thinking on assignments you turn in for a grade.

Allowed Uses of AI • Quizzing Yourself: You may use AI to help quiz yourself on topics you are studying. For example: “Make me some practice problems about the partition function” • Concept Explanations: AI can be used to explain concepts you do not understand. For example, if you don’t understand a derivation in the lecture or the solution for an activity, you can ask AI to help you understand.

AI is fantastic at reviewing material, having AI generate problems is a way to get more practice in. An acceptable way of using AI is to ask AI to help explain a topic. However, AI can get things wildly incorrect, so be cautious when doing this. This is why AI is better as a tool for review than a tool for learning.

Prohibited Uses of AI • Completing Pre-Class Quizzes: The quizzes are used to assess your understanding of the lecture content, so AI is prohibited • Completing Homework Assignments: The assignments are designed for you to practice the problem solving we learned in class

Anything submitted for a grade should reflect your own understanding. While AI can be used for review and studying, using AI on an assignment is considered a violation of the Honor Code.

File Submission Requirements

You are responsible for ensuring files are uploaded properly to Gradescope, in the correct format and legible. Pages should be properly assigned to the homework problems on Gradescope. Technology problems are not a valid reason for missing or late work, and I cannot regrade an assignment that was submitted incorrectly.

Grade Dispute Policy

If you believe something has not been graded correctly you may request a regrade. To request a regrade, you must wait 24 hours after the grades are released. Then send me an email explaining what you are requesting a regrade for, an explanation for how your work satisfies the rubric, and the number of points you believe you should have earned on the problem.

A regrade means the entire assignment will be regraded, not just the problem in question. Your overall score may increase, decrease, or remain the same. Regrades close one week after grades are released and all grades after that point are considered final.

Communication Expectations

I typically respond to email time within 24 hours during normal working hours, Monday–Friday 9am–5pm. If you email me over the weekend, do not expect to receive a response before end of day Monday. If you email me for help or to request a meeting with less than 24 hours notice, I likely will not respond in time, so plan accordingly.

You are expected to check your Hamilton email and Blackboard at least once daily Monday through Friday to stay up to date on course announcements, assignment updates and other information.

Emailing about a missed class is not necessary, as attendance is optional. If you email me about an absence, you likely won’t get a response unless you ask a question.

Office Hours and Appointment Policy

During regularly scheduled office hours, you can drop by to ask for help on homework or just to chat about life. You do not need an appointment, though if someone did make an appointment at the same time you drop by, they will be prioritized.

Appointments require a one hour lead time. If you schedule an appointment, either during office hours or outside of office hours, please be on time and keep your appointment. Missing an appointment may affect future scheduling, as it limits my availability to other students seeking help.

Attendance Policy

Attendance is not required for this class, all of the course material is available via Blackboard. However, students who frequently miss class are expected to review material on their own. Office hours are not a substitute for attending lecture.

Syllabus Changes

I reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus as necessary. Students will be notified of any changes in class and via Blackboard.

Accessibility and Accommodations

Hamilton College will make reasonable accommodations for students with properly documented disabilities. If you are eligible to receive an accommodation(s) and would like to make a formal request for this course, please discuss it with me within the first weeks of the course. You will need to provide Allen Harrison, Assistant Dean for Accessibility Resources (aharriso@hamilton.edu) with appropriate documentation.