Course expectations

Respect and accountability are crucial to productive class discussions. As co-producers of knowledge, I am expecting that we will practice respect for each other and be accountable to our words and actions. The classroom space is a learning space that can be, at times, uncomfortable, especially as we speak through our different perspectives and experiences. As long as we strive to be respectful to each other and accountable to the opinions, comments, questions, and concerns we share, this learning space will become a great place for us to nudge our boundaries.

Attendance and grading policies

Attendance and participation is required. Learning a new programming language requires consistent practice and your understanding of the material will be greatly facilitated by your participation in class. Students are expected to come to class prepared, which includes completing the assigned reading before class and being ready to engage in class discussions.

Absences. If you are unable to attend class, please email me in advance. If you are unable to email me in advance, please let me know as soon as it is possible. I do not require proof and would just need to know if you are not going to be in class. You may miss up to 3 classes. Missing more than 3 classes may impact your grades in class.

Technology. In-class lessons and homeworks are done in Jupyter notebooks. The notebooks assume a Python 3 installation with the standard modules from an Anaconda installation such as NLTK, Pandas, Numpy and Matplotlib. If you require a laptop, please reach out to the Laptop Loaner Program. If there are other issues with accessing technology for this class, please reach out as early as possible.

Grading policy. While learning a new programming language, it is inevitable that we will end up with mistakes and “fail” to obtain the desired output. In addition, there are also several ways to reach the desired output. For activities and assignments related to programming, grades are awarded on process and effort rather than accuracy. For most other activities and assignments you will have multiple opportunities to resubmit.

Late Work Policy. Extensions may be offered on a case-by-case basis. If you require an extension you must reach out to me at least 1 class session before the due date unless it is an emergency. Late submissions may be penalized.

Plagiarism and academic integrity. Plagiarism is copying and using other people’s words without proper acknowledgment or citation as it is indicated in the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity. All writing submitted for this course is understood to be your original work written. Plagiarism is unacceptable and has serious consequences that can include a failing grade. In cases where I detect academic dishonesty (the fraudulent submission of another’s work, in whole or part, as your own), you may be subject to a failing grade for the project or the course, and in the worst case, to academic probation or expulsion. You are expected to read, understand, and adhere to CCNY’s Policy on Academic Integrity.

Using generative AI applications such as ChatGPT and Bard in your assignment may be flagged as an academic integrity issue. If you are interested in using such applications for your assignment, they should be listed as a co-author and you will also need to specify how you used them in the assignment. Usage of such softwares can be useful to check for errors but are rarely useful for producing entire assignments.