CMPS 3130/6130 Computational Geometry
Spring 15

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Policies

Attendance:

Attendance in class will not be taken but students are fully responsible for all material presented or assigned in class. For this reason, attendance is strongly recommended.

Homework Assignments:

There will be about 6 bi-weekly homework assignments of equal weight. Homeworks will consist of written problems. Homeworks will be posted on the homework page. For the class grade, the total homework score will be curved such that a score of 90%, or possibly even lower, will be curved to 100%.

You are engouraged to discuss rough ideas and thoughts about a homework assignment with your other classmates. However you have to write up your solution on your own. You are not allowed to read, copy, or rewrite the solutions written by others (in this or previous terms). See the section on Academic Integrity. Homeworks are to be submitted on paper in class. If you cannot attend the class you are welcome to submit your homework by email to the instructor, by sliding it under the instructor's office door, or by any other means you can think of to get the homework on time to the instructor.

Graduate students enrolled in CMPS 6120 will have an additional homework problem on each homework. Undergraduate students are encouraged to solve the graduate homework problems for extra credit on the particular homework.

Homework grades will be made available on Blackboard.

Term Project:

There will be one term project that will consist of implementing a geometric algorithm, including a graphical user interface, and a demonstration/presentation of the project in class. The default programming language will be Java. A list of possible projects will be made available on the class webpage. If you would like to work on a different problem or use a different programming language, please contact the instructor for approval prior to working on the project.

Presentation:

Graduate students are required to give a presentation on a topic in computational geometry of your choice. Please discuss the topic of your project with the instructor. You have to obtain prior approval from the instructor for the presentation topic before working on it. The presentation topic should span two or three related research papers.

Exams:

There will be no final. There will be one midterm, probably later in March. The midterm will be closed-book and closed-notes, but you are allowed to bring a cheat sheet (one letter page, single-sided). Review of the grading of a homework or an exam must be requested within 2 weeks after the graded exam/homework is returned to you. Be aware that such a review will consider the exam/homework as a whole, and as a result your grade is just as likely to go down as it is to go up.

Late Policy:

Without prior arrangements, missing an exam, homework assignments, or project results in a grade of zero. In order to take a make-up exam, contact the instructor prior to the exam if you have to miss it for some valid reason; documentation may be required. Notification after the exam will result in a score of zero.

There are no late days of any type for homework assignments or projects. Late homework will not be graded for credit. In extra-ordinary cases (a two-day cold does not count since you have two weeks to complete the assignment), contact the instructor prior to the due date to get a homework extension.

Grading:

Grading will be based on the following weighted scale:

Undergraduate CS 3130:

Graduate CS 6130:

The weighted average will determine your letter grade roughly as follows: A >= 90%; B >= 80%; C >= 70%; D >= 60%; F < 60%

+/- grades will be given for borderline cases.

Handouts, Slides, and Pictures:

The class web page will have links to all class handouts as they become available.

During the lectures we will use slides as well as the board. The instructor will take pictures of the board during the lectures. Those pictures as well as the slides will be available on the webpage, such that you can see what has been covered if you happen to have missed a class. There is however no guarantee that the pictures will be complete.

Blackboard:

Assignment grades will be available on Blackboard.

Academic Integrity:

You are engouraged to discuss rough ideas and thoughts about a homework assignment with your other classmates, but you have to write up your solution on your own. You are not allowed to read, copy, or rewrite the solutions written by others (in this or previous terms).

If you are stuck on a problem and unable to get to the instructor for help, then we suggest you try and use hints from a publicly available source such as a textbook or journal article. The source should be cited and you have to write the solution in your own words. It should be apparent to us that you understand the solution for full credit.

You are required to adhere to the Code of Academic Conduct. Every cheating will be reported to the Associate Dean of Newcomb-Tulane College. If two people are caught sharing solutions then both the copier and copiee will be held equally responsible. Cheating on an exam will result in failing the course.


Last modified by Carola Wenk,   cwenk  -at-   tulane  -dot-   edu,