Classroom Citizenship 

Respect for your classmates is mandatory at all times. We work to maintain a supportive environment in the classroom and laboratory. Towards that end, we require you to be courteous to and respectful of your fellow participants (i.e., classmates, instructors). In particular, unless otherwise directed for an in-class activity:

• Put away your cellphone unless you are taking iclicker quizzes. If you are expecting an emergency call, sit near the door and slide out discretely to take it.
• In class use of electronic devices in general, and laptops specifically, is permitted as a courtesy so that you may better participate and learn. If at any time the instructor judges that your use of an electronic device is becoming a distraction to others, you may be asked to to turn it off and put it away.

Forum Citizenship 

Respect for your classmates is necessary at all times. We work to maintain a supportive environment in the discussion forum. Towards that end, we require that you be courteous to and respectful of your fellow participants (i.e., classmates, instructors, TAs and tutors). In particular:

• Be professional and corteous.
• Do not post any questions about your grade or any grading issues. Such questions are private communication and must be emailed through Canvas.
• Do not post any opinions regarding your graded assignment or any aspect of the course. You will have a chance to submit anonymous reviews at the end of the semester. Email feedback to the instructor regarding the course is acceptable and welcome.
• Be constructive and provide complete answers.
• Provide references and attribute credit for the content you post when needed.

The instructor reserves the right to delete postings that do not promote a conducive learning experience for students in the class.

Professional Conduct, Academic Integrity and CSU Honor Pledge 

Students are expected to be professional in the way they communicate with their fellow participants (i.e., classmates, TAs, instructors).

All students are expected to conduct themselves professionally. Students are assumed to be familiar with the policies in the student information guide for the department.

CS students are considered computing professionals, albeit perhaps just starting. Students should be familiar with the code of conduct for the primary professional society, ACM.

This course will adhere to CSU Academic Integrity Policy as found in the General Catalog and the Student Conduct Code. At a minimum, violations will result in a grading penalty in this course and a report to the Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct Services.

Academic integrity lies at the core of our common goal: to create an intellectually honest and rigorous community. Because academic integrity, and the personal and social integrity of which academic integrity is an integral part, is so central to our mission as students, teachers, scholars, and citizens, I will ask that you affirm the CSU Honor Pledge as part of completing your work in this course.

Further information about Academic Integrity is available at CSU’s Academic Integrity – Student Resources.

Use of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and/or their ilk to write or “improve” your code or written work at any stage is prohibited. Turning in code or an essay written by generative AI tools will be treated as turning in work created by someone else, namely an act of plagiarism and/or cheating.

Ultimately, you will get out of the class what you put in. Simply copying and pasting code from generative AI tools is neither ethical nor does it contribute to your learning experience. There are multiple reasons why these generative AI tools are detrimental to your learning experience:

• They rob you of the ability to think and learn the concepts for yourself. Solving problems is an essential step to gaining a solid understanding of the material.
• You will struggle with the exams where you will not have access to these tools.
• While we acknowledge that these tools are likely to become an important part of a software engineer’s workflow in the future, you are much more likely to use these tools in an effective manner if you already have expertise in the relevant technical topics. Developing such expertise requires putting in the effort to learn these topics without the assistance of these tools.
• These tools are prone to generating imperfect or even incorrect solutions, so trusting them blindly can lead to bad consequences.

Universal Design for Learning/Accommodation of Needs 

I am committed to the principle of universal learning. This means that our classroom, our virtual spaces, our practices, and our interactions be as inclusive as possible. Mutual respect, civility, and the ability to listen and observe others carefully are crucial to universal learning.

If you are a student who will need accommodations in this class, please contact me to discuss your individual needs. Any accommodation must be discussed in a timely manner. A verifying memo from the Student Disability Center may be required before any accommodation is provided.

The Student Disability Center (SDC) has the authority to verify and confirm the eligibility of students with disabilities for the majority of accommodations. While some accommodations may be provided by other departments, a student is not automatically eligible for those accommodations unless their disability can be verified and the need for the accommodation confirmed, either through SDC or through acceptable means defined by the particular department. Faculty and staff may consult with the SDC staff whenever there is doubt as to the appropriateness of an accommodative request by a student with a disability.

The goal of SDC is to normalize disability as part of the culture of diversity at Colorado State University. The characteristic of having a disability simply provides the basis of the support that is available to students. The goal is to ensure students with disabilities have the opportunity to be as successful as they have the capability to be.

Support and services are offered to student with functional limitations due to visual, hearing, learning, or mobility disabilities as well as to students who have specific physical or mental health conditions due to epilepsy, diabetes, asthma, AIDS, psychiatric diagnoses, etc. Students who are temporarily disabled are also eligible for support and assistance.

Any student who is enrolled at CSU, and who self-identifies with SDC as having a disability, is eligible for support from SDC. Specific accommodations are determined individually for each student and must be supported by appropriate documentation and/or evaluation of needs consistent with a particular type of disability. SDC reserves the right to ask for any appropriate documentation of disability in order to determine a student’s eligibility for accommodations as well as in support for specific accommodative requests. The accommodative process begins once a student meets with an accommodations specialist in the SDC.

Third-party Tools/Privacy 

Please note that this course may require you to use third-party tools (tools outside of the Canvas learning management system), such as Microsoft Teams. Some of these tools may collect and share information about their users. Because your privacy is important, you are encouraged to consult the privacy policies for any third-party tools in this course so that you are aware of how your personal information is collected, used and shared.

Copyrighted Course Materials 

Please do not share material from this course in online, print, or other media. Course material is the property of the instructor who developed the course. Materials authored by third parties and used in the course are also subject to copyright protections. Posting course materials on external sites (commercial or not) violates both copyright law and the CSU Student Conduct Code. Students who share course content without the instructor’s express permission, including with online sites that post materials to sell to other students, could face appropriate disciplinary or legal action.

CSU Principles of Community 

Inclusion: We create and nurture inclusive environments and welcome, value and affirm all members of our community, including their various identities, skills, ideas, talents and contributions.

Integrity: We are accountable for our actions and will act ethically and honestly in all our interactions.

Respect: We honor the inherent dignity of all people within an environment where we are committed to freedom of expression, critical discourse, and the advancement of knowledge.

Service: We are responsible, individually and collectively, to give of our time, talents, and resources to promote the well-being of each other and the development of our local, regional, and global communities.

Social Justice: We have the right to be treated and the responsibility to treat others with fairness and equity, the duty to challenge prejudice, and to uphold the laws, policies and procedures that promote justice in all respects.

Diversity and Inclusion 

“Respect for Diversity: It is my intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or for other students or student groups. In addition, if any of our class meetings conflict with your religious events, please let me know so that we can make arrangements for you.” – Source

Counseling Services 

We encourage students to make use of the CSU Counseling Services. Just as one takes care of your physical health, you should also take care of your mental health using all tools and means at your disposal. Your student fees provide access to a wide range of mental health support resources at no additional cost. Counseling Services is located on the 3rd floor of the Health & Medical Center.

Other policies 

Please visit http://catalog.colostate.edu/general-catalog/policies/students-responsibilities/ for other policies.