Lab Submission Guidelines

CSC 161 - Imperative Problem Solving and Data Structures - Weinman

Summary:: We provide details on the policies for submitting laboratory exercises, whether required or for extra credit.

1 Collaboration
2 Headers
2.1 Identification
2.2 Academic Honesty Certification
3 Format
4 Testing
5 Submission

1 Collaboration

You will begin all laboratory exercises in class using assigned partners. Due to the extreme benefits of pair programming, you are strongly encouraged to complete and submit your work in these groups.

Whereas it may be difficult to synchronize schedules on short time frames, you may occasionally elect to complete your write-ups individually. In such cases, you must clearly identify the contributions of your original partner(s) in the interest of academic honesty. Conversely, everyone whose name appears on a submitted group lab report has the responsibility to ensure everyone fully understands the submission.

Other discussions must respect the course academic honesty policy and guidelines on allowable help from peer educators.

2 Headers

The very beginning of each lab should contain the lines with the following information. Even if your submission is a text file with commentary and source code intermingled, the same (C-style comment) format should be used.

2.1 Identification

: /***********************************************************************
* Name(s): (identify both lab partners for group submissions)
* Lab: Title
***********************************************************************/

The lab title must exactly match that give on the corresponding web page.

2.2 Academic Honesty Certification

: /* *********************************************************************
* Academic honesty certification:
*   Written/online sources used:
*     [include textbook(s), CSC 161 labs or readings;
*      use complete citations for Web or other written sources;
*      write none if no sources used]
*   Help obtained
*     [indicate names of instructor, class mentors
*      or evening tutors, consulted according to class policy;
*      write none if none of these sources used]
*   My/our initials below confirms that the above list of sources
*   is complete AND that I/we have not talked to anyone else
*   (e.g., CSC 161 students) about the solution to this problem
*
*   Initials:  ABC, DEF
***********************************************************************/

If you complete the lab on your own, you must acknowledge your partner's contributions in your writeup by distinguishing which parts were completed together.

3 Format

Submissions must be in a plain text file. Answers to questions should be numbered and in numeric order (e.g., the answer to Step 1 should be numbered 1 and come before the answer to Step 2).

Commentary: When laboratory exercises ask questions, answers should be written in careful English. Normally, this requires full sentences. Points may be lost for incorrect spelling, poor grammar, etc.
Code: Answers involving code should be integrated with (i.e., copied and pasted into) the general commentary.

4 Testing

Laboratory exercises do not require the formal testing outlined in the rubric; informal testing is therefore appropriate. However, submitting code for a step in a lab implicitly certifies that the code has been tested. Errors in code (without explicit commentary regarding a difficulty or failure of a test case) may lose significant points.

5 Submission

Submit your file to the corresponding assignment on PioneerWeb by the deadline. Attach the file containing your answers (cf. 3) to upload. Type the complete e-mail addresses of all the individuals named on the lab into the Comments box. For example

: starjane17@grinnell.edu, cooljoe17@grinnell.edu

(This will enable the graders to provide responses easily.)

If you submit the lab together, only one submission is required. However, all group members are jointly responsible for ensuring a submission is made. For example, if your partner told you he would submit a lab but he forgets to do so, all group members will incur late penalties. For this reason, I recommend submitting labs while you are sitting together.

Acknowledgments

This is a derivative work of Detailed Coursework Instructions by Henry Walker; used under a CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

References

[KP]: Brian W. Kernighan and Rob Pike. The Practice of Programming. Addison-Wesley, 1999.
[SW]: William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White. The Elements of Style. 1959.