Homework Submission Guidelines

CSC 161 - Imperative Problem Solving and Data Structures - Weinman

Summary:: We provide details on the policies for submitting individual homework problems.

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

1 Collaboration

Each homework problem must be done individually, without consulting classmates, mentors, tutors, or other individuals (except the instructor). Thus, discussions must respect the course academic honesty policy and guidelines on allowable help from peer educators.

2 Headers

The very beginning of each and every homework file should contain the lines with the following information. Even if the text file is commentary the same (C-style comment) format must be used.

2.1 Identification

: /***********************************************************************
* Name: Your name
* Homework: Title
***********************************************************************/

The 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 initials below confirms that the above list of sources
*   is complete AND that I have not talked to anyone else
*   (e.g., CSC 161 students) about the solution to this problem
*
*   Initials:  ABC
***********************************************************************/

3 Format

Submissions must be in plain text files (note: source code is a text file), rather than special word processing or other document formats (e.g., .doc, .pdf).

Commentary: Commentary regarding testing should be given in a separate file, not included within the complete program. (Note: Opening a file in Emacs with a .txt extension is generally a good way to author such a file, as Emacs will automatically wrap lines sensibly.) The commentary should describe how one knows a program is correct (cf. 4). As with any writing, this commentary should be logically structured and carefully written.
Code: A complete program should be given as a single entity (file), unless otherwise specified in the instructions.

4 Testing

Homework problems require more formal testing as outlined in the rubric. Whereas these problems apply problem solving in C to non-robot-based problems, solutions must be tested systematically, and the results of the tests collected and submitted.

All code must be tested; commentary must address the basic question of how you know the code is correct. Commentary that simply repeats the logic of the program does not address correctness. If the logic in a program is faulty, simply stating the logic again does not make it correct.

Evidence based on testing must be described.

What circumstances can arise in the problem?
What test cases have been devised to check those circumstances?
What results does the program produce for those test cases?
Are the results correct? How do you know?

For example, program output should be copied into your commentary. In order to analyze the output, be sure to state clearly what input was used for each test. To generate a transcript of compilation and relevant test or demonstration runs for inclusion in your work, use the script command and paste the resulting file at the end of your commentary.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Including script-based transcripts (or simply pasting text copied directly from the terminal window) are subject to the syllbus academic honesty policy (based on the student handbook):

Any program results or output must be faithfully recorded, not forged. (A thoughtful explanation of unexpected behavior can often be a worthwhile submission and is much better than the alternative.)

5 Submission

Submit your files to the corresponding assignment on PioneerWeb by the deadline. Attach each file containing your answers (cf. 3) to upload. Type your complete e-mail address into the Comments box. For example

: starjane17@grinnell.edu

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

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.