CS/ECE 374 A: Exam Policies

• Exam logistics
• DRES accommodations
• Conflict and makeup exams
• Other stuff

Exam Logistics

• This class has two two-hour midterms and a three-hour final exam. Exact times for the exams are announced on the course web page well in advance. On the Thursday and Friday before each midterm, we will hold optional review sessions instead of the regular lecture and lab.
• Logistics:
  • Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all exams will be held online. Exams will be held synchronously online, and will be proctored via Zoom, following the protocols recommendedd by CBTF Online. Please read CBTF's exam instructions and guidelines for positioning your phone.
  • We will post Zoom links on Piazza in the week before each exam. Students should join their Zoom call at least 15 minutes before their exam begins: 6:45pm for midterms, 7:45am for the final exam.
  • Exam documents will be available through Gradescope starting at 7:00pm for midterms, and starting at 8:00am for the final exam.
  • Students will write their solutions on paper, scan their solutions using a scanning app, convert their scans to PDF, and upload the PDF to Gradescope. (Alternatively, you may write on a tablet instead of paper, but you must turn off the internet and you must not switch away from your writing app.) Please make sure your solution to each numbered problem starts on a new page of your submitted PDF file.
  • Each midterm is designed to take at most two hours; the final exam is designed to take at most three hours. We are providing 30 minutes at the end of each exam period for students to scan and upload their exams, and to deal with any unexpected technical difficulties that may arise. Gradescope will stop accepting submissions for each midterm precisely at 9:30pm and for the final exam precisely at 11:30am. We will not accept submissions after the Gradescope deadline. All work on the exam must stop 30 minutes before the Gradescope deadline.
  • Please make sure that your scans are clear and easy to read. We strongly recommend writing with black ink on unlined white paper. Submissions consisting of raw photos or low-quality scans will be penalized.
• Cheat sheets:
  • For each midterm, you may bring one double-sided 8½"×11" sheet of paper with anything you like written on both sides. (Two single-sided sheets are okay.)
  • For the final exam, you may bring two double-sided 8½"×11" sheets of paper with anything you like written on both sides. (Four single-sided sheets are okay.)
  • You must write your own cheat sheets by hand on paper, unless you have a documented writing diability. No printing or photocopying. Cheat sheets must be on paper even if you are taking the exam by writing on a tablet.
  • The proctors will ask you to show your cheat sheet (if you have one) to your Zoom camera during the exam. (You do not need to scan ans submit your cheat sheets with your exam solutions.)
• Academic Integrity:
  • Except for cheat sheets, all exams are closed-everything. In particular: No medically unnecessarily electronic devices are allowed in exams, including smart watches and headphones/earbuds. Writing on a tablet is fine, but make sure to turn off the internet and to not to switch away from your writing app.
  • Please read and understand the section "During Your Exam" in the CBTF Online instructions.
  • Gradescope records everyone who opens the exam link. Opening the regular exam link forfeits your right to take the conflict exam. Don't be stupid.
  • All exams are strictly confidential for at least 24 hours, or until all conflict exams have been taken. Do not share your exam handout or discuss your exam with anyone, either in person or online. Once conflict exams are finished, we will post exam handouts and solutions on the course website.

DRES accommodations

• Students requiring extra time or other exam accommodations should first discuss their needs with DRES, and then provide one of the instructors with a copy of the DRES accommodation letter as close to the start of the semester as possible, but at least one week before accomodations are actually required.
• Students who have accommodations for additional exam time are welcome to take their exams at the DRES Testing accommodation Center. We strongly recommend scheudling your exam at TAC at least one week in advance. If you are not taking your exams at TAC, and you have an accommodation for additional time on exams, we must ask you to take the conflict midterms.
• If you are concerned that a disability-related condition may be impacting your academic progress, academic screening appointments are available that can help diagnose a previously undiagnosed disability. You can request an academic screening appointment by following the "Request an Academic Screening" link at the bottom of the DRES Web site.

Conflict/Makeup Exams

• Conflict midterms: For each midterm, we will schedule a conflict exam on the following day to accomodate students who cannot attend the regular exam for any of the reasons listed in the student code:
  • Another simultaneous exam scheduled earlier
  • A regularly scheduled class
  • A regularly scheduled performance or rehearsal
  • Sickness, regular employment, or other extenuating circumstances
  • Religious accommodations
  “Extenuating circumstances” do not include out-of-state job interviews. (Do not believe recruiters who tell you rescheduling is impossible; they work on commission.) Students who have registered with DRES for exam accommodations are also welcome to take the conflict midterms.
• We may forgive midterms under extreme circumstances, such as documented illness or injury, that prevent taking both the regular exam and the conflict exam. We will compute your exam average as though the forgiven exam does not exist. Please ask Jeff or Dakshita for details.
• Conflict final: We will also schedule a conflict final exam to accomodate students who cannot attend the regular final exam for any of the reasons outlined in the student code:
  • Another final exam at the same time
  • Three consecutive final exams in 24 hours
  • National or state professional examinations
  • Sickness, regular employment, or other extenuating circumstances
  • Religious accommodations
  “Extenuating circumstances” do not include already-purchased plane tickets; the date of the final exam was announced before the start of the semester. Students who have registered with DRES for exam accommodations are also welcome to take the conflict final.
• Makeup final: Students who cannot take either the regular final exam or the conflict final exam because of serious extenuating circumstances, such as illness or injury, should request an Incomplete from their college (Engineering or LAS). Any student who does not take the final exam and who does not have an Incomplete will be given a grade of ABS (“absent from final”).

  If necessary, we will offer a makeup exam early next semester for students who miss the final exam, either with or without an Incomplete. Please ask Jeff for details.

Other Policies

• Deadly Sins will be penalized, just as they are for homework. Write general solutions, not just examples. Algorithms require English specifications, especially for dynamic programming. Don't use weak induction. Don't cheat.
• Greedy algorithms always require formal proofs of correctness. Otherwise, proofs are required on exams if and only if we explicitly ask for them.