Updating unsyllabus for 2024W2.

UBC-CS · Jan 21, 2025 · ed50db0 · ed50db0
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diff --git a/_config.yml b/_config.yml
@@ -97,12 +97,12 @@ sphinx:
       EXAM_PERIOD: "Saturday April 12th - Sunday, April 27"
 
       # Course Policies
-      GRACE_PERIOD: "48 hour"
+      GRACE_PERIOD: "48 hours"
 
       # TA Names
-      #TA1: "Braeden Fong"
-      #TA1pronounce: "BRAY-DIN"
-      #TA2: "Manushree Singhania"
-      #TA2pronounce: "MA-NU-SHREE"
+      TA1: "Minh Anh Nguyen"
+      TA1pronounce: "Ming Ang"
+      TA2: "Aryan Ballani"
+      TA2pronounce: "Ar-yan"
       #TA3: "Minh Anh Nguyen"
       #TA3pronounce: "Ming Ang"
diff --git a/about/accommodations.md b/about/accommodations.md
diff --git a/about/course_schedule.md b/about/course_schedule.md
diff --git a/about/faq.md b/about/faq.md
diff --git a/about/syllabus_bits/passing_requirement.md b/about/syllabus_bits/passing_requirement.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-- All students must satisfy ALL conditions to pass the course:
+- Students must satisfy ALL conditions to pass the course:
     1. Pass the Lab component with a grade of at least 50%,
-    1. Pass the Test and Exam components (together) with a grade of at least 50%,
+    1. Pass the Tests and Final Exam components (together) with a grade of at least 50%,
     1. Pass the Final Exam with a grade of at least 40%.
 
-If students do not satisfy the appropriate requirements, the student will be assigned the **lower** of their earned course grade or, a maximum overall grade of 45 in the course.
+If a student does not satisfy these requirements, the student may be assigned the **lower** of their earned course grade or 45% in the course.
diff --git a/about/syllabus_bits/schedule.md b/about/syllabus_bits/schedule.md
@@ -1,19 +1,19 @@
 This is the tentative plan for {{ COURSE_CODE }} this term.
 Things may change depending on many factors so this is subject to change.
 
-| Wk | Date   | Topic                    | POTW    | Lab    | Logs  | Examlet |
-|----|--------|--------------------------|---------|--------|-------|---------|
-| 1  | Jan 8  | Terminal, Markdown       | POTW 1  | Lab 1  | LL 1  | -       |
-| 2  | Jan 15 | Data Representation      | POTW 2  | Lab 2  | LL 2  | Test 1  |
-| 3  | Jan 22 | Decomposition and Design | POTW 3  | Lab 3  | LL 3  | -       |
-| 4  | Jan 29 | Python Classes           | POTW 4  | Lab 4  | LL 4  | Test 2  |
-| 5  | Feb 5  | Pandas and Web Data      | POTW 5  | Lab 5  | LL 5  | -       |
-| 6  | Feb 12 | Git and Version Control  | POTW 6  | Lab 6  | LL 6  | Test 3  |
-| 7  | Feb 19 | Midterm Break            | -       | -      | -     | -       |
-| 8  | Feb 26 | Data Structures          | POTW 7  | Lab 7  | LL 7  | -       |
-| 9  | Mar 4  | Graphs and Search        | POTW 8  | Lab 8  | LL 8  | Test 4  |
-| 10 | Mar 11 | Catch-up Week            | -       | -      | -     | -       |
-| 11 | Mar 18 | Graphs and MHall         | POTW 9  | Lab 9  | LL 9X | Test 5  |
-| 12 | Mar 25 | State Spaces             | POTW 10 | Lab 10 | LL 10 | -       |
-| 13 | Apr 1  | Maps                     | POTW 11 | Lab 11 | LL 11 | Test 6  |
-| 14 | Apr 8  | Review                   | -       | -      | -     | -       |
+| Week | Week of   | Topic                    | POTW    | Lab    | Test |
+|------|-----------|--------------------------|---------|--------|------|
+| 1  | Jan 6  | Terminal, Markdown       | POTW 1  | -      | -       |
+| 2  | Jan 13 | Data Representation      | POTW 2  | Lab 1  | -       |
+| 3  | Jan 20 | Decomposition and Design | POTW 3  | Lab 2  | Test 1  |
+| 4  | Jan 27 | Python Classes           | POTW 4  | Lab 3  | Test 2  |
+| 5  | Feb 3  | Pandas and Web Data      | POTW 5  | Lab 4  | -       |
+| 6  | Feb 10 | Git and Version Control  | POTW 6  | Lab 5  | Test 3  |
+| 7  | Feb 17 | Midterm Break            | -       | -      | -       |
+| 8  | Feb 24 | Data Structures          | POTW 7  | Lab 6  | -       |
+| 9  | Mar 3  | Graphs and Search        | POTW 8  | Lab 7  | Test 4  |
+| 10 | Mar 10 | Catch-up Week            | -       | Lab 8  | -       |
+| 11 | Mar 17 | Graphs and MHall         | POTW 9  | Lab 9  | Test 5  |
+| 12 | Mar 24 | State Spaces             | POTW 10 | Lab 10 | -       |
+| 13 | Mar 31 | Maps                     | POTW 11 | Lab 11 | Test 6  |
+| 14 | Apr 7  | Review                   | -       | -      | -       |
diff --git a/about/syllabus_bits/teaching_team.md b/about/syllabus_bits/teaching_team.md
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 | Team Member                  | Pronounce as       | Contact          | Office Hour                                                                                                            |
 |------------------------------|--------------------|------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
-| {{ INSTRUCTOR }}; Instructor | {{ PRONOUNCE }}    | {{ FORUM_LINK }} | Wednesdays 12:30 - 2:30 PM - ICCS 253 or [Zoom](https://ubc.zoom.us/j/6552557192?pwd=SGthMW10cTNBTVpaYitJZ0RMWkdmdz09) |
-| {{ TA3 }}                    | {{ TA3pronounce }} | {{ FORUM_LINK }} | [Mondays 1:30-2:30 PM in X339 and on Zoom](https://ubc.zoom.us/j/8465268502?pwd=U2ZpWWVkNG1JS2E5UzNvOEZZRHFyZz09)                                                                           |
-| {{ TA2 }}                    | {{ TA2pronounce }} | {{ FORUM_LINK }} | [Thursdays 1-2 PM on Zoom](https://ubc.zoom.us/s/62998255720)                                                          |
-| {{ TA1 }}                    | {{ TA1pronounce }} | {{ FORUM_LINK }} | Fridays 12-1 PM - ICCS X337 [or on Zoom](https://ubc.zoom.us/s/61966832541)                                                           |
+| {{ INSTRUCTOR }}; Instructor | {{ PRONOUNCE }}    | {{ FORUM_LINK }} | See Piazza ["Office Hours Schedule"](https://piazza.com/class/m5m1kbw121f3ii/post/26) |
+| {{ TA2 }}                    | {{ TA2pronounce }} | {{ FORUM_LINK }} | See Piazza ["Office Hours Schedule"](https://piazza.com/class/m5m1kbw121f3ii/post/26) |                                                          |
+| {{ TA1 }}                    | {{ TA1pronounce }} | {{ FORUM_LINK }} | See Piazza ["Office Hours Schedule"](https://piazza.com/class/m5m1kbw121f3ii/post/26) |
diff --git a/about/unsyllabus.md b/about/unsyllabus.md
@@ -48,10 +48,12 @@ All course content, references, and resources provided in this course are free a
 ```{include} syllabus_bits/passing_requirement.md
 ```
 
+<!-->
 ## Learning Intentions
 (learning-intentions)=
 ```{include} syllabus_bits/course_LOs.md
 ``` 
+-->
 
 <div class="page_break"> </div>
 
@@ -86,7 +88,7 @@ All course content, references, and resources provided in this course are free a
 (doing-well)=
 ## How do I do well in this course?
 
-```{include} unsyllabus_bits/doing_well_physics.md
+```{include} unsyllabus_bits/doing_well_cpsc.md
 ```
 
 (missed-things)=
@@ -107,10 +109,12 @@ All course content, references, and resources provided in this course are free a
 
 In this course, we will be using the following required learning technologies (privacy policies linked): 
 
-- [Canvas](https://faculty.canvas.ubc.ca/canvas-privacy/)
+- [Canvas](https://faculty.canvas.ubc.ca/canvas-privacy/).
+- [PrairieLearn](https://www.prairielearn.com/legal/privacy).
+- [Piazza](https://piazza.com/legal/privacy).  See also [UBC's Piazza Guide](https://lthub.ubc.ca/guides/piazza-instructor-guide/)
+- [GitHub](https://docs.github.com/en/github/site-policy/github-privacy-statement).
+<!--
 - [Ed Discussion](https://edstem.org/privacy)
-- [GitHub](https://docs.github.com/en/github/site-policy/github-privacy-statement)
-- [PrairieLearn](https://www.prairielearn.com/legal/privacy)
 
 ```{include} unsyllabus_bits/tools/canvas.md
 ```
@@ -124,15 +128,13 @@ In this course, we will be using the following required learning technologies (p
 ```{include} unsyllabus_bits/tools/prairielearn.md
 ```
 
-<!-- 
 - [Sli.do](https://www.slido.com/terms?experience_id=1&utm_campaign=_eid-007-control&utm_source=www.slido.com-_ab#privacy-policy)
 ```{include} unsyllabus_bits/tools/slido.md
 ```
 - [Gradescope](https://www.gradescope.com/privacy)
 
 ```{include} unsyllabus_bits/tools/gradescope.md
 ```
- -->
 
 ### What type of information will I collect about you in this course?
 
@@ -146,6 +148,7 @@ In this course, we will be using the following required learning technologies (p
 
 ```{include} unsyllabus_bits/teaching_philosophy.md
 ```
+-->
 
 (academic-integrity)=
 ## Academic Integrity
@@ -155,11 +158,13 @@ In this course, we will be using the following required learning technologies (p
 
 <div class="page_break"> </div>
 
+<!--
 (withdrawing)=
 ## What should I think about if I'm considering withdrawing from the course?
 
 ```{include} unsyllabus_bits/withdrawing.md
 ```
+-->
 
 (acknowledgements)=
 ## Acknowledgements

diff --git a/about/unsyllabus_bits/academic_integrity.md b/about/unsyllabus_bits/academic_integrity.md
@@ -4,24 +4,23 @@ I want to be proud of your work in this course, and I want YOU to be proud of yo
 That cannot happen if you make unethical decisions, including (but not limited) to cheating or plagiarism.
 According to the scientific literature, the most common reasons students cheat are:
 
-- Fear of failure and life consequences
-- Peer pressure, including an inability to say no to help others cheat
-- Perceived societal acceptance of cheating (Lance Armstrong, Barry Bonds, Enron, Wall Street & the The Big Short)
-- Desire for success without the time/desire to put in the work needed
-- Strict deadlines and due-dates
+- Fear of failure and life consequences.
+- Peer pressure, including the pressure to provide your answers when others ask for help.
+- Perceived societal acceptance of cheating (such as Lance Armstrong, Barry Bonds, Enron, Wall Street & The Big Short).
+- Desire for success without the time/desire to put in the work needed.
+- Strict deadlines and due-dates.
 - Requirement from instructors to memorize facts, figures, equations, etc...
-- High-stakes exams with no recompense for "having a bad day"
-- Peers cheating with no consequences or penalties
-- Unclear expectations on what constitutes academic dishonesty
-- Inadequate support from instructor and teaching team
+- High-stakes exams with no recompense for "having a bad day".
+- Peers cheating with no consequences or penalties.
+- Unclear expectations on what constitutes academic dishonesty.
+- Inadequate support from instructor and teaching team.
 
-Though I sympathize with students and the stresses of your busy lives - in my opinion, there is no good reason to cheat.
-I have tried extremely hard to make this course focused on learning rather than grading, and where grading is needed, to have policies that are as student-friendly as possible.
+However, taking short-cuts when learning leads to poor learning.
+I have tried extremely hard to make this course focused on learning rather than grading, and where grading is needed to have policies that are as student-friendly as possible.
 In particular, I hope (and expect) that the following features of the course should eliminate your temptation to cheat or plagiarize:
 
 - {{ GRACE_PERIOD }} grace-period on all due dates.
-- Long testing window so you can start the tests whenever you're comfortable.
-- Weekly learning logs, homework and reading reflections to make you think about your learning ([metacognition](https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/metacognition/)).
+- Long testing window so you can start the tests when you are comfortable.
 <!-- - Each test has a "bonus test" available one week later; for each test, we will take the better score of the pair. -->
 - No high-stakes exams (the single largest assessment item is the final exam).
 <!-- - All course assessments are completely open book, open notes, and open web (except for cheating websites like Chegg, CourseHero, Slader, Bartleby, etc...) -->
@@ -37,16 +36,15 @@ A more detailed description of academic integrity, including the University’s
 
 ### What is considered academic dishonesty in this course?
 
-To make it even easier for you to decide what isn't allowed, below is a list of things that I **definitely** consider to be academic dishonesty:
-
-- Asking others for their work in the course (whether question by question, or all at once)
-- Sending others your work in the course
-- Doing tests collaboratively (tests **must** be done by yourself and alone)
-- Sending others your test questions and/or answers
-- Sharing any course material onto Chegg, Course Hero, Slader, or other similar sites
-- Searching for solutions to course material on Chegg, Course Hero, Slader, or other similar sites
-- Blindly googling the question in hopes of finding someone who had a similar question and then copying their answer
-    - Note, googling to find resources to understand specific concepts or general ideas is highly encouraged!
-- Having a tutor/friend/nemesis complete and submit your work for you
-- Copying and pasting code, equations, text explanations, prose, etc... without attribution
+The line between what constitutes acceptable versus unacceptable behaviour can be blurry, but here is a list of things which are **definitely** considered academic dishonesty in CPSC 203:
+
+- Asking others to see their work (whether question by question, or all at once).
+- Sharing your work with others.
+- Doing tests collaboratively (tests **must** be done by yourself and alone).
+- Communicating test questions and/or answers to others.  We all benefit from the scheduling flexibility that PrairieLearn provides, but that means even if you have completed a test you **cannot talk about it** because other students may not have taken it yet.
+- Sharing any course material onto Chegg, Course Hero, Slader, or other similar sites.
+- Searching for solutions to course material on Chegg, Course Hero, Slader, or other similar sites.
+- Blindly googling the question in hopes of finding someone who had a similar question and then copying their answer.  However, googling to find resources to understand specific concepts or general ideas is highly encouraged!
+- Having a tutor/friend/nemesis complete and submit your work for you.
+- Copying and pasting code, equations, text explanations, prose, etc... without attribution.
 - Manipulating the learning platforms we use to reverse engineer the randomization algorithms, hacking the timer functionality, or other similar technical [malfeasance](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/malfeasance).
diff --git a/about/unsyllabus_bits/acknowledgements.md b/about/unsyllabus_bits/acknowledgements.md
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 The syllabus was constructed and adapted from many other templates and examples.
 Below is the list of resources I have used to put this syllabus together:
 
+- CPSC 203 2023W2 Course web page (Instructor: [Dr. Firas Moosvi](https://firas.moosvi.com))
 - Physics 117 (Instructor: [Dr. Simon Bates](https://sites.google.com/site/simonpbates/home?authuser=0))
 - Psychology 417A-951 (Instructor: [Dr. Catherine Rawn](https://blogs.ubc.ca/catherinerawn/))
 - [Dr. Christopher Jones](https://hcommons.org/members/profchrismjones/) and [this tweet](https://twitter.com/ProfChrisMJones/status/1282036533562834944)

diff --git a/about/unsyllabus_bits/changes.md b/about/unsyllabus_bits/changes.md
@@ -5,5 +5,4 @@ Any major changes to the syllabus (this page) will be documented here, as well a
 
 | Change Date  | Summary                                                                                               | Rationale |
 |--------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------|
-| Jan 18, 2024 | Removed left-over language about assessments being open-book, open-web now that we are using the CBTF | Unfortunately, the CBTF does not yet allow open-book and open-web assessments so our Examlets and final exam need to be closed book with no access to web resources. This was always the intention, and there was one instance that I copied from another course (which doesn't use the CBTF!). Apologies for the oversight.      |
-| Jan 22, 2024  |  Removed left-over language about "bonus tests" since we're not doing that this year.   | We will have a slightly different scheme for recovering lost points  to be released later in the term. |
+|   | None yet made |   |
diff --git a/about/unsyllabus_bits/course_tools.md b/about/unsyllabus_bits/course_tools.md
@@ -2,21 +2,19 @@
 I will be the first to acknowledge that my courses are usually heavily reliant on learning technologies.
 I strongly believe that learning technologies are essential (for me) to give you my students a good experience in the course.
 Many times during the course you may be frustrated why we need to use so many different tools, and why there isn't one tool that does everything.
-Believe me, this frustrates me too (particularly because each of your instructors will be using different tools depending on their needs), and is something that I'm working on improving.
 At the moment, the reality is that many learning technologies often only do *one thing* very well.
-This of course means that other functionalities take a back-seat and exist merely to check a box on their marketing website (just to say they have the feature).
+This of course means that other functionalities take a back-seat and exist merely to check a box on their marketing website (just so they can say they have the feature, even though it is a crappy implementation of that feature).
 
-**In all of my courses, before selecting a learning technology, I do a very careful scan of the landscape, weigh the pros and cons, consider the privacy implications, the convenience aspects, and then select the ones that I believe will best support my teaching goals at minimal inconvenience to students. In general, I also use tools that are fun to use!**
-
-I hope you will be patient with all the tools used in this course, I hope I can demonstrate value to you by using them in our course.
-If you have any feedback about my usage of the tools, I'd be happy to [get your (anonymous) feedback](page_feedback) and though it may not always be possible to make changes mid-semester, I will certainly keep your feedback in mind as I plan the next iteration of this course.
+I hope you will be patient with all the tools used in this course, and I hope I can demonstrate value to you by using them in our course.
 ```
 
+<!--
 All tools used in the course will be used in a [FIPPA-compliant](https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/subject-areas/access-and-privacy-general/access-to-information/about-fippa/) manner, with your privacy top of mind. 
 New tools may be added to the course as the need arises, and I will update this section with the appropriate information and make an announcement if a new tool is added midway through a course.
 
 There is no cost to the student for any of the tools used in this course.
 
 ```{tip}
 Even though the tools above are required for this course, if you have a moral or legal objection to my use of these tools, please do reach out to me and we can likely find an acceptable accommodation.
-```
+```
+-->
diff --git a/about/unsyllabus_bits/doing_well_cpsc.md b/about/unsyllabus_bits/doing_well_cpsc.md
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ And some ingredients for your success:
 1. Do not be fooled by familiarity of the material.
 
 ```{important}
-These guidelines were adapted from [Dr. Simon Bates' Physics 117 course from UBCV](https://sites.google.com/site/simonpbates/home?authuser=0).
+These guidelines were adapted from [Dr. Simon Bates'](https://sites.google.com/site/simonpbates/home?authuser=0) Physics 117 course from UBCV.
 ```
 
 ### ... but I've never been good at computer science!
@@ -39,6 +39,6 @@ That's fine!
 No judgement from me, you are more than welcome in this course.
 I just ask that you not make any snap judgements about the class, the material, the instructor (me), or the teaching team.
 Whatever your motivations are for taking this course, give us a chance, maybe you don't HAVE TO be miserable taking this course!
-You might even enjoy the feeling of community and camaraderie that develops over the course of the semester :-). 
+You might even enjoy the feeling of community and camaraderie that develops over the course of the semester 🤞. 
 
 I hope you're not miserable, if you do feel miserable, come talk to me - maybe I can help you see the light at the end of tunnel?