• S = H/3 + E/3 + min(H, E)/3 + P/10 + B/10
• H = "average of the homework scores weighted by difficulty"; H ∈ [0, 100]
• E = 0.20*E₁ + 0.25*E₂ + 0.30*E₃ + 0.25*Q; E ∈ [0, 100]
  • Q = “quiz average” = 10*Average(Q₁, Q₂, …, Q_n); Q_i ∈ [0, 10]; Q ∈ [0, 100]
  • E₁ = “Exam 1 score”; E₁ ∈ [0, 100]
  • E₂ = “Exam 2 score”; E₂ ∈ [0, 100]
  • E₃ = “Exam 3 (final) score”; E₃ ∈ [0, 100]
• P = “participation score”; P ∈ [0, 10]
• B = “bonus score”; B ∈ [0, 10]

Participation scores will be 0 by default. Those who help other students in online discussions, participate actively in class, or contribute in other tangible ways may receive up to 10 points.

1. an ability to read and write C programs that use recursion
2. an ability to read and write C programs that use structures
3. an ability to read and write C programs that use dynamic data structures
4. an ability to read and write C programs that use files

We will do our best to give you plenty of opportunities to prove your mastery of these. However, any student who fails to master all of these learning objectives may receive a failing grade.

Students are expected to be present for every meeting of the classes in which they are enrolled. Only the instructor can excuse a student from a course requirement or responsibility. When conflicts or absences can be anticipated, such as for many University sponsored activities and religious observations, the student should inform the instructor of the situation as far in advance as possible…For unanticipated or emergency absences when advance notification to an instructor is not possible, the student should contact the instructor as soon as possible by email, or by contacting the main office that offers the course. When the student is unable to make direct contact with the instructor and is unable to leave word with the instructor’s department because of circumstances beyond the student’s control, and in cases of bereavement, the student or the student’s representative should contact the Office of the Dean of Students.

Bring the course reference sheet with you to every class.

If you have questions of a personal nature that apply only to you, or require confidentiality, feel free to send email to the instructor, come to office hours, or schedule an appointment to speak at another time.

There will be approximately one programming assignment per week. To fetch the starter files (if any), you will run the command 264get hw5 (or likewise for the other assignments) from ecegrid.ecn.purdue.edu. To submit, you will type 264submit hw5 hw5.c (or likewise).

Late work. Deadlines are at 11:59:59 PM according to the clock on ecegrid.ecn.purdue.edu, unless otherwise announced. Due to the number of people taking the class, deadlines must be strictly enforced. Homework submitted up to 24 hours late will be subject to a penalty of 30% of the total possible points. 24-72 hours late will be subject to penalty of 50% of the total possible points. 72-120 hours late will be subject to a penalty of 70% of the total possible points.

Compiler warnings. Code that causes compiler warnings with compiled with gcc -g -Wall -Wshadow --std=c99 --pedantic ... on ecegrid will be subject to a penalty of 40% of the total possible points.

Memory errors. Code that contains memory problems reportable by Valgrind will be subject to a penalty of 40% of the total possible points.

Style. Code that contains violates the style guidelines listed in the course reference sheet may be subject to a penalty of 20% of the total possible points. (This may be checked by spot checking or automated means, for some, all, or none of the assignments, and for some, all, or none of the style rules.)

Partial credit. For assignments that offer automated testing of submissions, no other partial credit will be given unless otherwise specified. Your assignment is either done or it is not.

Multiple submissions. Only your last submission will be scored, unless the instructor announces otherwise (before or after the submission deadline).

Since we are creating new homework assignments, some issues are inevitable. Therefore, we are asking for your help in identifying issues with new assignments early.

The first person to find an report a significant issue—i.e., ambiguity, inconsistency, impossibility, or typos that substantially obscures the meaning—in a homework assignment will receive 1 participation point. Exceptionally insightful discoveries might receive 2 points.

You must post a message to blackboard with exactly this subject: "[possible issue in hw##]: description". The instructor reserves the right to determine what constitutes “significant”, “first”, and ”exceptionally insightful”, and to limit the number of points per person per assignment. In other words, please don't spam the board with philosophizing about the meaning of words or silly stuff, but if you find something that might confuse your classmates, call it out.

If you reported significant issues before this policy was added (10/17/2015), you may receive the points if you send email to the instructor with exactly that subject line. The subject line must match that pattern exactly, so that I can search for them to count them up at the end of the semester.

A Book On C: Programming in C (4th edition) by Al Kelley (ISBN 9780201183993)

Note: We will direct you to the appropriate sections of the book so that you can prepare for class and strengthen your understanding of concepts and practical issues. However, this course is about learning the craft of programming. Practically speaking, you will learn primarily by doing. If you are good at finding resources online, you may be able to get through the course without purchasing the textbook. No assignments will directly depend your having access to the textbook.

The vast majority of students at Purdue do their work honestly and with integrity. The value of their grades and their ultimate degree is based on the expectation that earning a good grade always requires learning the material well, and demonstrating that in a way that can be measured (e.g., exams and assignments). Those who cheat are eroding that value, the reputation of Purdue, and ultimately the value of your diploma.

Cheating is unfair to those who do their work honestly, and even to the few who do not. It defeats the purpose of being a student at Purdue. It also defeats our dual purpose as instructors in this course: (1) to teach you advanced C programming, and (2) to ensure that a good grade in ECE 264 is a dependable indicator of true proficiency in advanced C programming. If students are able to cheat, we have failed at both of those goals. For all of these reasons, we have a very strict stance against cheating.

For purposes of defining cheating for this course, the following definitions apply:

• “Copying” means reproducing any kind of data (including code, text, etc.) by any means (including copy-paste, copying files, hand-typing, etc.) from one source to another.
• “Trivial modifications” – include differences in whitespace, variable names, function order, or other changes that affect the appearance but not the function or intellectual content of the material.
• “Attribution” means explicitly acknowledging the source of copied content with a comment in exactly this format: /* Credit: <author>, <description>, <url_or_location> */.
• “Authorized sources” include code that you have written yourself, code from the course reference sheet (with attribution), or any other source explicitly allowed by the instructor (with attribution).
• “Unauthorized sources” are any sources except authorized sources.
• “Unauthorized aid” means any resource that provides information relevant to a quiz or exam that was not explicitly allowed by the instructor. Examples include hidden note sheets (on a closed-book exam), other students' papers, smartphone, calculator, etc.
• “Cheating” includes doing or attempting to do any of the following:
  • Copying any amount of code from another students' code, the web, a book, or any other unauthorized source, even if you change the variable names or rearrange expressions or lines of code. You may use code from the course reference sheet or code that you wrote yourself.
  • Allowing another student to copy your code
  • Using any resource on any quiz or exam that is not explicitly allowed
  • Using unauthorized means to alter or affect grades, submission timestamps, or submission contents.

Be careful not to reveal your code to others. It is your responsibility to log out when you leave, and guard any printed copies of your work. If we discover two assignment submissions that are identical or very similar, both may be penalized.

Very generic code snippets (e.g., #include <stdio.h>) should not require any copying. You should know those from memory.

The penalty for cheating depends on the severity and how we discover it. Very minor instances (e.g., 1-3 lines of code from the web on a homework) will result in a penalty equal to 100% of the points possible. For all other instances, the penalty will be an "F" in the course, and a referral to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.

We encourage you to report any cheating you see or hear about to the instructor. You may do so in person, by email, or anonymously (e.g., non-Purdue email address that does not identify you, note under door, etc.). In doing so, you will be improving the fairness for the entire class, while also teaching the individual(s) a valuable lesson. Even if you do not wish to name an individual, we welcome any feedback you may have about how we can ensure fairness and integrity in this course.

Purdue University is required to respond to the needs of the students with disabilities as outlined in both the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 through the provision of auxiliary aids and services that allow a student with a disability to fully access and participate in the programs, services, and activities at Purdue University.

If you have a disability that requires special academic accommodation, please make an appointment to speak with me during the first week of the semester in order to discuss any adjustments. It is important that we talk about this at the beginning of the semester. It is the student's responsibility to notify the Disability Resource Center of an impairment/condition that may require accommodations and/or classroom modifications.

Purdue University is committed to maintaining a community which recognizes and values the inherent worth and dignity of every person; fosters tolerance, sensitivity, understanding, and mutual respect among its members; and encourages each individual to strive to reach his or her own potential. In pursuit of its goal of academic excellence, the University seeks to develop and nurture diversity. The University believes that diversity among its many members strengthens the institution, stimulates creativity, promotes the exchange of ideas, and enriches campus life.

Purdue University prohibits discrimination against any member of the University community on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, genetic information, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or status as a veteran. The University will conduct its programs, services and activities consistent with applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and orders and in conformance with the procedures and limitations as set forth in Executive Memorandum No. D-1, which provides specific contractual rights and remedies. Any student who believes they have been discriminated against may visit www.purdue.edu/report-hate to submit a complaint to the Office of Institutional Equity. Information may be reported anonymously.

Among the materials that may be protected by copyright law are the lectures, reference sheet, this web site, assignments, quizzes, exams, and other material presented in class or as part of the course. Always assume the materials presented by an instructor are protected by copyright unless the instructor has stated otherwise. Students enrolled in, and authorized visitors to, Purdue University courses are permitted to take notes, which they may use for individual/group study or for other non-commercial purposes reasonably arising from enrollment in the course during the semester in which the student was enrolled.

Notes taken in class are, however, generally considered to be “derivative works” of the instructor’s presentations and materials, and they are thus subject to the instructor’s copyright in such presentations and materials. No individual is permitted to sell or otherwise barter notes, either to other students or to any commercial concern, for a course without the express written permission of the course instructor. To obtain permission to sell or barter notes, the individual wishing to sell or barter the notes must be registered in the course or must be an approved visitor to the class. Course instructors may choose to grant or not grant such permission at their own discretion, and may require a review of the notes prior to their being sold or bartered. If they do grant such permission, they may revoke it at any time, if they so choose.

// Credit: A substantial portion of this policy document is derived from a template authored by the Purdue Center for Instructional Excellence.

// Credit: The regrade form is from Prof. Yung-Hsiang Lu.