Course Syllabus

Welcome to CSC108H! This course provides an Introduction to Computer Programming. By the end of this course, you should be comfortable programming in Python, understand why good style is critical, and be familiar with core computer science topics like algorithms and complexity.

The material posted on Quercus is required reading. It contains important information: assignment handouts, the policy on missed work, links to the online discussion forum (Piazza), the announcements page, and more. You are responsible for all announcements made in lecture and on Quercus.

Communication

The table below dictates how to communicate with the teaching team for different contexts.

Context	Example	Communication Method
Personal Issue	Illness, emergencies, etc.	Please email us at: [email protected]
Course-Related Question	Clarifying a concept, asking about an assignment, etc.	Please use Piazza or visit us during office hours

Do not use Quercus messaging for anything related to CSC108H.

When sending an email, please use your UofT email address. Include “csc108” in the subject line and sign your full name. Mario Badr is the Course Coordinator, which means that he and his instructional support staff deal with all administrative issues (ex. missed work, problems with your grades, the course website, and TA issues).

Lectures and Office Hours

· Orientation: Learning Online with Zoom and Bb Collaborate

· Schedule: Office Hours

Synchronous Lectures: Lectures will be hosted online on Zoom. Students enrolled in a synchronous lecture section have a "seat" for them in the online meeting for that section. At this point, we cannot accommodate students attending lecture sections other than the one they are enrolled in. If this changes, we will let you know.

Office Hours: Office hours will be hosted online on Bb Collaborate and are open to students from both synchronous and asynchronous sections.

Instructors

	Mario Badr (Course Coordinator)	Tom Fairgrieve	Amanjit Kainth	Joseph Williams
Office Hours	Office Hours
Email	[email protected]
Sections	LEC510* / LEC610* Tuesdays: 6-9 pm	LEC0201 Tuesdays: 1-3 pm Thursdays: 1-2 pm	LEC0101 Mondays: 2-4 pm Wednesdays: 2-3 pm	LEC0301 Asynchronous

Video Recording and Sharing policy

This course, including your participation, will be recorded on video and will be available to students in the course for viewing remotely and after each session. Course videos and materials belong to your instructor, the University, and/or other source depending on the specific facts of each situation, and are protected by copyright. In this course, you are permitted to download session videos and materials for your own academic use, but you should not copy, share, or use them for any other purpose without the explicit permission of the instructor. For questions about recording and use of videos in which you appear please contact [email protected].

Textbook

The textbook, Practical Programming (3rd ed): An Introduction to Computer Science Using Python 3, is available as an eBook at: https://pragprog.com/titles/gwpy3/practical-programming-third-edition/. The textbook is optional.

Assessments

· Orientation: Navigating the Course

· Orientation: Managing Expectations

· Orientation: Course Policies for Technical Issues

The following assessments and surveys will contribute to your grade: weekly exercises (prepare, perform), assignments, term tests, research surveys, and a final test. All assessments must be completed alone (no partners or groups). The Marking Scheme is shown in the table below, and more information can be found throughout this section and the orientation pages.

Assessment / Survey	Count	Total Weight	More Information
Prepare Exercises	11	5%	Each exercise is worth 0.5%. Best 10 of 11.
Perform Exercises	11	20%	Each exercise is worth 2%. Best 10 of 11.
Assignments	3	24%	Assignment 1 (5%), Assignment 2 (9.5%), Assignment 3 (9.5%)
Research surveys	2	1%	Earn 1% by completing both surveys. The first survey will be released near the middle of the term. The second survey will be released near the end of the term.
Term Tests	2	30%	Each term test is worth 15%.
Final Test	1	20%	To be scheduled in the final assessment period.

Weekly Exercises: Prepare, Rehearse, Perform

· Also See: PCRS

Prepare (5%)	We will post lecture videos and problems that cover the course topics for the upcoming week. After watching the videos and working through the problems, you must complete the Prepare exercise. Each Prepare exercise is worth 0.5% (best 10 of 11) and is due Monday by 12:00 pm (i.e., noon) (Toronto time).
Rehearse	Next, you will practice applying the concepts covered in the Prepare videos by completing activities of various kinds and working through more complex examples. If you are enrolled in a synchronous section, you’ll practice the material during your lecture time with the support of your instructor and teaching assistants. If you are enrolled in the asynchronous section, you'll practice the material by completing the Rehearse exercises in PCRS.
Perform (20%)	Finally, using both PCRS and MarkUs, you’ll complete a Perform exercise based on material covered in the Prepare and Rehearse phases. Each Perform exercise is worth 2% (best 10 of 11) and is due Friday by 5:00 pm (Toronto time). 1% of the Perform exercise comes from PCRS and the other 1% comes from MarkUs.

Tests

The term tests cover material from lectures, exercises, and assignments. Each test will be available from 9:00am-9:00pm, Toronto time, and is designed to be completed in two 30-minute parts (for a total of 60 minutes). The two term tests are scheduled for:

· Term Test 1: Wednesday, February 24th (Toronto time)

· Term Test 2: Wednesday, March 24th (Toronto time)

The final test covers the whole course, and takes place, naturally enough, after classes are over. The final test is also online and will be held during the final assessment period. More details on the final test will come later in the term.

Submission

Tests are completed online using Quercus (30 minutes) and MarkUs (30 minutes). Submission instructions will be provided closer to the date of each term test.

Late Policy

We recognize that unexpected problems sometimes make it difficult to submit a term test on time. There is no late penalty policy for the Quercus component of a test. If you encounter technical difficulties with Quercus, please email us immediately or ask privately on Piazza.

For the MarkUs component of a test, we will accept late submissions with a penalty. There is a five minute grace period after the term test is due in which no late penalty is applied. Afterward, the deduction will be 10% (of the total possible mark) per minute. Here is the late term test policy broken down by minute:

CSC108 Late Term Test Policy
On time or early	no penalty
up to 5 minutes late	no penalty
up to 6 minutes late	10% penalty
up to 7 minutes late	20% penalty
up to 8 minutes late	30% penalty
up to 9 minutes late	40% penalty
up to 10 minutes late	50% penalty
up to 11 minutes late	60% penalty
up to 12 minutes late	70% penalty
up to 13 minutes late	80% penalty
up to 14 minutes late	90% penalty
after 14 minutes late	100% penalty

Term Test Remark Requests

Mistakes sometimes happen when marking. If you feel there is an issue with the marking of your test, you may request that it be remarked. Remark requests are accepted for two weeks after tests are returned, and will be completed before the final grades are submitted at the end of the term. You must give a specific reason for each request, referring to a possible error or omission by the marker. Remark requests without a specific reason will not be accepted.

To request a remark for a test, please see the announcement about the test result availability for details.

Assignments

Like the exercises, all three assignments must be completed alone (no partners). We will announce when an assignment is released on Quercus. The assignment due dates are:

· Assignment 1: Thursday, February 4th at 5 pm (Toronto time)

· Assignment 2: Thursday, March 11th at 5 pm (Toronto time)

· Assignment 3: Thursday, April 1st at 5 pm (Toronto time)

Submission

The assignments will be submitted electronically, using MarkUs. You will log in using your UTORid and password. To submit your work:

1. Navigate to the MarkUs page for the particular assignment

2. Click on the "Submissions" tab near the top.

3. Click "Add New File" and use the "Choose Files" button to choose a file.

4. Click "Submit". You can submit a new version of a file later (before the deadline, of course).

Once you have submitted, click on the file's name to check that you submitted the correct version!

Late Policy

We recognize that unexpected problems sometimes make it difficult to submit assignments on time. For this reason we will accept limited late assignments with a penalty. There is a one hour grace period after the assignment is due in which no late penalty is applied. For the next five hours after the deadline, the deduction will be 5% (of the total possible mark) per hour. For the next five hours, the additional deduction will be 15% per hour.

Here is the late assignment policy broken down by hour:

CSC108 Late Assignment Policy
On time or early	no penalty
up to 1 hour late	no penalty
up to 2 hours late	5% penalty
up to 3 hours late	10% penalty
up to 4 hours late	15% penalty
up to 5 hours late	20% penalty
up to 6 hours late	25% penalty
up to 7 hours late	40% penalty
up to 8 hours late	55% penalty
up to 9 hours late	70% penalty
up to 10 hours late	85% penalty
after 10 hours late	100% penalty

See Special Consideration (below) for what to do in case of serious emergencies.

Academic Integrity

All of the work you submit must be done by you, and your work must not be submitted by someone else. Plagiarism is academic fraud and is taken very seriously. The department uses software that compares programs for evidence of similar code. Please read the Rules and Regulations from the U of T Governing Council (especially the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters): http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/policies/behaveac.htm

Please also see the information for students from the Office of Student Academic Integrity: https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/academic-advising-and-support/student-academic-integrity

Please don’t copy. We want you to succeed and are here to help. Here are a couple of general guidelines to help you avoid plagiarism:

· Never look at another student’s assignment solution, whether it is on paper or on the computer screen. Never show another student your assignment solution, including by pasting parts of it into a group chat. This applies to all drafts of a solution and to incomplete solutions. If you find code on the web that solves part or all of an assignment, do not read, use, or submit any part of it! A large percentage of the academic offenses in CS involve students who have never met, and who just happened to find the same solution online. If you find a solution, someone else will too.

· For tests and assignments, do not seek solutions online, or help outside of the CSC108 course staff. For example, do not post or look at posting on sites like Chegg. These sites contribute to a large number of our academic offense cases each term.

· Online tutors are also often problematic, as they often cross the line and tell students what code to write - and then work with multiple students who all end up submitting nearly identical code.

· The easiest way to avoid plagiarism is to only discuss a piece of work with the CSC108H TAs or the CSC108H instructors.

Accessibility Needs

The University of Toronto is committed to accessibility. If you require accommodations or have any accessibility concerns, please visit http://www.accessibility.utoronto.ca Links to an external site.as soon as possible.

Students who require accommodations for online tests need to register with Test & Exam Services. We will only be providing test accommodations sent to us that way.

Special Consideration

Students experiencing illness or other emergencies that prevent them from being able to complete homework on time, or write the midterm, can apply to the Course Coordinator for special consideration. You will be required to affirm that you are abiding by the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters, in particular that it is an offence

to engage in any form of cheating, academic dishonesty or misconduct, fraud or misrepresentation not herein otherwise described, in order to obtain academic credit or other academic advantage of any kind

That is, that you are truly experiencing an emergency, and acknowledge that to falsely claim so is an academic offence. Applying does not guarantee that you will be granted special consideration.

To apply for special consideration in CSC108, complete the Special Consideration Request Form (Links to an external site.).  You will receive an email response to your request within 1-2 business days.

IMPORTANT: Submit your request soon as possible if you find yourself in such a situation. It is easier to resolve situations earlier rather than later. If your emergency will affect your ability to complete coursework for more than a few days, or in multiple courses, we recommend you also talk to your registrar. You should also complete the absence declaration form on ACORN.