Course Policies

07 Jan 2016

tl;dr: Course policies outline grading scales, that you should keep process documentation, you are responsible for your own work and that it's of the highest academic integrity, you have access to IDeATe spaces and resources, there is no course fee but project cost are your own, and good attendance is required (no more than 3 absenses).

Grading

To facilitate marking, all students are expected to prepare project pages on the IDeATe Gallery which document the assigned projects and where regular assignments are posted (see http://ideate.xsead.cmu.edu) All work must be submitted or presented by the deadline. Late work will not be accepted.

This course will assign a mixture of independent and group based projects. For independent projects, all work submitted must represent a distinct product by that individual and may not be produced in partnership with any peer within the class. Group projects allow for collaboration but expect that all members contribute to the final work equally. Work submitted for assessment in one class may not be submitted in full or in part for assessment in a second class.

Grading Policy

Final grades for the course will be broken down as follows:

• Attendance & Participation - 10%

• Per module (15%), as follows:

  • Reading Summaries - 3%

  • Research Exercise - 3%

  • Warm up Exercise - 3%

  • End of Module Creative Project - 6%

• Final Project - 20%

• Final Report - 10%

Creative Project Grading (including Final Project)

Unless otherwise noted, the grading rubric for creative projects is as follows:

1. 60% - Merit of the creative outcome

2. 20% - Description of process (ideation, iteration, etc.)

3. 20% - Documentation of the outcome (code, video, circuit diagrams, repeatability, etc.)

Grading Standards / Rubric

• A: Superlative or exemplary work, initiative beyond the description of the problem. Significant understanding of the problem. Conceptual clarity. An attitude of self-motivated exploration, open-mindedness, and a willingness to benefit from criticism.

• B: Very good, some exemplary work, a thorough understanding of the problem. Project displays conceptual foundation, well crafted. Competence and mastery of skills. Open, inquisitive attitude.

• C: Satisfactory or adequate work that meets the minimum requirements of the problem and course. Shows understanding of the problem, with some deficiencies. Reasonable mastery of skill and concepts. This grade is seen to represent the average solution.

• D: Passing, work that is complete, but does not show an understanding of the problem or expectations, and demonstrates deficient skills.

• R: Failing work that does not meet the requirements of the studio, shows a serious deficiency in skills or is incomplete.

Grading Scale

The grading scale for the course is as follows:

• A - 90 - 100%

• B - 80 - 90%

• C - 70 - 80%

• D - 60 - 70%

• R - < 60%

Process Documentation

Students are expected to maintain good documentation of their work process throughout the course. It is recommended that all students should maintain a journal (notebook, blog, etc) and regularly photograph (or video) their creative work as it is being prepared. Students will be asked to share this documentation with the instructor as part of regular assignments and graded outcomes.

Required Texts

There are no required texts for this class. Regular readings will be assigned on the topic. Digital and photocopied reading/viewing material will be provided by the instructor and available on the course webpage.

Hardware and Software

Projects may require the use of specialized software and/or hardware. A range of tools are available to students e.g. laptops, microcontrollers, 3d printers, and software within the IDeATe facilities. Students are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the tools available as early as possible (see below).

Facilities and Lab Use

The course will use the IDeATe Makerspaces and Studios in Hunt Library. Students are required to comply with the policies and procedures for the IDeaTe facilities (see: http://resources.ideate.cmu.edu.

The studio is a shared space used by your colleagues and by other classes. The maintenance of the studio is the responsibility of the students i.e. students should clean up the studio as they use it and leave it in good working condition for others.

The studio provides some short term lending of tools, parts and consumable components for use in student projects. These are available for reasonable use only and abuse of this resource or studio/lab itself will result in loss of access.

For some of the assignments, students maybe be required to use specific equipment, hardware or software. All required equipment (hardware, components, etc.) will be made available for these assignments (see below). Additional and advanced hardware and components may be accessed in the Physical Computing Studio and in the IDeATe equipment lending pool which is open 7-days a week in the basement of Hunt Library. Required hardware (laptops, cameras, peripherals) may be checked out on request. If particular equipment is needed but is not available in the Studio or the Equipment Lending Library, let the instructor know.

Useage/Lab Fee

There are no fees associated with this course. Students will be expected to cover their project costs individually. Please review the resource fee and use information in detail

Data Loss

Students are responsible for their own work. Work lost to due computer error, portable media error, or personal error is the responsibility of the student and will not be an excuse for late or missing work. At the end of the semester all students may be required to submit all work incl. source code, process documentation, etc. Do not discard original files of any assignment and the use of github or other source management solutions is recommended.

Attendance

Students are expected to attend all classes. During class times, students are expected to give their full attention to the class materials, discussions and seminars. Students found to be consulting non-class related material, using their mobile phone or engaged in social networking will be immediately deemed absent.

If you need to miss a class for any reason, inform the instructor before the class if possible, and/or after the missed class. More than one unexcused absence will adversely affect your effort grade (see section on grading).

Should a student be absent for more than 3 classes, they will be deemed to have insufficient attendance to pass the class, unless appropriate documentation is provided. In no case can a student expect to receive a passing grade without regular attendance and participation in class.

Absences

Students must notify faculty in advance of planned absence for religious holiday or school-related event (i.e. varsity sports trip). If you have an unplanned absence for medical or personal reasons, let the faculty know of your situation as soon as possible. In case of an extended absence for medical or personal reasons, contact the Senior Academic Advisor by mail, e-mail or phone, who will notify the appropriate faculty. Faculty reserve the right to request a formal document verifying a medical excuse.

Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity is expected at all time. Carnegie Mellon has a established as well-defined policy on this subject which can be found at: http://www.cmu.edu/policies/documents/Academic%20Integrity.htm

It is the responsibility of the student to verse themselves with these policies. All necessary and appropriate sanctions will be issued to all parties involved with plagiarizing any and all course work. Plagiarism and any other form of academic dishonesty that is in violation with these policies will not be tolerated.