Policies
Collaboration policy
Individual assignments must be completed individually, you may not directly share or discuss answers / code with anyone other than the instructors and tutors. You are welcome to discuss the problems in general and ask for advice.
Sharing / reusing code
We are well aware that a huge volume of code is available on the web to solve any number of problems, and that large language models may even produce reasonably useful code. Unless we explicitly tell you not to use something the course’s policy is that you may make use of any online resources (e.g. StackOverflow) but you must explicitly cite where you obtained any code you directly use (or use as inspiration). Any recycled code that is discovered and is not explicitly cited will be treated as plagiarism. On individual assignments you may not directly share code with another student in this class.
Academic integrity
The University takes academic misconduct very seriously and is committed to ensuring that so far as possible it is detected and dealt with appropriately. Find out more about the University’s official policies around academic misconduct here.
Cheating or plagiarising on assignments, lying about an illness or absence and other forms of academic dishonesty are a breach of trust with classmates and faculty, violate the University policies, and will not be tolerated. Such incidences will result in a 0 grade for all parties involved. Additionally, there may be penalties to your final class grade along with being reported to the School Academic Misconduct Office.
Late work, extensions, and special circumstances
All work is due on the stated due date. Due dates are there to help guide your pace through the course, and they also allow us (the course staff) to return marks and feedback to you in a timely manner. However, sometimes life gets in the way, and you might not be able to turn in your work on time.
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Extensions: The University has an extension policy whereby you can request an extension for any assignments where late work is accepted. If your extension request is approved, you can turn in the assignment late and not incur the late penalty. You can request an extension for assignments. To request an extension you must visit the Extensions website and Apply for an extension there. Note that decisions are made by an external committee, not the course teaching staff, so requests for extensions must go through this form and not through course organisers and tutors.
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Special circumstances: You can think of special circumstances as one level above an extension request, where there is a documented reason why you’re unable to complete any assignment in the course. Special circumstances decisions are made at the end of the semester by an external committee. To request a special circumstances waiver you must visit the Special Circumstances website and Apply for special circumstances there.
If you’re not sure whether your personal circumstance should be filed under an extension or special circumstances, we recommend you reach out to your Student Support Team (inf-sst@inf.ed.ac.uk).
Diversity & inclusion
It is our intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well-served by this course, that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that the students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. It is our intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender identity, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, nationality, religion, and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let us know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally, or for other students or student groups.
Furthermore, we would like to create a learning environment for our students that supports a diversity of thoughts, perspectives and experiences, and honors your identities (including gender identity, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, nationality, religion, and culture). To help accomplish this:
- If you have a name that differs from those that appear in your official University of Edinburgh records, please let us know!
- Please let us know your preferred pronouns.
- If you feel like your performance in the class is being impacted by your experiences outside of class, please don’t hesitate to come and talk with us. We want to be a resource for you. If you prefer to speak with someone outside of the course, your personal tutor is an excellent resource.
- We (like many people) are still in the process of learning about diverse perspectives and identities. If something was said in class (by anyone) that made you feel uncomfortable, please talk to us about it.
Learning in the real world
We want to make sure that you learn everything you were hoping to learn from this class. If this requires flexibility, please don’t hesitate to ask.
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You never owe us personal information about your health (mental or physical) but you’re always welcome to talk to us. If we can’t help, we likely know someone who can.
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We want you to learn lots of things from this class, but we primarily want you to stay healthy, balanced, and grounded.
