The Freshman Honors Tutorial is a one hour class introducing freshman honors program students to research and KU. My section looks at the early days of computing focusing on how computing came to be and why. We look at work by the major early computing scholars and put their work in the context of World War II. We also look a that the limitations of computing and what we know about what can and cannot be computed mechanically.
Projects and homework will be due on approximately a weekly basis. Unless otherwise noted, projects and homework are due at the beginning of the class period indicated on the web page. If the due date is a holiday and KU offices are closed, the due date becomes the next class period. Late homework assignments are not accepted. You must turn in 70% of your assignments on time to receive a passing grade in the course. If you have a valid excuse for being late, a new due date will be assigned.
Please submit your projects and homework using the KU Canvas system. I will not accept paper listings.
All project and homework assignments, exams, solutions and handouts you receive in class are linked to the HNRS 190 homepage. In general, I will not distribute hard copies of assignments in class. All documents will be published using the Adobe PDF standard.
Pretty simple. Follow them and we’ll be great friends!
In the classroom we will follow requirements from The University, County and State. Currently, masks are required to attend class. Not wearing masks in class is considered academic misconduct. I will not wear a mask while lecturing, but will do so at other times. I am willing to do office hours visits remotely via zoom if you are concerned about meeting in person. However, the class will not be available via zoom. Bottom line is if I am in your presence without a mask and you want me to be masked, please say so. I will do the same with you.
I do not take attendance in class. However, participation in class is important to your success and its success. My classes are highly interactive, please ask questions and participate in class discussions. Always remember to be kind and respectful of others.
If I have made an error in grading an exam or assignment, you have two weeks following the date the item is available to see me about correcting the problem. Note that this includes the final! After that time, your grade is set and will not be changed. I also request that you wait 24 hours after an exam is returned before coming to me with questions.
I may decide to curve final scores when the quarter is over. Whether I curve and how much I curve is at my discretion. I will never curve up, but may curve down. Specifically, 90% and above will always be an “A”, but I may choose to lower the cutoff percentage. Whether I curve and how much I curve is at my discretion. I will never curve scores on an individual graded assignment, lab or exam.
I encourage you to use email to contact me. I am logged in whenever I am working and check my mail frequently. Email is my preferred means of communication.
The course blog is available on the website. I will post late-breaking news about projects, homework and class administration on the blog. Check the website and blog frequently, particularly around project due dates and exams.
KU has switched from Blackboard to Canvas for course management. Currently my plan is to use Canvas like I used Blackboard for grades and project submission. However, I will be experimenting throughout the semester with some of the new Canvas features. I will let you know what’s up, but count on grades and projects using Canvas.
Feel free to call me at my office at any time. I will never call you. I have an irrational hatred for the telephone.
I will make every effort to be in my office during scheduled office hours. If there are exceptions, I will let you know as early as is possible. If you have a conflict with my office hours, please make an appointment. I have an open door policy, you are free to come by whenever you choose. If I am busy, I may ask that you come back later, but please don’t hesitate to knock!
Academic misconduct of any kind will automatically result in a 0 score on the homework, lab, project, or exam in question and your actions will be reported to the department chair. Your homework, exams and projects must be individually prepared unless otherwise noted. Posting your assignments to internet discussion lists is considered academic misconduct. Sharing your solutions with others is considered academic misconduct. Turning in solutions from previous semesters is considered academic misconduct. Paying people to prepare solutions is academic misconduct. Automated mechanisms are available for checking the originality of source code. I start each semester trusting my students and hope to end each semester trusting my students. If you violate that trust, I am merciless. Please spend your time trying to solve assigned problems rather than trying to get around the system. Don’t risk it!
Excusing a missed exam or assignment is left to the discretion of the instructor. Illness, family emergencies, and religious observances are examples of acceptable excuses. Computer down time, over sleeping, and social events are examples of unacceptable excuses. Please try to let me know of problems in advance when possible and be prepared to provide verification of your excuse.
As a policy, I do not extend due dates of homework and projects. If I choose to do so, I will only announce the extension in class, via email or on the blog. If you hear an extension has been granted and I have not announced it, your information is incorrect. Remember that if I grant extensions early in the semester, it will necessarily compress due dates the end of the semester.
Ties are expressly forbidden in my classroom. If you wear one you will be taunted mercilessly. Exceptions are made for bow ties which we all know are cool.
Grades are assigned on a standard 10 point scale:
Classroom tasks are weighted using the following scale
The course structure is quite loose and we will tend to go wherever our discussions take us.