Lab Policies, CISC181, Spring 2004

  1. Lab attendance is mandatory.

    Attendance will be recorded. Be sure to sign the attendance sheet and return it to the TA before leaving your lab session.

    Lab attendance is reported on WebCT as, for example, LA0211 (lab attendance for 02/11/04.) Grades are marked as P, A, E, or U for "Present", "Absent", "Excused", or "Unknown". You must at least make an appearance to be counted present.

    If you choose to come late, or not stay for the entire lab, that's your decision: you are an adult, but you must at least stop by. Attending a lab other than the one to which you are assigned will not meet your lab attendance obligation, unless you have advance permission of the TA by email (this will be granted only in unusual circumstances, at the TAs discretion, and Prof. Conrad must be cc'd on the email.)
  2. Pencil/Paper Pre-Lab Homework may be turned in only in lab, with no makeup (except for official excused absenses). If you do not attend lab, you miss the opportunity to turn any pencil/paper homework that is due (and which is indicated as "only accepted in lab"). There is no makeup for such work except in cases of "official excused absences" (see syllabus).
  3. Due dates: Labs will generally be due (unless otherwise noted, and pay careful attention to any exceptions!) by WebCT electronic submission, at midnight, one week from the day they are listed on the course calendar. For example, Lab01 is listed on the course calendar for 2/18. Therefore, it will be due by electronic submission at midnight on 2/25. Late penalties acrue from that due date (2/25) for students who submit their work on time.

    (Note: Lab00 is an exception because some students may add the class late; it will be accepted without penalty through midnight 2/25; zero credit after that.)

    However, if you do not attend the lab where an assignment is listed on the calendar, a different due date applies (see next policy).

  4. If you do not attend lab on the day a particular lab is listed on the course calendar (e.g. 2/18 for Lab01), then this lab will be due one week earlier than if you did not attend lab.

    For example, if you miss lab on 2/18, then Lab01 is due by electronic submission at midnight on 2/18. Late penalties will accrue from that date.

    (This policy was based on a suggestion from Dr. Sandra Carberry, who is the chair of the CIS Dept, and Dr. Conrad's immediate supervisor. Like him, she is very concerned about lab attendance.) (This policy does not apply to Lab00).

  5. Late penalties accrue from the applicable due date, at the rate of 2 raised to the power of the number of days late. The penalty is applied as a percentage of the total points for the lab (not as a percentage of the grade earned.) The clock ticks at midnight each night. (This is adapted from a policy suggested by Dr. Bob Caviness.)

    Example 1: Student attends lab01 on 2/18. Lab is due by midnight, 2/25. If the lab is turned in late, here are the penalties that apply:

  • 2/26

    2^1

    2 percent

    2/27

    2^2

    4 percent

    2/28

    2^3

    8 percent

    2/29

    2^4

    16 percent

    3/1

    2^5

    32percent

    3/2

    2^6

    64 percent

    3/3

    no credit

    since 2^7 > 100 percent

    Example 2: Student does not attend lab01 on 2/18 (and absence is not an offical excused absence (see syllabus). Because student did not attend lab, lab 01 is due by midnight, 2/18. If the lab is turned in late, here are the penalties that apply:

  • 2/19 2^1 2 percent
    2/20 2^2 4 percent
    2/21 2^3 8 percent
    2/22 2^4 16 percent
    2/23 2^5 32 percent
    2/24 2^6 64 percent
    2/25 no credit since 2^7 > 100 percent

    Note that even if you do not get any credit for the lab, you still need to complete it (if you hope to learn the material well enough to earn a decent grade on the exam.) Exam questions will often be based on lab material.

  • Phillip T Conrad

    Last modified: Wed Mar 10 10:36:17 EST 2004