Thurs, 2 Nov 2023, 1:53 Re: Lab 3 Test Cases

  My students,

  A student writes:
  
  
  > Good evening Dr. Patt,
  > 
  > Would I be allowed to share test cases with my study group? I know we 
  > are meant to work on the programs alone, but since the test cases are 
  > time-consuming to make and since they do not directly pertain to the 
  > problem-solving required to write the program I thought it would be 
  > okay to share them with my study group. However, I did not want to 
  > assume and thought I would reach out before sharing them with anyone.
  > 
  > Thank You
  > <<name withheld to protect the student who wants to be generous >>
  

  Thanks for checking with me first.  Always the right thing to do.  The short answer is: no.  The reasons 
  take a few more words to explain.  You are correct, the test cases are not part of the problem solving 
  that ends up generating a successful program.  However, coming up with test cases is always an 
  important part of any programming assignment, and requires a skill that you need to develop.  The 
  reality is that it often takes more time to generate important test cases that to generate an algorithm 
  that solves the problem.  It is part of the job, and we should not deprive others in the class from 
  developing that skill.
  
  I thought I had made it clear that your submission on the Programming Lab must be the result of your 
  work with the only other people available to you being my TAs and me.  Since I am not asking you to 
  submit test cases, I can not check your compilance with this, so I am trusting each of you to honor this 
  constraint.
  
  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to make this clear.
  
  Good luck completing Lab 3 on time.
  
  YNP