Fri, 22 Sept 2023, 19:25 Help on problem sets and Help on the programming labs

My students,

In the interest of helping you with ECE 306, the Academic Advisors have hired several tutors.  I am in the 
process of interviewing them to be sure they will be able to help you.  I should be done with that vetting 
process sometime next week.

It is important to reiterate the notion of help.  In particular, the difference between (1) help on problem 
sets and the topics in the book and (2) help on programs.  The rules are very different because the 
purposes of the two are very different.

Problem sets and topics in the book are there to help you understand the material.  I am not using it to 
evaluate your performance.  In fact, the problem set grades play a very tiny part in determining your 
grade in 306.
Thus, There is no such thing as cheating.  You are free to get help from anyone who can help you 
understand the material.  That is why, for example, I encourage you to form study groups, to make your 
learning and understanding more effective.

The five programming labs are different.  I will use them as part of our evaluation of your mastery of the 
course.  Thus it MUST be basically your own work, although you are welcome to ask my TAs and me for 
help.  That is, my TAs and I will provide some help on the programs.  You are welcome to speak to my TAs 
and me about the programs.  But ONLY to my TAs and me.
Consulting anyone or anything other than my TAs and me is prohibited.  
That includes any tutors, any friends, and your Aunt Mary who works for Microsoft.

It also includes obtaining information from any website.  From time to time, solutions to our 
programming labs show up on the web. Accessing those websites is specifically prohibited.  I understand 
the pressures you are sometimes under.  Cheating is not the answer.  Trust me, much better to take a low 
grade on that programming assignment.

I apologize for wasting your time reading this email.  Most of you would never cheat.  But every semester 
some students do.  And they get caught.  And then I am obligated to turn them over to Student Judicial 
Services.  I am hoping that this email will deter those students from cheating.  

Good luck with the first program.

YNP