COURSE POLICIES
Mathematical statistics
Pandemic policy: late work
Problems meeting deadlines? No problem. We are in a pandemic. Everyone struggles. You may submit your work late, and I do not need to know why it is late.
BUT: please keep in mind that our teaching assistants, who are also graduate students full-time, are grading homework assignments.
Therefore, we are keeping all of the deadlines: out of respect for their time and effort, please do your best to submit your work on time. If you must be late, and would like the TA to still grade it, you need to send advance notice about it. For example, once/if solutions are posted already, new work cannot be turned in for full credit.
Academic integrity
The Code of Conduct and applicable penalties in the IIT Student Handbook apply.
Collaboration
You are encouraged to work in groups and are allowed to discuss homework problems with another student in the course, a TA, an IIT ARC tutor, or the instructor. However, the solutions should be written by you alone. Otherwise, it can be considered plagiarism and you may receive no credit. Copying another student's solution for homework problem is considered plagiarism. In addition, after you have discussed any problems with others, you must not consult any notes from these discussions while you write up your solution. Also, you may not consult 3rd party resources, such as the internet, to look for solutions.
While you may discuss problems with other students, you are required to complete the work on your own. Every word of text (and every line of code) must be written by you personally. You may copy/modify lines of code from lectures/labs, but not from other sources.
The following discussion of code copying is taken from the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Washington. I discussed these issues early on in class, and they are also covered in some form in the academic guidelines for Illinois Tech.
"[It is] important to make sure that the assistance you receive consists of general advice that does not cross the boundary into using code or answers written by someone else. It is fine to discuss ideas and strategies, but you should be careful to write your programs on your own."
"You must not share actual program code with other students. In particular, you should not ask anyone to give you a copy of their code or, conversely, give your code to another student who asks you for it; nor should you post your solutions on the web, in public repositories, or any other publicly accessible place. [You may not work out a full communal solution on a whiteboard/blackboard/paper and then transcribe the communal code for your submission.] Similarly, you should not discuss your algorithmic strategies to such an extent that you and your collaborators end up turning in [essentially] the same code. Discuss ideas together, but do the coding on your own."
"Modifying code or other artifacts does not make it your own. In many cases, students take deliberate measures -- rewriting comments, changing variable names, and so forth -- to disguise the fact that their work is copied from someone else. It is still not your work. Despite such cosmetic changes, similarities between student solutions are easy to detect. Programming style is highly idiosyncratic, and the chance that two submissions would be the same except for changes of the sort made easy by a text editor is vanishingly small. In addition to solutions from previous years or from other students, you may come across helpful code on the Internet or from other sources outside the class. Modifying it does not make it yours."
"[I] allow exceptions in certain obvious instances. For example, you might be assigned to work with a project team. In that case, developing a solution as a team is expected. The instructor might also give you starter code, or permit use of local libraries. Anything which the instructor explicitly gives you doesn't normally need to be cited. Likewise, help you receive from course staff doesn't need to be cited."
If you have any questions about any of the course policies, please don't hesitate to ask. You may post your questions on Campuswire or ask me directly.
Missed work
Assignments and exams cannot be made up except as approved by the instructor (e.g., due to official IIT activity or documented emergency). An exam missed for an excused reason must be made up promptly upon the student’s return, the time frame being at the discretion of the instructor.
Disability assistance
Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with documented disabilities. In order to receive accommodations, students must obtain a letter of accommodation from the Center for Disability Resources and make an appointment to speak with me [the instructor] as soon as possible. The Center for Disability Resources (CDR) is located in Life Sciences Room 218, telephone 312-567-5744 or disabilities@iit.edu.
Discrimination and Harassment
Illinois Tech’s Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Information:
Illinois Tech prohibits all sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, and gender discrimination by any member of our community. This includes harassment among students, staff, or faculty. Sexual harassment of a student by a faculty member or sexual harassment of an employee by a supervisor is particularly serious. Such conduct may easily create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment.
Illinois Tech encourages anyone experiencing sexual harassment or sexual misconduct to speak with the Office of Title IX Compliance for information on support options and the resolution process.
You can report sexual harassment electronically at iit.edu/incidentreport, which may be completed anonymously. You may additionally report by contacting the Title IX Coordinator, Virginia Foster at foster@iit.edu or the Deputy Title IX Coordinator at eespeland@iit.edu.
For confidential support, you may reach Illinois Tech’s Confidential Advisor at (773) 907-1062. You can also contact a licensed practitioner in Illinois Tech’s Student Health and Wellness Center at student.health@iit.edu or (312)567-7550.
For a comprehensive list of resources regarding counseling services, medical assistance, legal assistance and visa and immigration services, you can visit the Office of Title IX Compliance website at https://www.iit.edu/title-ix/resources.
COVID-19 Precautions and Face Coverings in Class
[This is info in case you have class in person, which we do not!]
Illinois Tech students are required to wear face masks at all times and maintain social distancing (6 feet between individuals) in traditional classrooms, instructional laboratories, and similar settings. In general, individuals should spend as little time as practicable in closer proximity when doing so is necessary to achieve learning objectives. Students who are feeling ill or experiencing symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, or a higher than normal temperature will be excused from class and are expected to stay at home.
Instructors have the right to ask those who are not complying with these requirements to leave class in the interest of everyone's health and safety. In the event that a student refuses to comply with instructor directions regarding face masks and/or social distancing, the instructor has the right to ask the student to leave, and/or cancel class. A student who refuses to comply with these requirements will be referred to the Office of the Dean of Students for possible disciplinary action under the Student Code of Conduct.
Additionally, as a reminder, following other simple practices such as frequent and thorough hand washing, wiping down desks and seats with disinfectant wipes when possible, not sharing personal items such as pens and cell phones, and avoiding crowded hallways and other enclosed spaces will promote good health in and out of the classroom.
Visit iit.edu/COVID-19 for details on Illinois Tech’s response to coronavirus (COVID-19). For information from government authorities, please see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at cdc.gov.