CS 231 Data Structures and Algorithms
Syllabus

• Section A: MWF | 11:00 AM - 11:50 AM, Keyes 103
• Section B: MWF | 12:00 PM - 12:50 PM, Keyes 103
• lab A: M | 1:00 - 3:50 pm, Davis 308
• lab B: W | 1:00 - 3:50 pm, Davis 308

The following structure will rarely change.

In order to provide as much help as possible to you as you work on assignments in this course, the CS Department has hired the following upper-level CS students to work as TAs in Davis in the evenings. You are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this resource.

TA Hours: All TA sessions will be in person this semester. We have evening TAs from Sunday to Thursday weekly except during the fall break and Thanksgiving break. Here is the TA schedule and Windows Support.

1. Students understand the advantages and disadvantages of fundamental data structures and can implement them using object- oriented design principles.
2. Students understand, can implement, and can calculate the time and space efficiency of classic search, sort, and traversal algorithms, including the use of big-O notation.
3. Students understand the tradeoffs between different implementations of data structures and algorithms and can make appropriate design decisions based on application data requirements.
4. Students can use fundamental data structures and algorithms appropriately to solve a variety of computational problems.
5. Students can communicate the results of their work and describe an algorithm.

There will be regular opportunities for you to practice what you have learned and to demonstrate your accomplishments.

The course grade will be determined as follows:

• The work in lab will lead into and be part of the week's project. Labs will also count significantly towards participation.
• During each lab, the instructor will not be able to answer questions about any projects until you have completed the exercises for that lab.
• Programming projects involve completing more significant programs as well as a writeup describing the work completed in the project. You will be asked about your project code during the project review part of the lab.
• Project review is done during lab or office hours when lab is missed for a documented reason, and it involves answering questions about the code you submitted in the previous project.

• I will distribute short homework assignments in my lecture slides or post the homework separately on Moodle.
• The homeworks themselves may not be worth much of your overall grade, but they prepare you for the quiz! Take them seriously and you should be well-prepared for the quiz.
• Homework has a hard deadline.
  Late submissions will not be accepted.
• Homework will be graded in a binary fashion: if you hand in a reasonable attempt, you get a 1, otherwise a 0.

• There is weekly in-person quiz during lab session (sometimes in-class).
• The quizzes let you show me what you have learned. These should be quick and straightforward if you participate in lecture and review lecture notes.
• I understand that everyone has a bad day; the quiz with the lowest grade will be dropped.
• When there is a documented issue, and a prior request is made, a quiz may be made up by making a request through your class dean.
• Please contact me immediately in the event of illness and other unforeseen circumstances, we will work out accommodations.

• You are expected to attend every class and lab. This is important for the overall learning experience and cohesion of the course.
• If you must miss a class for any reason, please email me in advance. I am happy to work with you.
• For this course to be truly successful, your presence and participation is important. When you have a question, ask it. It is highly probable that one of your classmates has the same question.

There will be a final exam at TBD. There are no make-ups.

It should go without saying that you should back up any files related to this course. If the code you submit to us is somehow lost (through your fault or our fault), I must be able to get another copy from you. I suggest keeping your CS231 labs and projects on Google Drive, Dropbox, or Microsoft OneDrive. That way, you have a backup stored in the cloud.

There is no required textbook for this course. All lecture notes and code from class will be posted on Moodle.

• A Practical Introduction to Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis, Java version, by Clifford Shaffer

Labs and Projects: Come to lab ready to focus on the new project. Ask the instructor and TAs for help if you need it.

Quizzes: Study for the quizzes by doing the homeworks. We will drop the lowest quiz grade. If you make a silly mistake one week, it won't affect your grade.

Short homeworks: Try them. You will receive full credit as long as you make an honest attempt to complete every question. Please ask or email questions if something isn't clear. As long as you submit your response on time, you will get credit. There is no partial credit for late homeworks because we may go over the answers in class on Friday before you take the quiz in lab the following week.

Participation: Speak up in class. Come to office hours. Ask your your instructors or TA for help.

Final Exam: The final exam will be similar to a large set of quizzes (but written from a more wholistic perspective). The best way to study for the final exam is to retake all of the old quizzes. Also, read through your notes and make sure you understand everything in them.

Computer science, both academically and professionally, is a collaborative discipline. In any collaboration, however, all parties are expected to make their own contributions and to generously credit the contributions of others. In our class, therefore, collaboration on assignments is encouraged, but you as an individual are responsible for understanding all the material in the assignment and doing your own work. Always strive to do your best, give generous credit to others, start early, and seek help early from both your professors and classmates.

The following rules are intended to help you get the most out of your education and to clarify the line between honest and dishonest work. We reserve the right to ask you to verbally explain the reasoning behind any answer or code that you turn in and to modify your project grade based on your answers. It is vitally important that you turn in work that is your own. We do use automated plagiarism detection software, so please be sure to abide by these, rather minimal, rules. Reports of academic dishonesty are handled by an academic review board and a finding of academic dishonesty may result in significant sanctions. For more details on Colby's Academic Integrity policies and procedures, see https://www.colby.edu/academics/academic-integrity/.

• If you have had a substantive discussion of any homework or programming solution with a classmate, then be sure to cite them in your write-up. If you are unsure of what constitutes "substantive", then ask me or err on the side of caution. As one rule of thumb, you may discuss your approach to solving a problem, but you must not share or look at another classmate's code or written answers to project questions.
• You must not copy answers or code from another student either by hand or electronically. Another way to think about it is that you should communicate with one another in natural human sentences, not in lines of code from a programming language.

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are not permitted in this course. This includes generative AI and AI-assisted tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Codeium, and similar tools, whether they are used to generate code, explain concepts, debug programs, solve problems, provide hints, summarize material, or otherwise assist with coursework.

The purpose of this policy is not to discourage you from learning about AI. AI is an increasingly important technology, and you will have many opportunities throughout your education and career to learn how to use it effectively. However, CS231 is a course in which you need to develop the foundational problem-solving skills that allow you to become an effective computer scientist and programmer.

Data Structures and Algorithms is about much more than learning how to write code. At its core, this course is about learning how to solve problems. You will learn how to break complex problems into smaller ones, reason about different approaches, evaluate tradeoffs, recognize patterns, design algorithms, and determine why a particular solution works. These skills develop through practice and through working through problems yourself. Research on programming and learning has increasingly raised concerns that relying on generative AI can reduce the cognitive effort and productive struggle involved in developing these foundational skills.

For this reason, all coursework in CS231 should be completed without the assistance of AI tools. You are expected to do your own thinking, problem solving, coding, debugging, and writing. You should also use VS Code without AI plugins or extensions that provide code generation, code completion, debugging assistance, or other AI-based support.

There is another important reason for this policy: learning in this course is not meant to be a solitary activity. One of the most valuable parts of taking CS231 is the opportunity to talk with other people. When you are stuck on a problem, come to office hours or TA hours and talk through it with us. Ask questions in class or email us. Work through ideas with your classmates. Explain your approach to someone else (or a rubber duck). These conversations are an important part of learning how to think like a computer scientist.

Over the years, these interactions have also helped create a strong sense of community among our students, TAs, and faculty. Conversations that begin with a difficult programming problem can lead to friendships, student organizations and clubs, collaborations, research projects, and even start-ups. By turning to AI instead of turning to the people around you, you may be depriving yourself of many of these opportunities. We want CS231 to be a community in which students learn from one another and feel comfortable asking for help.

We will be available during instructor office hours and TA hours to answer questions, explain concepts, discuss approaches, and help you work through difficulties. Asking for help is not a sign that you are failing to solve a problem; learning to ask good questions and communicate about technical problems is itself an important skill.

AI is not permitted in any form for CS231 coursework. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Using ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or other generative AI systems to answer questions or solve problems.
• Using AI to generate, modify, complete, or debug code.
• Using AI-powered code completion or programming assistants such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Codeium, or similar tools.
• Using AI to explain an assignment or provide hints, suggestions, or alternative approaches.
• Using AI to write, rewrite, summarize, or otherwise produce any portion of submitted work.
• Using AI plugins or extensions within VS Code or other development environments.
• Using any other AI-based tool that provides assistance with completing coursework.

You are, of course, encouraged to use the resources provided by the course. Office hours, TA hours, class discussions, your classmates, the course materials, textbooks, and other non-AI resources are all appropriate sources of help. We would much rather have you spend twenty minutes talking through a problem with a classmate, TA, or instructor than have an AI tool produce an answer for you.

Academic Integrity: All submitted work must represent your own thinking and effort. Using AI in violation of this policy constitutes an academic integrity violation and will be treated as plagiarism. Violations of this policy will result in plagiarism proceedings in accordance with Colby's academic integrity policies.

Colby College is a community dedicated to learning and committed to the growth and well-being of all its members.

As a community devoted to intellectual growth, we value academic integrity. We agree to take ownership of our academic work, to submit only work that is our own, to fully acknowledge the research and ideas of others in our work, and to abide by the instructions and regulations governing academic work established by the faculty.

As a community built on respect for ourselves, each other, and our physical environment, we recognize the diversity of people who have gathered here and that genuine inclusivity requires active, honest, and compassionate engagement with one another. We agree to respect each other, to honor community expectations, and to comply with College policies.

As a member of this community, I pledge to hold myself and others accountable to these values. More ...

We are available to discuss academic accommodations that any student with a documented disability may require. Please note that you’ll need to provide a letter from the Dean of Studies Office documenting your approved accommodations. Please meet with your instructor to make a request for accommodations at the beginning of the semester--and at a minimum two weeks before any key due dates--so that we can work together with the College to make the appropriate arrangements for you. For more information about the Dean of Students Office: https://www.colby.edu/studentadvising/student-access-and-disability-services/.

We are invested in the mental and emotional health of our students. Even as we establish and maintain the academic standards of our course, we value each of you as individuals with complex lives, identities, and challenges.

Throughout the semester, the responsibilities of your Colby education may interact with situational as well as ongoing mental and emotional challenges in foreseeable and unforeseeable ways. If you are in need of reasonable flexibility due to an emotional situation or an ongoing mental health issue, please communicate as openly as possible with your Class Dean, and/or members of the office of Access and Disability Services, preferably in advance of the need, so that we can discuss how your circumstances interface with course requirements. Together, we will consider what is needed and what is possible. If we can discuss the situation, we can manage the situation together.

Please do not allow academic responsibilities to prevent you from getting help you need. Our Colby Counseling Services staff (207-859-4490) and the staff in the Dean of Studies office (207-859-4560) are available to connect with you. The safety of our students and every member of this community is paramount. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide or may be a danger to themselves or others, please call the on-call counselor immediately (207-859-4490, press ‘0’).”

It is our intent that students from diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well-served by this course, that students' learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. We expect you to feel challenged and sometimes outside of your comfort zone in this course, but it is our intent to present materials and activities that are inclusive and respectful of all persons, no matter their gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, culture, perspective, and other background characteristics.

Class rosters are provided to each instructor with the student's legal name. We will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name and/or gender pronoun. Please advise your instructor of this early in the semester so that we may make appropriate changes to our records.

While Colby College is supportive of athletic participation by its students, academics take priority over athletics. Both NCAA and Colby rules prohibit missing class for practices. In the case of overlapping commitments between class and athletic competitions, the student must meet with the instructor as soon as possible to discuss these overlaps. The student may request permission to miss class and make up the missed work; the instructor has final authority either to grant or to withhold permission.

If we have inadvertently scheduled an exam or major deadline that creates a conflict with your religious observances, please let us know within two weeks of the start of classes so that we can make other arrangements. Colby College is supportive of the religious practices of its students, faculty, and staff. The College is committed to ensuring that all students are able to observe their religious beliefs without academic penalty.

Colby College prohibits and will not tolerate sexual misconduct or gender-based discrimination of any kind. Colby is legally obligated to investigate sexual misconduct (including, but not limited to, sexual assault and sexual harassment) and other specific forms of behavior that violate federal and state laws (Title IX and Title VII, and the Maine Human Rights Act). Such behavior also requires the College to fulfill certain obligations under two other federal laws, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Statistics Act (Clery Act). To learn more about what constitutes sexual misconduct or to report an incident, see: https://www.colby.edu/studentlife/handbook-section/f-sexualmisconduct/.

We are committed to all Colby students feeling safe, accepted, and included in all aspects of their college experiences, including this course. Colby prohibits and will not tolerate sexual misconduct or gender based discrimination of any kind and is obligated, by federal and state laws, to respond to reports and provide resources to students. Your instructors are considered "responsible employees"; we are required to report any incidence of sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence, or stalking to the Title IX Coordinator.

If you wish to access confidential support services, you may contact:

• The Counseling Center: 207-859-4490
• The Title IX Confidential Advocate, Emily Schusterbauer: 207-859-4093
• The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life: 207-859-4272
• Maines's 24/7 Sexual Assault Helpline: 1-800-871-7741