Course Policies

Course Policies#

Late Policy#

Deadlines. The assignment due dates are listed in the course schedule. Please read the due dates carefully, since assignments are often due the night before their listing.

Checkpoints. Every assignment is broken into pieces, which we expect you to submit on the due dates listed on the course schedule. These checkpoints are there to help you: they will help you make sure you stay on top of the material, and they will help us know if, in general, any topics need reinforcements. We’re looking for completeness in your checkpoint submissions; that is, you need to show that you meaningfully attempted to solving every problem in the checkpoint, or indicate that you’re chatted with a member of the course staff about that problem (including what you’re learned from them). Checkpoints are not graded, but if students are not submitting complete checkpoints, we will start actually grading them for completeness.

Late Passes. From our experience, we know that it’s difficult to learn new material in class while working on homework on older material. Because of this, we specifically designed the class so that homework topics are always current with the class material. We expect that this will help everyone stay on top of the material. However, for this design to work, we ask for your help in ensuring you don’t fall behind. Come talk to us if you have questions or concerns!

We nonetheless offer every student 3 x 24-hour late passes.

  • Each late pass may be applied to delay one assignment deadline by 24 hours within the semester.

  • Any number of available passes may be applied to any assignment deadline. No work is accepted past the end of the final exam period, regardless of available late passes.

  • Late passes are not transferable, reusable, or divisible.

  • After your late pass budget is exhausted, each additional 24-hour delay in assignment submission is assessed a late penalty that subtracts 10% of the maximum assignment grade from your awarded grade on that assignment.

  • To use a late day, you must fill out this form before the assignment deadline.

Note: late passes cannot be used for checkpoint submissions.

Extenuating Circumstances. In cases of extenuating circumstances, please reach out to your instructor and class dean so we can, together, work out alternative arrangements.

Missing Class. If you know you will need to miss class due to illness or family emergency, let the course instructor know. Together, we can figure out how to proceed.

Honor Code and Collaboration/Resource Policies#

Collaboration. We would like students to be able to work together and learn from each other. As such, we designed the course to include substantial collaborative work. Please follow the guidelines below to ensure everyone has the opportunity to learn. In the homework, we labeled problems as “collaborative” or “individual.”

  • On problems labeled as “collaborative,” we expect discussions with your peers will enrich your learning experience. Please use these opportunities to highlight points of disagreement and discuss them (you need not write the same answers!). For such problems that involve math and coding, you can whiteboard the math together, and you can pair-program together. However, we expect you and your collaborator contribute equally—that is, you cannot just copy your peer’s answers. Finally, everyone must write up the solutions individually.

  • On problems labeled as “individual,” we expect you to do the work on your own—you may not discuss the problems with your peers.

  • Lastly, on all problems you collaborated with a peer, be sure to acknowledge them (i.e. write who you worked with).

In addition to the technical parts of the homework, you will also be graded on your ability to work with peers; in every assignment, we will ask you questions about your teamwork practices.

Use of Generative AI. The world is adapting to pedagogy in the age of Generative AI. In the meantime, we ask you to follow the guidelines below:

  • You are allowed to use generative AI (e.g. ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.) for the following use cases (knowing that it may be incorrect/misleading):

    • You can test your knowledge of the material.

    • Use it as an aid to understanding concepts from class.

    Note, however, that for these use cases, you may not paste in course material and homework. This is because the course materials were created by the instructor and are a violation of their copyright.

  • To make sure the use of Generative AI does not compromise your learning experience, you are not allowed use it to:

    • Generate code of any kind.

    • Solve problems on your homework.

    • Summarize assigned readings.

  • Most importantly, if you’re unsure whether your use of generative AI is acceptable for the course, please ask the instructor before using it!

Disabling Generative AI in DeepNote. DeepNote comes with generative AI and autocomplete built in. Please disable these features following these instructions.

Honor Code. We consider violations of this collaboration policy as honor code violations. If you find yourself for whatever reason (stress, mental health, life circumstances, etc.) thinking about violating these policies, please come talk to us before you do—we want to help you feel happy and proud of your learning and growth.

Grades#

Course Components. Course grades are computed by weighing course components as follows:

  • Homework: \(75\%\).

    • Homework assignments are long, but you will be given time to work on them in class, with your peers.

    • Each homework grade is computed as the minimum of the grades earned on the methodological component and your ethics component. That is, if you scored 95% on your methodological component and 97% on your ethics component, your homework grade will be 95%. The purpose of this grading scheme is to ensure all students prioritize both the methodology and the ethics.

  • In-class participation: \(10\%\).

    • Coming to class prepared, having done the pre-class work/readings

    • Asking questions in class (all questions are good questions)

    • Answering questions in class (your answers don’t have to be right!)

  • Team Work: \(10\%\).

    • Creating a supportive, inclusive, and welcoming environment for your assigned team

    • Practicing good communication and active listening

    • Thoughtful reflection on team work dynamics (submitted with every homework)

  • Course Etiquette: \(5\%\). This includes:

    • Coming to class on time

    • Not using phones in class (and keeping phones on “Do Not Disturb” mode)

    • Using laptops only for note-taking / necessary in-class exercises

    • Respectful engagement with the peers, TAs, and course instructors

Letter Grades. Course grade percentages are converted to letters via the table below:

Percentage

Letter Grade

\(\geq 93.3\%\)

A

\(\geq 90.0\%\)

A-

\(\geq 86.6\%\)

B+

\(\geq 83.3\%\)

B

\(\geq 80.0\%\)

B-

\(\geq 76.6\%\)

C+

\(\geq 73.3\%\)

C

\(\geq 70.0\%\)

C-

\(\geq 60.0\%\)

D

\(< 60.0\%\)

F

We reserve the right to adjust these grade boundaries when computing your final grades to bump your grades up.

Recall that the minimum grade to earn credit under credit/no credit grading is C. The minimum grade to pass and earn credit under normal letter grading is D.

Extra Credit. Problems labeled “extra credit” will be factored in at the end of the semester. We do not disclose a priori how these will affect your grade, though you can expect they will be especially helpful for students on the border between two grades.

Email Policy#

In general, answering homework questions over email is challenging—it require much more time and effort than answering the same question during office hours. As such, please ask the course staff homework questions during office hours. Of course, if there are extenuating circumstances (e.g. family emergency causing you to leave campus, sickness, etc.), you can email us with your homework questions.

Equipment#

Textbook. Unfortunately, most textbooks on probabilistic machine learning are not taught from a liberal arts perspective. As such, there’s no assigned textbook for the class. Instead, we developed these course materials especially for the liberal arts context.

Laptop. You will need a laptop for the class. If you don’t own a laptop, please reach out to Wellesley’s long-term laptop loan program to request one. If you run into any trouble there, please let the instructor know.

Computer Science Department Guidelines#

All members of this course’s community—students and course staff—are expected to follow the CS department guidelines, which are designed to create a positive and productive learning environment. These guidelines emphasize respect, integrity, inclusivity, and transparency, ensuring that our department prepares students to lead in a world shaped by computation and data. For a detailed description of these principles and guidelines on attendance, timeliness, respect for others, exam policies, and how to share your thoughts with us, please refer to the guidelines.

Accessibility and Disability#

Disability Services. Every student has a right to full access in this course. If you need any accommodations, please contact Wellesley’s Disability Services. You should request accommodations as early as possible, since some situations can require significant time for accommodation design. If you need immediate accommodations, please arrange an appointment with the course instructor as soon as possible.

Unsure about your need for accomodations? If you are unsure but suspect you may have an undocumented need for accommodations, you are encouraged to contact Disability Services. They can provide assistance including screening and referral for assessments. Disability Services can be reached at disabilityservices@wellesley.edu, at 781-283-2434, or by scheduling an appointment online.

Religious Observance#

Students whose religious observances conflict with scheduled course events should contact the instructors in advance to discuss alternative arrangements. You may do this through the Wellesley College Religious Observance Notification System if you prefer.

Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct#

Wellesley College considers diversity essential to educational excellence, and we are committed to being a community in which each member thrives. The College does not allow discrimination or harassment based on race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, ethnic or national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, pregnancy or any other protected status under applicable local, state or federal law.

If you or someone you know has experienced discrimination or harassment, support is available to you:

Acknowledgements. This page draws on CS 240’s syllabus.

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