Class policies and support

Table of contents

  1. Class policies and support
    1. Attendance and section assignments
    2. Office hours
    3. Grading, lateness, and extensions
    4. Collaboration with humans and computers
    5. Cross-registration
    6. Support
      1. GradSupport
      2. Student Support Services
      3. Disability and Access Services
      4. Mental Health

Attendance and section assignments

We strongly encourage you to be present in the actual lectures (Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:30 - 4:00 in 32-123). We will however record and post lectures and notes.

The Friday sections will be devoted to working through problems from the homework and answering student questions. They are entirely optional (but very valuable if you are finding the homework or concepts difficult). The registrar will produce an assignment of students to section times. We encourage you to attend the section time to which you were assigned, for load-balancing purposes, but it’s fine to attend any section you wish (or more than one!).

Office hours

Office hours are to be determined.

Grading, lateness, and extensions

The grade break-down will be as follows:

  • Homework: 20%
  • Mini-projects: 20%
  • Midterm exam: 25%
  • Final exam: 35%

The grade-assignment cutoffs will be no higher than: A - 90%, B - 80%, C - 70%.

Exams:

  • The midterm exam will be on Thursday October 24, 7PM - 9PM.
    A conflict exam will be offered on Friday October 25, 8AM - 10AM.
  • The final exam will be during finals period, as scheduled by the registrar. Please plan to be physically present at MIT for the exam.
  • Exams will cover content from homework and projects.

Late homework:

  • Homework turned in late will be subject to the following penalties: 1 day = 5%, 2 days = 10%, 3 days = 20%, 4 or more days = not accepted.
  • The lowest two homework grades will be dropped from the calculations.

Late projects:

  • Projects turned in late will be subject to the following penalties: 1 day = 5%, 2 days = 10%, 3 days = 20%, 4 days = 40%, more than 4 days = not accepted.

Extensions:

  • If you are having health or personal problems, definitely take it easy. See GradSupport or S-Cubed and ask them to contact us and we will make arrangements for extensions.
  • There will be no further extensions given for other reasons

Collaboration with humans and computers

We view the homework and projects as teaching tools and the exams as evaluation tools. As part of the teaching process we will provide some feedback on your homework and projects. We encourage you to discuss assignments with other students and with the teaching staff to better understand the concepts.

Ultimately, it is your responsibility to ensure that you personally understand the course material, so be sure you devote concentrated independent effort to solving all the problems.

  • You may use AI-assistants, such as co-pilot, for help with any coding assignments.
  • You may use large language models to assist with superficial grammatical corrections of your writing, but not to provide or suggest content.

In all cases, you remain personally responsible for the originality, correctness and quality of your submissions.

Cross-registration

You are welcome to cross-register for the course! However, we will not make any special extensions or accommodations (beyond those described here, with student support provided via your institution). In particular, take careful note of the exam times and be sure you can attend.

All students need a Kerberos ID to interact with MIT systems (e.g. the Registrar WebSIS). Cross-registered students will receive their Kerberos ID once the registration goes through; however, the process can take a while. We therefore strongly encourage you to cross register early, if possible, to avoid any delayed access.

Support

GradSupport

For graduate students, a variety of issues may impact your academic career including faculty/student relationships, funding, and interpersonal concerns. In the Office of Graduate Education (OGE), GradSupport provides consultation, coaching, and advocacy to graduate students on matters related to academic and life challenges. If you are dealing with an issue that is impacting your ability to attend class, complete work, or take an exam, you may contact GradSupport by email at gradsupport@mit.edu or via phone at (617) 253-4860. More info can be found at GradSupport.

Student Support Services

For undergrad students, if you are dealing with a personal or medical issue that is impacting your ability to attend class, complete work, or take an exam, you should contact a dean in Student Support Services (S3). S3 is here to help you. The deans will verify your situation, provide you with support, and help you work with your professor or instructor to determine next steps. In most circumstances, you will not be excused from coursework without verification from a dean. Please visit the S3 website for contact information and more ways that they can provide support.

Disability and Access Services

We are committed to the principle of equal access, and we are more than willing to make arrangements to help accommodate students with disabilities or related challenges. In general, knowing about the kind of help you need earlier in the semester means that we’ll be better prepared to provide that help effectively, in coordination with Disability and Access Services. If you have a disability and are not planning to use accommodations, it is still recommended that you meet with DAS staff to familiarize yourself with their services and resources. If you have been approved for accommodations by DAS, 6.790 staff are ready to assist with implementation.

Please send these approved requests to inform us, and we will work to implement these accommodations.

Mental Health

MIT is a challenging environment, and 6.790 is a challenging course. As such, it is normal to expect some level of stress (and a lot of hard work) during 6.790. A certain level of stress is healthy and is part of the learning process (if it were easy, you probably wouldn’t be learning much!). However, too much stress can be a bad thing, and if you are feeling overwhelmed, we want to help, so please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Additionally, if you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues (including significant stress, mood changes, excessive worry, substance/alcohol abuse, or problems with eating or sleeping), we strongly encourage you to contact or visit one or more of the following resources, who may be able to provide additional guidance and support: