What is honor code?
The condition for successful completion of this course is, among others, handing over solutions to several assignments. Since the participants of the course are working on the same set of assignments, it is important they proceed on their work honestly. Indeed, the line between accepting help of a schoolmate and submitting someone else's solution may be very thin.
The honor code defines this thin line. It presents a set of rules that state what behaviour is allowed and what actions, on the contrary, lead to dishonest conduct.
Every work that you hand over has to be your own. Since the assignments on this course are individual, cooperation with fellow students on developing the solution is forbidden. The exception is asking for advice, but only on the condition that with such advice someone else will NOT do the work for you. For example, you can show a fragment of your code that you have problem with to someone else, but on the contrary you shall not see a working solution created by someone else.
Below follows the list of rules that characterise permissible and non-permissible behaviour. If you're not sure if some behaviour is permissible or not, don't do it.
Permissible behaviour
- You can freely discuss the description of the assignment with your classmates. You can also discuss topics of lectures and study materials (with the goal to better understand the issues).
- You can help your classmates with identifying bugs in their code by viewing the code, compiling it or debugging it (you can do it also on your computer, but you have to delete the code when you are finished).
- You can show your code that contains errors and bugs to others, in order to ask for help with identifying the error.
- You can use fragments of code that you find on the internet, but only on the condition that such fragments are NOT the solution itself. Also, you have to clearly indicate the source from which you obtained the fragment.
- You can freely search the internet or other literature for information that exceed the scope of the course (e.g. documentation of functions), but only on the condition that such sources do NOT contain solution of the assignment/task that you need to complete on your own.
- You can discuss partial solutions with others in the form of diagrams or pseudo-code, but NOT in the form of real code.
- You can work on the assignment under the guide of a tutor, but only on the condition that the tutor will NOT work out the solution for you.
Non-permissible behaviour
- Asking a classmate to see his/her solution of the assignment/task before handing over your own solution for the evaluation.
- Decompiling or disassembling any example solution or other's work.
- Using some source code (as part of permissible behaviour), but without clearly stating the source from which you obtained it.
- Showing your solution to other classmates who are still working on the assignment.
- Paying or offering to provide a reward for someone's work that you will then claim as your own, handing over someone's work as your solution of the assignment.
- Offering any solutions of assignments to potential (future) participants of the course.
- Looking for completed solution of the assignment anywhere.
- Sharing the work on the assignment with someone and combining your partial solutions.
- Viewing other's solution of the assignment and basing your own solution on it.
Penalties for violation
Depending on severity of the violation of this honor code:
- the student's work (assignment/task) can be evaluated with 0 points,
- the student can lose the opportunity to obtain credit for the course,
- the student can be subjected to disciplinary hearing, or
- in the worst case, the student can be temporarily or fully expelled.