Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions#

Exam#

How am I evaluated?

Note

The details in the evaluation, such as the 80% weighting, is decided in a conversation with the external examiner. That’s why the details are stated somewhat imprecisely here.

Your grade is an overall evaluation based on your written exam and the projects weighted approximately 80% / 20%

What can I bring to the exam?

All of the usual aids (books, notes, a computer, etc.) but the internet will be closed except for handin/handout.

Where can I find old exam sets?

Please see Exam practicals. I will update the programming problems so that they are compatible with the current version of the course software.

A previous exam refers to a concept I don’t think we were taught

The course material is being continuously adjusted so this is most likely because the subject was taught at an earlier semester.

What is the re-exam date/format?

The ordinary re-exam is in August. Unless very few sign up the format will be the same as the ordinary exam.

Why does the exam have three parts?

The three parts are multiple-choice, conceptual questions and programming. The course has both programming and conceptual questions because programming questions test real-life skills and decision-making, but it cannot stand alone as it would give students who are less practiced at programming too much of a disadvantage. The exam includes MC questions because they are faster to answer, and allows for questions that involves other forms of reasoning.

Note

The reasoning behind giving partial credit is twofold:

  • Even a very partial solution shows an understanding of what the program should do

  • It avoids any confusion about when a solution is complete enough to be accepted

What happens if I hand in programming solutions that only pass the public test?

Suppose that the exam asks you to implement the factorial function \(n!\) as a python function factorial so that factorial(3) should return 6. You can write code such as:

# chapter1/lecture1_code.py
def factorial(n): 
    if n == 3:
        return 6
    else:
        return "7, maybe"

This kind of solution is allowed and will typically give partial credit since the public test is commonly part of the full test suite for the exam handins.

Projects#

Can I re-use an old project?

Yes. If you are taking the course again and handed in one of the projects in the previous semester, then you have two options:

  • Your previous evaluation will be re-used automatically unless you create a new hand-in.

  • If you wish to improve some parts of the hand-in, you must create a new hand-in. It is in this case important you re-create your .token-file since the exercise code has changed.

Can I get an extension?

Extensions are typically granted in unusual circumstances, however, you must contact me and seek an extension.

What are the rules for collaboration?

Warning

Plagiarism is often simply a lack of forethought, and not a meaningful attempt at getting an unfair advantage or cheat. However, the rules are not flexible, and that makes plagiarism-cases very uncomfortable for everyone involved – so please make sure to follow DTUs code of conduct! Contact me or the TAs if you have further questions.

  • Since the projects are part of the overall evaluation, they are covered by DTUs honor code/rules for collaboration.

  • DTU use plagiarism checking on your handin.

  • The rules for collaboration also cover python code, in particular the individual coding task.

Will you upload solutions to the projects?

No, but you are welcome to ask the TAs after the projects are completed for clarification.

What do I do if a team member is not contributing?

You should re-organize groups that don’t function well. Use the discord server to find new team members.

Can I write the project in Danish?

Yes.

ChatGPT and other AI tools#

Note

LLM stands for any AI tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot, or Bart.

What is allowed?

  • The exam is without internet. Asides that, the use of LLMs is not restricted beyond DTUs official rules.

  • If LLMs are used during the projects or exam you must clearly write how and where they were used.

General#

Will you upload solutions to the quizzes?

I don’t plan to do so since the solutions are given during class, and otherwise you can ask for clarification during the exercise sessions.

Will you upload code for the in-class python demos?

Yes, at least for the parts that does not solve the projects. However, note that the code for the examples is quite messy; I recommend that you run but don’t read it!

Note

If you are still curious about the online demos they were build with pygbag <https://pygame-web.github.io/>... If you want to do something similar for your own project you can contact me for code – although be warned that which third-party libraries work with pygbag and which do not can be a bit random.

Does the online demos correspond to the exercise code?

Yes. They are build using exercise code and I have only added quality-of-life features such as being able to reset the simulations.

Will you upload code for the online python demos from the course site?

No. The online demos showcase exercises or in-class examples for which I am happy to share the code. However, to make gymnasium work online I had to apply a few tricks, such as masking pythons multiprocessing library and re-writing some of the event-handling code. Sharing those versions would risk too much confusion for the projects/exam.

Can I follow the course if I don’t speak Danish?

  • The material and lectures are in English.

  • Since the material is in English, I think it will be best/simplest if the written exam is in English as well. However, I have to ask if any students wishes for a Danish version of the exam. If that is the case, I have to make the exam in Danish. If this occurs we will find some kind of alternative solution for English-only speakers.

GDPR policy for lectures recordings

You must be informed about the rules regarding GDPR/Recordings: GDPR guidelines at DTU

  • I plan to record and upload the lecture videos, and they will most likely be stored for one year on DTUs servers.

  • If you have any concern about being recorded, you should avoid the (front) of the auditorium.

  • If you are recorded, you can ask to have the video containing your picture/voice taken down.

GDPR policy for external services

External services such as Discord will generally store information you provide to them and may e.g. resell or share it. You are not required to sign up to external services to follow the course or get help.

Can I be a TA in this course?

If you are interested in a TA position you are welcome to contact me by email. The only hard requirement is that you are enrolled at DTU and that you are not TA for a semester you are taken.