Remote Format: Synchronous Mode of Instruction

in Policies
Basic Info

CS559 is being taught online for Spring 2022. There are no in-person (face to face) lectures. All material will be delivered online. Exams will be online. Assignments will be given online. There will be no required in person activities. (there may be optional in-person activities, such as office hours)

  1. The mode of instruction for this class is remote synchronous.
  2. There are no face-to-face meetings for this class.
  3. Some activities (particularly exams) will happen at scheduled times.

The mode of instruction for this class is remote synchronous.

Students are responsible for being available during the official class periods.

The class periods are 5:30-6:30pm Tuesday and Thursdays for the 14 weeks of the semester, and the 2 hour official final examination block assigned by the registrar. There are also two evening midterms (see Exams (policy)). If you cannot “attend” during these times, please do not take the class.

Unofficially, we intend to record the lectures and make these recordings available. In theory, you do not need to “attend” lecture (see below). But you must be available to take exams.

So, …

  • If you want to take this class while living in a distant time zone, be prepared that some activities will require you to participate in the evenings in Madison.
  • You should not take this class and another class scheduled in the same time slot. That is against University rules.
  • You should not take this class if you have responsibilities that mean you will not be available for exams.
  • Staff availability (for consulting, office hours, etc.) will generally be in the Madison time zone.

Lectures: the lectures will be given synchronously - as live presentations via Zoom. Experience from prior classes is that many students prefer to “attend” these lectures. For example, live attendance provides the opportunity for interaction and a regular structure. However, we understand that some students prefer to watch the lectures asynchronously. Our intent is to make asynchronous viewing of the lectures possible. The course staff will make their best effort to make sure that all lectures are recorded, but there are no guarantees. Students are responsible for the material even if a recording is not available. For example, if there is a technical problem and a lecture is not recorded, students are still responsible for the material. (see Lectures for more detail).

We will track participation in synchronous class activities. This includes general attendance, responding to polls, participating in breakout discussions, etc. This will count towards the “participation” modifier on your grade (see Grading).

Exams: There are two evening exams and a final exam. These must be taken within a window of time (5:45-9:00pm for March 9 and April 27, and the official University final period). The exams do not use the entire time period (see Exams (policy))

Optional activities, such as office hours and help sessions, will be held at other times.

If you want to take the class while living in another time zone… be aware that you will need to take the exams during the scheduled class times, and that we will not make exceptions for students who choose to take the class from a distant location. The optional class activities may be inconvenient for you.

If you have other responsibilities during the class periods (for example, you have a job or another class)… be aware that you will need to take the exams during the scheduled times, and that we will not make exceptions for students who chose to take the class despite not being available during class time.

Exam Schedule

  • Exam 1: Wednesday, March 9th, 1 hour within 5:45-9:00pm
  • Exam 2: Wednesday, April 27th, 1 hour within 5:45-9:00pm
  • Exam 3: Wednesday, May 11th, 1 hour within 7:25-9:25pm (official assigned Final Exam slot, may be changed by the Registrar)