Communication Policies

  • Please add the following text into the subject line of emails to us: [MUSA550]. This will help us make sure we don’t miss your email!
  • We will use Piazza for questions related to lecture material and assignments.
  • To prevent code copying, please do not post long, complete code examples to Piazza.
  • Anonymous posting is enabled on Piazza — if you have a question that requires a full code example, please use the anonymous feature to post the question.
  • We will also use Piazza for announcements — please make sure your notifications are turned on and you check the website frequently. This will be the primary method of communication for course-wide announcements.
  • If you have larger-scale or conceptual questions on assignments or lecture material, please set up a time to discuss during office hours.

Group Work

Students are allowed (and encouraged!) to collaborate when working through lecture materials or assignments. If you work closely with other students, please list the members of your group at the top of your assignment.

Special Accommodations

There are a number of ongoing situations in the world that may take precedence over the course work. If you are experiencing any difficulties outside the course, please contact me and accommodations can be made.

The remote learning environment is also an unprecedented situation. If you are having any difficulties with the course schedule, attending lectures, or similar, please let us know.

Expectations for Remote Lectures

Remote lectures will be via Zoom. Students will also be learning in different time zones. With this in mind, the following are guidelines for attending lectures:

  • Video is encouraged but certainly not required
  • If not speaking, please mute yourself to limit feedback and echoes
  • To ask a question, students can either “raise their hand” via the Zoom functionality, send the question via the chat functionality, or simply interrupt and ask during a pause

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to be familiar with and comply with Penn’s Code of Academic Integrity, which is available in the Pennbook, or online at https://catalog.upenn.edu/pennbook/code-of-academic-integrity.