Cheating

Unfortunately, it is necessary to mention the subject of cheating. Some of the exercises given in this class require the development of short programs or program fragments, and there are always many correct solutions to any non-trivial programming problem. It is sometimes difficult for students and instructors to determine what constitutes cheating or academic dishonesty in this setting. Each exercise, if carried out by the student, will give the student understanding, or will reinforce the student's understanding, of an important A.I. concept. Hence, the student is permitted to inspect related problems and ask questions of the instructor and others in the class about the problem and related problems, but the student is not permitted to copy the work of any others, including but not limited to the instructor, previous TAs, or other students who are taking the class or who previously took the class. Likewise, students allowing others to copy their own work are guilty of cheating.

The exercises assigned for this course are not team projects unless you are explicitly told so by the instructor. You may consult with others when attempting to develop your solutions to assignments. It is legitimate for two individuals to plan together the general approach which they will individually use in solving a problem. But once any significant details of the development and coding of the program starts, collaboration should cease. This does not mean that students may not help each other, there are just limits to "helping". You cannot develop a single solution working together as a team with other students. Two identical or nearly identical solutions to the same problem will be regarded as evidence of over- collaboration and will be dealt with as cheating. The borderline where simply consulting with others becomes working as a team or copying is a gray area. If you have any doubts, you probably are working too closely and should stop -- go off and work by yourself.

Because computer resources are shared, it is essential that all students use them in a way that respects the rights of others. Any attempt to copy other people's assignments, destroy other people's data or code, or deny the use of the computer to others is unethical and is considered a violation of academic honesty guidelines. The bottom line is, do not misuse the computer!

Do not cheat! Do not copy others work! Immerse yourself in the class. Learn the material. The benefit and enjoyment you will receive will be much more valuable than any consequences of cheating. Do not even think about cheating! You do not realize how easy it is for us to identify who has cheated and to prove it to others. Individuals who have misrepresented work as being their own or who have assisted another will receive as a minimum: a grade of zero on that assignment and a decrease of one letter grade on their final course grade. This is in addition to any other penalties given by Student Affairs. Everyone of you should examine the Academic Honesty Guidelines and Student Conduct Code in the University of Florida Undergraduate Catalog for more details. Ignorance of these Guidelines is no excuse!

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