CSIT285L

This evaluation is designed to provide information about the quality of this course to the instructor and department. All submissions will be anonymous and these questionnaires will be treated as confidential information. The instructor will not review your responses until after the final grades for this course have been submitted to the Registrar.

This class has changed drastically since its first iteration due to thoughtful student feedback on these evaluations. I take them very seriously. I’m currently considering changing the weekly write-ups to in-class quizzes; feel free to let me know what you think about that.

11:00am section evals are here.

12:30pm section evals are here.

4:00pm section evals are here.

5:30pm section evals are here.

Due to scheduling and project updates, Day 25 (Tuesday, April 30) is no longer an obligatory participation grade day. Instead, it will become the first of 3 optional final paper workshop days. The last participation grade entered into Blackboard will be Day 24, based on participation today, April 25. No grades will be entered for Day 25 for this course.

Students who did not attend class today, April 25, should complete their course evaluations on their own time. Students who are doing the final paper can, but are not obligated to, attend workshops during normal class time on:

Tuesday, April 30

Thursday, May 2

Tuesday, May 7

Since these days are optional, I will only be in the classroom if students are. If at the beginning of class time no students are present, I will cancel the session. Similarly, if students arrive on time and get the help they need and then leave, I won’t stay for the entire class time.

Hi everyone,

Let me address some emailed questions I get at the end of every semester.

Will I round up your grade?

If you are less than .5 points away from the next letter grade, I will consider rounding up your score based on your engagement throughout the semester. If you ignore this answer and email me about it, no.

Update 4/25/23: No. No grades will be rounded. The university grade scale applies, which states that 79.99 will be recorded as a C+.

Can I please just this once give you more than .5 points so you can get the next letter grade?

No. Asking anyone for a grade you didn’t earn is not a good look. Asking your ethics professor shows you did not learn much from this course.

I do not “give” grades. I keep track of your scores and progress throughout the semester. Asking me to arbitrarily change that score after all the work is done makes no sense.

Can you redo assignments or turn in assignments that you didn’t do the first chance you had?

No.

When will I post grades?

As soon as I can, but there’s no set date other than the university deadlines.

I hope I have sufficiently addressed these points here, so please do not send me emails asking questions like these. Of course, if you have other questions, ask away.

Hi all,

Nice work today (Day 21). As discussed, I have updated the slides for today with the clearer Therac-25 definition and extra visual aid that were shown in class.

11:00am section only: I was mistaken about the fate of Vitaly Kaloyev. In fact, he won an award from his regional employer. I apologize for the mistake.

Attorney General Andrea Campbell will be on campus to talk about AI and Civil and Consumer rights; Tuesday April 16 at 1pm!

https://d31hzlhk6di2h5.cloudfront.net/20240408/ca/e6/74/c4/cc19f87ed1b9f83b8ef63fd8/24.229_fireside_chat_AG_Andrea_Campbell_v7_44_.pdf

Brainhack Boston will be hosted at UMB this year (previously at MIT)! April 22 and 23.

4/23 is a class day, so if you don’t attend my class be sure to catch up.

https://brainhack-boston.github.io/

Thank you all for the relatively smooth midterm experience! Grades have been posted. Here are some frequently asked questions:

Can I see what I got right and wrong?

Yes, with an office hours appointment. I know it’s annoying, but while you would never try to save completed tests or post answers online, some students feel the need to try. The nature of the test requires special vigilance over completed copies. As a result, students (rightfully) wondering what they got right and wrong will need to schedule an office hours appointment. The meeting should only take a few minutes.

I missed the midterm, can I take it now?

This is one of the few assignments in the course (along with projects and final papers) that are scheduled on certain days and do not qualify for late work. The relevant portions of the syllabus are below.

From the midterm page! .

As mentioned on the syllabus, you can bring up to 30 pages of numbered unique handwritten notes to this exam. One physical page with two sides counts as one – that is, you can write on the back of each page and have it still count as one page.

Please number the pages of your handwritten notes in the top right corner.

Please limit the number of pages that you bring to class to 30. It is strongly encouraged, though not required, to minimize the time it takes for me to approve your notes by removing them from extraneous material, spirals, binders, etc. All typed material should also be removed from the papers you bring to class.

You can speed up the note-checking process before the exam by fanning out your notes for approval, like this:

Make sure all electronic devices are off or on silent during the test; they must be inside your backpack and not on the desk or in a pocket. Smart watches may not be worn during the test.

A former student is hiring for a cybersecurity internship. Please consider applying if your average in the course is a B or better. Next steps.