Communication

We will use Ed for course announcements, general questions, assignment clarifications, student discussions, and course-related communication.

Office Hours

The instructor and TAs will hold regular office hours to help with course material, programming assignments, and systems concepts. To keep office hours productive and fair for everyone, please follow these guidelines:

  • Come Prepared: Make a genuine effort to solve problems on your own before attending office hours. For project-related questions, thoroughly read the assignment description and attempt an implementation first. Note that instructors will guide you toward solutions but will not write code for you.

  • Respect the Queue: Office hours operate on a queue system with a 10-minute limit per student. You are welcome to rejoin the queue if you need additional help.

If you need to meet outside of scheduled office hours, email 378-sysml-f26@utlists.utexas.edu to request an appointment.

These policies ensure that all students have equal opportunity to receive support.

Grading

Your final grade will be based on the following components:

  • Quizzes (50%): Short quizzes will be used to check understanding of course material.
  • Programming Assignments (40%): Hands-on assignments will reinforce key systems concepts.
  • Attendance (10%): Attendance will be checked in class through lightning questions.

Programming Assignments

The course will be hands on, with five planned programming assignments. Assignment specifications, release dates, due dates, and links will be added on the assignments tab when they are available.

Group Work

Programming assignments are expected to be completed in groups. Group size is two.

Deadlines and Late Submissions

Each assignment will be due approximately 2-3 weeks after it is released. Starting early significantly improves your chances of success.

Late submissions will incur a 10% penalty per day (including weekends).

Exception requests for late submissions must follow these strict guidelines:

  • Planned absences or conflicts: Contact the instructor at least two weeks in advance.
  • Emergencies (medical, family, etc.): Contact the instructor immediately when the emergency occurs.
  • Requests made after the deadline or after the event has occurred will NOT be accepted.

This policy ensures fairness and allows the instructor to make appropriate arrangements in advance. If you anticipate any conflicts with assignment deadlines, reach out proactively.

Course Policies

Academic Integrity

In accordance with the University’s Institutional Rules on Student Services and Activities, Chapter 11, students accept the responsibility to always uphold academic integrity and an honor code reflective of a scholarly community devoted to academic and personal success.

All submitted course materials must be your team’s original work, or compliant with the AI Usage policy. When using external sources, provide proper citations and clearly indicate which parts are your own work. If you have any doubts about whether something violates this policy, consult the instructor before submission.

Violations of academic integrity will be handled according to the University of Texas policies and procedures.

AI Usage

All members of the University community are fully accountable and responsible for any output they produce as part of academic work. Students must follow the Texas Statement on Academic Integrity and avoid prohibited uses described in the University’s Acceptable Use of Generative AI Tools guidance.

  • Assignments: You are free to use AI/coding agents to brainstorm and understand how to solve problems in your assignments, but the final code you submit must be largely yours, and you must understand it completely. Over-reliance on automation risks leaving your understanding incomplete. Submissions produced largely or entirely by AI may constitute academic misconduct under University rules.
    • Course staff will also be conducting team interviews for each assignment and grading members independently on the depth of their understanding of their submission.
    • Whenever you use AI/coding agents during your assignments, include a brief AI Use Disclosure with the submission that identifies the tool and explains what it was used for (formatting, core methodology, etc.), states how much of the submitted code is original, and describes how you reviewed its output. Failing to disclose the use of AI may also constitute academic misconduct under University rules.
  • Attendance checks and quizzes: Attendance checks and quizzes are closed book and AI use is strictly prohibited. Unlike the assignments, these are designed to determine your unassisted understanding of the material.

Attendance and Participation

Regular class attendance is expected and contributes to your learning and final grade. We will administer small quizzes through a Google Form for attendance checks; only completion, not correctness, will count toward your grade. If you must miss class for planned reasons, notify the instructor in advance. For emergency absences, contact the instructor as soon as possible.

Services for Students with Disabilities

The university is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive learning environment. If you encounter barriers to learning, please inform the instructor so we can work together to ensure you have equal opportunities to participate fully in this course.

If you have a disability or need accommodations, please contact Disability and Access. If you are already registered with Disability and Access, provide your accommodation letter as early as possible so we can discuss your needs.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the right to modify this syllabus during the semester. Any changes will be announced in class and updated on the course website.