Policies
Grading Policies
The final grade for this course will depend upon the grades and scores earned on course components weighted as follows:
| 30% | Three equally weighted team projects |
| 15% | Homework assignments |
| 5% | Tickets out the door |
| 5% | Individual presentations on security topics |
| 30% | Two equally weighted midterm exams |
| 15% | Final exam |
Grades will be computed by rounding numerical percentages to the nearest integer and applying the following table:
| A | 93-100 | B- | 80-82 | D+ | 67-69 |
| A- | 90-92 | C+ | 77-79 | D | 60-66 |
| B+ | 87-89 | C | 73-76 | F | 0-59 |
| B | 83-86 | C- | 70-72 |
Grades for each project, assignment, ticket out the door, and exam will be recorded in Brightspace. Students may compute their current average by using these scores with the weights listed above.
Attendance and Participation Policy
Attendance is expected of every student at every lecture. Students are responsible for all content covered in class as well as assigned book chapters. Students should come to class with their text books, having read the material to be covered that day. Students who have not prepared for class may be asked to leave. Due to their nature, tickets out the door cannot be made up.
Students are expected to attend in-person class sessions as indicated on the schedule. However, if a student is not feeling well, that student should not come to the in-person class session that day. To catch up on work, students should visit the instructor during office hours or another scheduled meeting time.
Except in the case of documented emergencies, exams cannot be made up afterwards. For excused absences, students must arrange to take the exam before the normally scheduled time. Arrangements should be made with the instructor at least two weeks prior to the scheduled time.
Students are expected to maintain an attitude of respect at all times toward their colleagues, the equipment, and the instructor. Students are expected to refrain from using technology for non-course-related purposes during class time and will be penalized 1% of the final grade for each occurrence. Students who use offensive language or are otherwise disruptive of the classroom will be asked to leave.
Security Presentations
During the semester, each student must do two presentations about a computer security related topic. Each presentation is expected to last between 5 and 10 minutes and use PowerPoint, unless there is a compelling reason not to use it. The topics should be current, of general interest, and not cover material that we go over in class. The purpose of the presentations is to add breadth and timeliness to our discussion of this rapidly changing field.
The grading is based on the following criteria in descending order of importance:
- Quality of content
Material is relevant to some aspect of computer security and is of interest to a classroom of computer science majors; content has not been covered in class and reflects current trends - Factual accuracy
Material presented is free from major errors or inconsistencies - Clear and concise communication of content
Talk has a defined beginning, middle, and end; a clear thesis statement emerges from the presentation; level of discussion is appropriate to the audience - Polished presentation
Visually appealing presentation; use of images or animations when appropriate; spelling and grammatical mistakes are avoided
Academic Integrity
Academic Integrity is our commitment to be honest, fair, and ethical in our scholarly work. Professors follow these principles in their research and teaching, and students must do the same in their learning and their work after graduation.
Assignments and exams are given in classes so that the professor can accurately assess your learning and give you helpful feedback to improve your learning. Academic misconduct misrepresents your knowledge and skills and thus harms your learning.
Academic dishonesty includes cheating, complicity, falsification, multiple submission, and plagiarism. To understand better what each of these kinds of dishonesty entails, see the full statement on Academic Dishonesty in Section 8 of the Campus Life Handbook.
All cases of suspected Academic Dishonesty will be forwarded to Academic Affairs. To learn more about the process, see the above cited section of the Campus Life Handbook. Academic Dishonesty may result in failure of the assignment or the course itself, or even suspension or expulsion proceedings. If you are uncertain about what is allowable in completing assignment and exams, please speak with your professor.
All projects must be completed by the students in a given team, without assistance from anyone other than the instructor. Homework assignments must be completed individually. Students can discuss the course material with each other, but all work must be done individually or within the team, as appropriate. For projects, exams, homework, and all other activities in the course, students are expected to act according to the official policy on academic integrity and the highest personal standards.
For the first infraction of academic honesty in this course, the instructor will seek a penalty of a 0 for the project, assignment, or exam in question and a reduction of a full letter grade in the final grade. If a second infraction occurs, the instructor will seek the maximum penalty possible under the University’s regulations.
Generative AI Policy
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is any computer system designed to perform a cognitive or behavioral task historically believed to be one only humans can perform. Generative AI is a term used for recent AI systems that generate significant quantities of content such as text, images, audio, or video from a short input prompt, usually text.
Although generative AI tools are impressive, they must not be used to write any code that a student is expected to turn in for this class. Generative AI tools may be used to explain existing code or to suggest improvements for code but only after the project or lab in question has been turned in. Students who do not write code themselves have missed the opportunity to gain the skills of logical problem solving and translation to a formal programming language that are essential for computer scientists. Submitting work that includes or is derived from AI-generated materials shall be considered an act of academic dishonesty.
Non-Discrimination Policy
Otterbein University is committed to providing a welcoming environment free from unlawful discrimination. To this end, the University prohibits any form of discrimination against any erson on the basis of race, color, sex, gender, pregnancy, religion, creed, marital status, partnership status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, disability, military status, or any other legally protected status in its programs and activities. All Otterbein faculty and staff share in the responsibility to create a safe learning environment for all students and for the campus as a whole. Students who believe they have been discriminated against should contact the Office of Human Resources at 614-823-1805 or hr@otterbein.edu.
Any person may report sexual harassment, sexual violence, dating violence, and stalking by contacting Julie Saker, Deputy Title IX Coordinator at 614-823-1154 or jsaker@otterbein.edu. If a student would prefer to share information about sexual harassment, sexual violence or discrimination to a confidential employee who does not have this reporting responsibility, the can contact the University Counseling Center (614-823-1250 or counseling@otterbein.edu) or the WGSRC Peer Advocates (wgsrc@otterbein.edu).
More information about these policies can be found here.
Disability Support Services
The University has a continuing commitment to disability inclusion (e.g., learning disabilities, mental health diagnoses, and chronic or temporary medical conditions). Disability Services (DS) helps to facilitate reasonable accommodations, provides referrals to students interested in exploring a potential diagnosis, and assists students and faculty to minimize barriers for an accessible educational experience. If you need accommodations or guidance, please contact Disability Services (DS) at DisabilityServices@otterbein.edu as soon as possible or visit here for more information. While we strive to meet your needs within the parameters of our course requirements and learning objectives, accommodations are not typically retroactive and late requests may not be guaranteed. Please let us know how we can best support you. Your instructor is happy to discuss accommodations privately with you as well.
Academic Support Center
The Academic Support Center (ASC) helps students develop and strengthen the skills necessary to attain their academic goals. They support student learning and success through: tutoring, teaching, disability services, and academic coaching. All services are free for Otterbein students. Their purpose is to help students be academically successful. Please contact them to request a tutor or learn more about the ASC by calling (614) 823-1610 or visiting the ASC website.
Counseling Services
College can be a time of wonderful experiences and growth. It can also be a time of transition and uncertainty. Add on top of that, family, financial, social and environmental stressors and it's no wonder all of us feel overwhelmed at times! If you would like extra support – in the way of just being able to verbalize your feelings to an interested outsider, gaining some reassurance and validation of your feelings, making plans to move forward optimistically and safely – reach out to any of us staff. People here at Otterbein care about you and want to provide not only respect but also verbal and emotional support and encouragement. You can call the Counseling Center at 614-823-1333 or contact counseling@otterbein.edu to learn more about support services on campus or make an appointment. You can also call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline of Ohio, for 24/7 access to a mental health professional.
Library Services
The Courtright Memorial Library provides a broad range of services and resources, from color printing and a game collection to 24/7 access to more than 220 scholarly databases and e-books here. On-campus students can access in-person help, quiet study spaces, and open computer labs during the library's open hours.
Students can also access the many e-textbooks on reserve by clicking the Course Reserves tab on the library web page or find help for a specific subject area by searching LibGuides.
Need more help? Whether you are on-campus or off, you don’t have to do it alone with library research! Chat with us virtually via the library website or e-mail the library at library@otterbein.edu. For in-depth research help, make an appointment for a virtual research consultation with your personal librarian.
