EE365: FAQ

Spring Quarter 2014

General

  • Where and when is the class? Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30–10:45am in 200-034.

  • What is the relationship between EE365 and MS&E251? These are two different catalog numbers for the same class.

  • Can I enroll for both EE365 and MS&E251? No. You cannot do this even in different years.

  • Are students enrolled in EE365 graded the same way as those in MS&E251? Yes. Internally we do not distinguish between students based on which class you are enrolled in. All students are graded in the same way.

  • Is EE365 offered online? Unfortunately this class is not recorded by the Stanford Center for Professional Development, and so it is not available online.

  • Can I audit this class? You are welcome to attend lectures, but if you are auditing the class then we cannot grade your assignments.

  • What linear algebra background do I need? We suggest EE263 as an appropriate prerequisite, so if you are unsure whether you have the background please check the syllabus and lecture notes for that class. Math 51 is not enough.

  • What probability background do I need? We suggest EE178 or MS&E220, but again any similar basic probability class will do. Check the syllabus for EE178 and make sure you are comfortable with most of it. You need not have seen Markov chains before, as we will introduce the basics of the subject in this class.

Homework

  • When is the homework due? 5pm on the due date.

  • What is the late policy? We are using almost the same late policy as CS107. We give students a supply of grace days, which can be used to turn in almost any assignment a few days late. A penalty is applied for further late work. Full details are in the extensive late policy.

  • What is the collaboration policy? We would like you to discuss the class material with other students, since that can greatly help understanding. However, all assigments must be done on your own. In particular, you cannot discuss with other students how to formulate an assignment in Matlab, or help another student debug their code, or share or discuss your own work or code. For that kind of assistance, see the course staff. Any suspected plagiarism or infractions of the honor code will be referred to the Stanford judicial process.

  • Can I submit homework electronically? All homework must be submitted on paper. We do not accept any kind of electronic submission because most of the assignments require submission of mathematical work, and for most people this is much more efficient if done by hand instead of typeset. Unfortunately scanned handwritten documents are simply too inefficient to read or grade. To be fair on all students, we will refuse all requests to email homework. Even if you type your homework, you must submit a paper copy.

  • Where do I submit homework? Submit your homework in the filing cabinet on the second floor of Packard building, opposite room 243.

Grading

  • Can I have my homework regraded? It is extremely rare that we will regrade homeworks. We will only consider this if a question or part was missed while grading, or if pages were lost, for example. The number of points for each question or part is determined before grading, as is the number of points to be deducted for specific common errors. To be fair to all students, we will not change these allocations on an individual basis.

  • Is there a deadline for regrading? Once the homework is graded, an announcement will be made. You must contact the course staff within 48 hours of the announcement if you believe there was an error in your grade. No requests will be considered after that, for any kind of error.

Programming

  • Do we have to use Matlab? You must use Matlab. We will often give advice or templates for implementing the more involved parts of an assignment, and these will not translate easily into other languages.

  • Where can I use Matlab? Matlab is available remotely on the Stanford shared computing machines (corn.stanford.edu), and instructions are available from IT Services. There is also a student edition, available for $75 from Stanford software licensing, which you can run on your own machine. Matlab is also available on the machines in the Terman engineering library.

  • Why don't you use insert favorite language? For many reasons we would like to use something other than Matlab. We are looking at Julia and Python as possible languages to use in future years.

  • Do we need to use Simulink? No, we will not use Simulink at all.

  • How much Matlab do we need to know? We will use almost exclusively the basic Matlab commands. We will avoid more esoteric functions or code that is only available in specialized toolboxes.

Exams

  • Is there a mid-term exam? No.

  • What is the format of the final exam? The exam will be a 24hr take-home. You can use any books, notes, or other materials that you wish.

  • When is the final exam? You must collect the exam from the TAs at Bytes cafe in Packard at one of the following times:

    • Friday 6/6 between 9 and 10am

    • Saturday 6/7 between 9 and 10am

    • Sunday 6/8 between 9 and 10am

    • Monday 6/9 between 9 and 10am

    • Tuesday 6/10 between 9 and 10am

    • Wednesday 6/11 between 9 and 10am

  • Do I have to take the exam at one of these times? Yes, there are no exceptions to this. We have tried to make this as flexible as possible, while complying with Stanford rules and not imposing unreasonable demands on the TAs. If you cannot take the exam at one of these times, do not enroll in this class.

  • Do I have to collect the exam in person? Yes, you must collect the exam from the TAs in Packard, and present ID if asked. We will only distribute paper copies of the exam.

  • How do I return the exam? You must return the exam in person to the TAs in Bytes, 24 hours after collecting it.

Grading

  • Can I take the class CR/NC? Yes.

  • How is the final grade determined? Homework 30%, final 70%.

Textbooks