CS2103/T - Week 2 - Admin Info

Week 2 [Fri, Aug 14th] - Admin Info

Submit post-lecture quiz Thu, Aug 20th 2359 counted for participation
Get connected to our communication channels

1 Submit post-lecture quiz Thu, Aug 20th 2359 counted for participation

Read weekly topics allocated for this week. Submit the Post-Lecture Quiz (on LumiNUS) to test your knowledge of those topics.

2 Get connected to our communication channels

If you haven't done so already, follow the 'Preparation' instructions of the following panel, to get connected with the communication channels used by the module.

Tools: for communication

Forum (for longer-running discussions)

The preferred channels for module-related communication is the forum on GitHub https://github.com/nus-cs2103-AY2021S1/forum/issues (not the LumiNUS forum)
When communicating with instructors, use the forum. Use private channels (e.g., emails, private messages, face-to-face, private chat groups) only when the forum is not suitable. Rationale: 1. More classmates can benefit from the discussions, 2. It is also safer because the prof can monitor information you receive for accuracy.

You are encouraged to help others in the forum (e.g., share tips, help with technical problems). We consider such sharing when giving out A+ grades and when recruiting tutors.

Preparation:

We encourage all to watch the forum to get alerts when new issues/comments are posted

Gitter (for quick chats)

The module Gitter channel is https://gitter.im/nus-cs2103-AY2021S1/community.
We opted to use Gitter because it is GitHub-friendly (you can use your GitHub account to access Gitter) and programmer-friendly (e.g., supports code syntax highlighting).
Do not use Gitter for technical help requests. Such requests can lead to long-running discussions which are better suited for the forum.

Preparation:

Join https://gitter.im/nus-cs2103-AY2021S1/community.
Recommended: Install the Gitter mobile app (search for it in your mobile phone's app store).

+ Other info relevant to this week:

Admin Apdx B (Policies) → Policy on plagiarism

Policy on plagiarism

We encourage sharing, but you should share with everyone in the class, not just a selected group. That is,

You are not allowed to share individual assignments with classmates directly.
You are not allowed to share project-related things with other teams directly.

If you submit code (or adopt ideas) taken from elsewhere (you can even reuse each other's work), you need to comply with our reuse policy.

Detection:

Detecting plagiarism in code is quite easy. You are not fooling anyone by reordering code or renaming methods/variables.
As all your work is publicly visible on GitHub, sooner or later somebody will notice the plagiarism.

Penalties:

For submissions not affecting marks: We make a record of cases of plagiarism but we do not take further action. Such plagiarism does not disadvantage other students. Therefore, we prefer to spend all available resources on helping honest students to do better rather than to chase after dishonest students. If you think you gain something by plagiarizing, go ahead and do it. It's your choice and it's your loss.
For the final project/exam: Any case of claiming others' work as yours will be reported to the university for disciplinary action.

Admin Apdx B (Policies) → Policy on reuse

Policy on reuse

Reuse is encouraged. However, note that reuse has its own costs (such as the learning curve, additional complexity, usage restrictions, and unknown bugs). Furthermore, you will not be given credit for work done by others. Rather, you will be given credit for reusing work done by others.

You are allowed to reuse work from your classmates, subject to following conditions:
- The work has been shared publicly by us or the authors.
- You clearly give credit to the original author(s).
You are allowed to reuse work from external sources, subject to following conditions:
- The work comes from a source of 'good standing' (such as an established open source project). This means you cannot reuse code written by an outside 'friend'.
- You clearly give credit to the original author. Acknowledge use of third party resources clearly e.g. in the welcome message, splash screen (if any) or under the 'about' menu. If you are open about reuse, you are less likely to get into trouble if you unintentionally reused something copyrighted.
- You do not violate the license under which the work has been released. Please do not use 3rd-party images/audio in your software unless they have been specifically released to be used freely. Just because you found it in the Internet does not mean it is free for reuse.
- Always get permission from us before you reuse third-party libraries. Please post your 'request to use 3rd party library' in our forum. That way, the whole class get to see what libraries are being used by others.

Giving credit for reused work

Given below are how to give credit for things you reuse from elsewhere. These requirements are specific to this module i.e., not applicable outside the module (outside the module you should follow the rules specified by your employer and the license of the reused work)

If you used a third party library:

iP/tP: Mention in the README file (under the Acknowledgements section)
tP: Mention in the Project Portfolio Page if the library has a significant relevance to the features you implemented

If you reused code snippets found on the Internet e.g. from StackOverflow answers or
referred code in another software or
referred project code by current/past student:

If you read the code to understand the approach and implemented it yourself, mention it as a comment
Example:

//Solution below adapted from https://stackoverflow.com/a/16252290
{Your implmentation of the reused solution here ...}

If you copy-pasted a non-trivial code block (possibly with minor modifications renaming, layout changes, changes to comments, etc.), also mark the code block as reused code (using @@author tags with the -reused suffix)
Format:

//@@author {yourGithubUsername}-reused
//{Info about the source...}

{Reused code (possibly with minor modifications) here ...}

//@@author

Example of reusing a code snippet (with minor modifications):

persons = getList()
//@@author johndoe-reused
//Reused from https://stackoverflow.com/a/34646172 with minor modifications
Collections.sort(persons, new Comparator<CustomData>() {
    @Override
    public int compare(CustomData lhs, CustomData rhs) {
        return lhs.customInt > rhs.customInt ? -1 : 0;
    }
});
//@@author
return persons;

Giving credit to AB3 code: If your project started with the AB3 code and your new code follows a design similar to AB3, that doesn't mean you need to credit AB3 -- this is because new code is expected to follow existing code where possible, in the interest of consistency. However, don't take credit for existing AB3 code (i.e., ensure such code doesn't appear under your name in the tP code dashboard) unless you have modified them substantially.

Adding `@@author` tags indicate authorship

Mark your code with a //@@author {yourGithubUsername}. Note the double @.
The //@@author tag should indicates the beginning of the code you wrote. The code up to the next //@@author tag or the end of the file (whichever comes first) will be considered as was written by that author. Here is a sample code file:
```
//@@author johndoe
method 1 ...
method 2 ...
//@@author sarahkhoo
method 3 ...
//@@author johndoe
method 4 ...
```
If you don't know who wrote the code segment below yours, you may put an empty //@@author (i.e. no GitHub username) to indicate the end of the code segment you wrote. The author of code below yours can add the GitHub username to the empty tag later. Here is a sample code with an empty author tag:
```
method 0 ...
//@@author johndoe
method 1 ...
method 2 ...
//@@author
method 3 ...
method 4 ...
```
The author tag syntax varies based on file type e.g. for java, css, fxml. Use the corresponding comment syntax for non-Java files.
Here is an example code from an xml/fxml file.
```

<textbox>
  <label>...</label>
  <input>...</input>
</textbox>
...
```

Do not put the //@@author inside java header comments.
👎

/**
  * Returns true if ...
  * @@author johndoe
  */

👍

//@@author johndoe
/**
  * Returns true if ...
  */

What to and what not to annotate

Annotate both functional and test code There is no need to annotate documentation files.
Annotate only significant size code blocks that can be reviewed on its own e.g., a class, a sequence of methods, a method.
Claiming credit for code blocks smaller than a method is discouraged but allowed. If you do, do it sparingly and only claim meaningful blocks of code such as a block of statements, a loop, or an if-else statement.
- If an enhancement required you to do tiny changes in many places, there is no need to annotate all those tiny changes; you can describe those changes in the Project Portfolio page instead.
- If a code block was touched by more than one person, either let the person who wrote most of it (e.g. more than 80%) take credit for the entire block, or leave it as 'unclaimed' (i.e., no author tags).
- Related to the above point, if you claim a code block as your own, more than 80% of the code in that block should have been written by yourself. For example, no more than 20% of it can be code you reused from somewhere.
- GitHub has a blame feature and a history feature that can help you determine who wrote a piece of code.
Do not try to boost the quantity of your contribution using unethical means such as duplicating the same code in multiple places. In particular, do not copy-paste test cases to create redundant tests. Even repetitive code blocks within test methods should be extracted out as utility methods to reduce code duplication. Individual members are responsible for making sure code attributed to them are correct. If you notice a team member claiming credit for code that he/she did not write or use other questionable tactics, you can email us (after the final submission) to let us know.
If you wrote a significant amount of code that was not used in the final product,
- Create a folder called {project root}/unused
- Move unused files (or copies of files containing unused code) to that folder
- use //@@author {yourGithubUsername}-unused to mark unused code in those files (note the suffix unused) e.g.
```
//@@author johndoe-unused
method 1 ...
method 2 ...
```
Please put a comment in the code to explain why it was not used.
If you reused code from elsewhere, mark such code as //@@author {yourGithubUsername}-reused (note the suffix reused) e.g.
```
//@@author johndoe-reused
method 1 ...
method 2 ...
```
You can use empty @@author tags to mark code as not yours when RepoSense attribute the code to you incorrectly.
- Code generated by the IDE/framework, should not be annotated as your own.
- Code you modified in minor ways e.g. adding a parameter. These should not be claimed as yours but you can mention these additional contributions in the Project Portfolio page if you want to claim credit for them.

At the end of the project each student is required to submit a Project Portfolio Page.

PPP Objectives

For you to use (e.g. in your resume) as a well-documented data point of your SE experience
For evaluators to use as a data point for evaluating your project contributions

PPP Sections to include

Overview: A short overview of your product to provide some context to the reader. The opening 1-2 sentences may be reused by all team members. If your product overview extends beyond 1-2 sentences, the remainder should be written by yourself.
Summary of Contributions --Suggested items to include:
- Code contributed: Give a link to your code on tP Code Dashboard. The link is available in the Project List Page -- linked to the icon under your profile picture.
- Enhancements implemented: A summary of the enhancements you implemented.
- Contributions to documentation: Which sections did you contribute to the UG?
- Contributions to the DG: Which sections did you contribute to the DG? Which UML diagrams did you add/updated?
- Contributions to team-based tasks :
- Review/mentoring contributions: Links to PRs reviewed, instances of helping team members in other ways
- Contributions beyond the project team:
  - Evidence of helping others e.g. responses you posted in our forum, bugs you reported in other team's products,
  - Evidence of technical leadership e.g. sharing useful information in the forum

Keep in mind that evaluators will use the PPP to estimate your project effort. We recommend that you mention things that will earn you a fair score e.g., explain how deep the enhancement is, why it is complete, how hard it was to implement etc..

[Optional] Contributions to the Developer Guide (Extracts): Reproduce the parts in the Developer Guide that you wrote. Alternatively, you can show the various diagrams you contributed.
[Optional] Contributions to the User Guide (Extracts): Reproduce the parts in the User Guide that you wrote.

PPP Format

File name (i.e., in the repo): docs/team/githbub_username_in_lower_case.md e.g., docs/team/goodcoder123.md
Follow the example in the AddressBook-Level3

To convert the UG/DG/PPP into PDF format, go to the generated page in your project's github.io site and use this technique to save as a pdf file. Using other techniques can result in poor quality resolution (will be considered a bug) and unnecessarily large files.

Ensure hyperlinks in the pdf files work. Your UG/DG/PPP will be evaluated using PDF files during the PE. Broken/non-working hyperlinks in the PDF files will be considered as bugs and will count against your project score. Again, use the conversion technique given above to ensure links in the PDF files work.

The icon indicates team submissions. Only one person need to submit on behalf of the team but we recommend that others help verify the submission is in order i.e., the responsibility for (and any penalty for problems in) team submissions are best shared by the whole team rather than burden one person with it.

The icon indicates individual submissions.

PPP Page Limit

Content	Recommended	Hard Limit
Overview + Summary of contributions	0.5-1	2
[Optional] Contributions to the User Guide	1
[Optional] Contributions to the Developer Guide	3

The page limits given above are after converting to PDF format. The actual amount of content you require is actually less than what these numbers suggest because the HTML → PDF conversion adds a lot of spacing around content.

Admin Apdx B (Policies) → Policy on help from outsiders

Policy on help from outsiders

In general, you are not allowed to involve outsiders in your project except your team members and the teaching team. However, It is OK to give your product to others for the purpose of getting voluntary user feedback. It is also OK to learn from others as long as they don't do your project work themselves.

Admin Apdx B (Policies) → Policy on following instructions

Policy on following instructions

When working with others, especially in a large class such as CS2103/T, it is very important that you adhere to standards, policies, and instructions imposed on everyone. Not doing so creates unnecessary headaches for everyone and puts your work attitude in a negative light. That is why we penalize repeated violations of instructions. On the other hand we do understand that humans are liable to make mistakes. That is why we only penalize repeated or frequent mistakes.

Admin Apdx B (Policies) → Policy on tech help

Policy on tech help

Do not expect your tutor to code or debug for you. We strongly discourage tutors from giving technical help directly to their own teams because we want to train you in troubleshooting tech problems yourselves. Allowing direct tech help from tutors transfers the troubleshooting responsibility to tutors.

It is ok to ask for help from classmates even for assignments, even from other teams, as long as you don't copy from others and submit as your own. It doesn't matter who is helping you as long as you are learning from it.

We encourage you to give tech help to each other, but do it in a way that the other person learns from it.

Admin Apdx A: Module Principles : OPTIONAL

These are some of the main principles underlying the module structure.

The product is you, NOT what you build.

The software product you build is a side effect only. You are the product of this module. This means,

We may not take the most efficient route to building the software product. We take the route that allows you to learn the most.
Building a software product that is unique, creative, and shiny is not our priority (although we try to do a bit of that too). Learning to take pride in, and discovering the joy of, high quality software engineering work is our priority.

Following from that, we evaluate you on not just how much you've done, but also, how well you've done those things. Here are some of the aspects in which we focus on:

We appreciate ...	But we value more ...
Ability to deal with low-level details	Ability to abstract over details, generalize, see the big picture
A drive to learn latest and greatest technologies	Ability to make the best of given tools
Ability to find problems that interest you and solve them	Ability to solve the given problem to the best of your ability
Ability to burn the midnight oil to meet a deadline	Ability to schedule work so that the need for 'last minute heroics' is minimal
Preference to do things you like or things you are good at	Ability to buckle down and deliver on important things that you don't necessarily like or are good at
Ability to deliver desired end results	Ability to deliver in a way that shows how well you delivered (i.e. visibility of your work)

We learn together, NOT compete against each other.

You are not in a competition. Our grading is not forced on a bell curve.

Learn from each other. That is why we open-source your submissions.

Teach each other, even those in other teams. Those who do it well can become tutors next time.

Continuously engage, NOT last minute heroics.

We want to train you to do software engineering in a steady and repeatable manner that does not require 'last minute heroics'.

In this module, last minute heroics will not earn you a good project grade, and last minute mugging will not earn you a good exam grade.

Where you reach at the end matters, NOT what you knew at the beginning.

When you start the module, some others in the class may appear to know a lot more than you. Don't let that worry you. The final grade depends on what you know at the end, not what you knew to begin with. All marks allocated to intermediate deliverables are within the reach of everyone in the class irrespective of their prior knowledge.

Admin Apdx C (FAQs) → Why use a separate website instead of LumiNUS? : OPTIONAL

Why use a separate website instead of LumiNUS? : OPTIONAL

We have a separate website because some of the module information does not fit into the structure imposed by LumiNUS.

On a related note, keep in mind that 'hunting and gathering' of relevant information is one of the skills you need to survive 'in the wild'. Do not always expect all relevant materials to appear 'magically' in some kind of 'work bin'.

Admin Apdx C (FAQs) → Why slides are not detailed? : OPTIONAL

Why slides are not detailed? : OPTIONAL

Slides are not meant to be documents to print and study for exams. Their purpose is to support the lecture delivery and keep you engaged during the lecture. That's why our slides are less detailed and more visual.

Admin Apdx C (FAQs) → Why so much self-study? : OPTIONAL

Why so much self-study? : OPTIONAL

Self-study is a critical survival skill in SE industry. Lectures will show you the way, but absorbing content is to be done at your own pace, by yourself. In this module, we still tell you what content to study and also pass most of the content to you. After you graduate, you have to decide what to study and find your own content too.

Admin Apdx C (FAQs) → What if I don’t carry around a laptop? : OPTIONAL

What if I don’t carry around a laptop? : OPTIONAL

If you do not have a laptop or prefer not to bring the laptop, it is up to you to show your work to the tutor in some way (e.g. by connecting to your home PC remotely), without requiring extra time/effort from the tutor or team members.

Reason: As you enjoy the benefits of not bring the laptop; you (not others) should bear the cost too.