The purpose of this page is to answer some frequently-asked questions about the course. We expect to keep adding to this page over the course of the semester.

Q: What can I expect in the course?
A: Browse this website to get an idea. The course will be based upon readings of research papers. Expect to read two (sometimes three) technically-heavy research papers each week. If you're new to reading papers, expect each paper to take about four hours worth of your time to read. You will either do a project and take three exams, or can skip the project and take four exams. All in all, the course will be intense and heavy, but rewarding if you put in the effort.

Q: Will you let me "audit" the course?
A: Be my guest. But be warned that you only get as much from the course as you're willing to put into it. My experience is that if you simply plan to sit in the class to "soak in" the material, without reading the assigned papers for each week, you'll stop following the lectures in a couple of weeks. You're welcome to sit in until that happens, but after that you're just wasting your own time. We will not grade any papers for anybody auditing the course and do not intend to let anyone enroll for the course with "Pass/Fail" grade. The only permissible grades for the course will be from "A+" to "F". If you wish to obtain a letter grade for the course, register to take the course for credit.

Q: I need more hands-on programming exercises. Why doesn't the course offer this?
A: It does! You're required to do a project with a significant implementation component. It doesn't get more hands-on than that.

Q: Is there a lot of programming in the course?
A: This is a systems course in a computer science department. The objective is to teach you the art and science of system building. That's best done by getting your hands dirty. So yes, there will be programming. Lots of it. If you don't like programming, then there are plenty of other courses in CSA that you can consider taking to fulfill your course requirements.

Q: I'd like to work in a team of two for my project. How do I find a team member?
A: You are to work alone for the project.

Q: How do I prepare for the exams?
A: Read the papers thoroughly. Form reading groups with your friends to discuss key ideas and methods in the paper. Expect the exams to test you on your understanding of the concepts covered in weekly readings. Superficially reading the papers will not help you get through the exam.

Q: I have never read a reasearch paper before. How should I proceed?
A: First read How to read a paper, for useful tips on how to read papers. You should try to read each paper at least two times. Once before coming to class, and once after the class discussion. During each reading, try to distill each paper as follows:

• Problem description: What problem does the paper address? Why is the problem important?
• Solution description: What is the solution proposed by the paper? Does it solve the problem in its entirety? If not, what are the assumptions under which the solution works? Are these assumptions reasonable? What aspects of the solution were evaluated in the paper? What aspects were not evaluated? Why not?
• Pros and cons -- your opinion: What did you like about the paper? (i.e., What is the "Aha!" point in the paper?) Did you learn any new tricks from this paper that you can add to your toolbox? What did you dislike about the paper? Did the authors hype their solution?
• Extensions: What is the next logical step? Did you get any project ideas from this paper? What about longer-term/more ambitious extensions?

Q: I could not take an exam/quiz. What documentation do I have to provide?
A: All students are expected to take all exams and quizzes. The only exception is in extreme circumstances such as health issues, internet issues or power issues. If you do miss the exam, we will expect to see some reasonable documentation of why that was the case. Since the exam dates for the course are announced well in advance, we expect you to schedule any other important events around them. If you cannot justify your absence for the exams, you will get a 0 on the exam.

Q: I could not take an exam. When can I take the compensation exam?
A: If you miss the final exam, we will hold an oral "job-interview-style" exam for the material covered in that exam at a mutually-agreed-upon hour (in my office). For other exams, we will make an alternative mutually-agreed-upon arrangement. Compensatory quizzes will not be provided unless suitable documentation is provided (see above).

Q: What is your attendance policy? Do I have to attend every lecture?
A: We expect all students to attend all the lectures. Class participation and discussion enriches the course, and we expect everyone to participate. It is our experience that students who regularly attend lectures and keep up with the required reading fare better in the course than students who do not. During the lectures, I often like to cover additional material on the blackboard. You will not find this material in any of the posted readings, textbooks, or the slides. Students will be responsible for this material as well in their exams. Quizzes will be held in class unannounced, and account for your grade in the course. If you miss a class or are late for class and therefore miss a quiz then no compensatory quizzes will be provided (except for health reasons and with suitable documentation from IISc Medical Centre).

Q: I think I deserve a better grade. Can you bump up my grade? (Or: I need a grade of at least XYZ to maintain my GPA. Please give me grade XYZ).
A: No. Grades will be assigned strictly based upon your score in the course as described here.

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