Policies
Grading, submission deadlines, late work, responsible project work, and university support.
The assignments page and schedule define the work required for the course. Your final score is the sum of project milestone points (80) and individual reflection points (20). Practice notes, discussion leadership, exercise reviews, and attendance carry no separate points; they support the learning and evidence assessed in your submissions.
Grading scale
Your point total out of 100 is your percentage. Apply the highest grade threshold your total reaches: for example, 93 points earns an A. These percentage cutoffs are the course’s grading scale.
| Letter grade | Points out of 100 |
|---|---|
| A+ | 97 or more |
| A | 93 or more |
| A− | 90 or more |
| B+ | 87 or more |
| B | 83 or more |
| B− | 80 or more |
| C+ | 77 or more |
| C | 73 or more |
| C− | 70 or more |
| D+ | 67 or more |
| D | 60 or more |
| D− | 50 or more |
| F | Below 50 |
All six project milestones and all three reflections count. A later milestone builds on earlier work and evaluates new evidence and revision; it does not replace an earlier milestone’s grade.
Submissions and deadlines
Submit graded work to the corresponding assignment in Canvas. Canvas records the submission time, grade, and feedback. Course instructions are on this website, and the assigned chapters are in Canvas.
The project is individual. For Milestones 1 through 5, submit one PDF report and your project folder at a fixed version, as described on the assignments page. For Milestone 6, upload your slides or the link you will present from. A link to a continually changing folder alone does not establish which version you submitted. Submit each reflection separately as a PDF or Markdown document.
For submissions dated on a class day, the deadline is 12:45 PM Eastern on the listed date. Milestone 5, the slides or link for Milestone 6, and the final reflection are due at the start of P539’s university-assigned final session during May 3–7. Use the final-session entry in Canvas and the Registrar’s final examination schedule for the assigned date and time.
Late work
You have 3 no-penalty late submissions, each covering 72 hours past the deadline, including weekends and holidays. No explanation or advance notice is needed for an eligible late submission. The Canvas timestamp determines whether it falls within the window.
The allowance applies to Milestones 1 through 4 and Reflections 1 and 2. Each assignment uses its own pass: submitting both Milestone 2 and Reflection 1 late uses two.
- If you submitted on time, we grade your last on-time version. A later replacement is not evaluated for that milestone and does not use a pass. Submit the version you want graded, not a placeholder.
- If you have no on-time submission and use a valid pass, we grade your last version submitted within the 72-hour window.
- If there is no eligible version, the assignment receives zero: this includes a first submission after 72 hours or a late submission after all 3 passes are used. Ordinary late work does not receive a further negotiated extension.
Continue revising the project for later milestones; the version rule applies to the grade for the submission already due. Each stage builds on the one before, so a late milestone also shortens the time you have for the next.
Late passes do not move exercise reviews, the final presentation, or the deadlines for Milestone 5 and the final reflection. Approved accommodations and the final-assessment arrangements below apply separately.
Final assessments and missed presentations
Present your project in P539’s university-assigned final session. Submit Milestone 5 and your final reflection by the start of that session.
A documented conflict, an illness, a university-recognized exam-schedule conflict, an approved AES accommodation, or a religious observance has a make-up path for the final assessments. Contact Ji Ma before the session whenever possible, or as soon as possible after an unexpected disruption. The instructor arranges the alternative presentation or submission deadline. Without an approved arrangement, missing a final assessment earns zero for that assessment.
Participate and communicate
The outside-class workload cap is six clock hours per student per teaching week, including all required reading, exercises, troubleshooting, writing, and submissions. It also applies to finals preparation. If necessary work will exceed it, save the attempt and contact the instructor to prioritize tasks, reduce scope, or arrange support. Late passes change eligible submission deadlines; they do not increase the workload cap. Time spent is not graded, and optional exercises do not change the grading expectations.
Come prepared for discussions and exercise reviews. A review depends on two people, so tell your reviewer and the instructor if you will be absent. If you miss a review, arrange an exchange with a classmate before the milestone is due and record how you used it.
If an access problem, absence, or difficulty affects your progress, contact Ji Ma early. Office hours are by appointment.
Academic integrity
Follow the IU Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct and the O’Neill Student Honor Code. Cite sources, distinguish your work from others’ contributions, and represent data and results accurately. Reviewing a classmate’s project is part of the course; submitting their work as yours is not. The course AI guidance explains permitted assistance and what to record and disclose.
Data and public sharing
The default data source, OpenAlex, is open. If you have approval to use another source, agree on access and confidentiality with the instructor before you collect anything, and keep restricted material in an approved location. A reproducible submission can provide access instructions, a synthetic example, or a redacted version when the source data cannot be shared.
Records about published work still describe identifiable people. Use them for the purposes your project states, and follow Chapter 11’s guidance when you report on individuals. Ask the instructor before beginning any new data collection involving people so the appropriate university review can be determined.
Whether you make your project public after the course is your decision. Before you do, remove credentials and anything you do not have permission to share.
Accessibility and support
Contact Accessible Educational Services for accommodations and discuss approved arrangements with the instructor. Approved accommodations apply independently of the ordinary late-work allowance. Tell us when course materials or a required tool create an access barrier.
University resources include Student Care and Resource Center and Counseling and Psychological Services.
Religious accommodations follow IU’s religious observances policy. Let the instructor know about anticipated conflicts early.
Calendar and changes
The official Registrar calendar governs semester dates and university deadlines. Class does not meet on January 18 or during March 14–21. The last regular P539 meeting is April 28; final presentations take place in the May 3–7 finals period.
Changes to course activities or deadlines are communicated in class and on Canvas and reflected on this site. Record a change to your own project’s scope or data in memory/DECISIONS.md, and tell the instructor when it affects a milestone.