Grading
Grades are based on lab participation, quizzes, homework, and a final project. The course is not curved, and there’s no a priori distribution. See the syllabus for full point breakdowns. Final grades will be assigned according to the fixed chart.
Grade Components
- Lab participation and presentation (20 pts)
- three reflection entries (5 pts each)
- lab presentation (5 pts)
- Quiz (20 pts): better of the two
- Homework (20 pts)
- Close reading paper (10 pts)
- Workshop notebook (10 pts)
- Final Project (40 pts)
- Proposal (5 pts)
- Mid-term report (10 pts)
- Presentation (5 pts)
- Final report (20 pts)
Grade Conversion
This course is not curved. Letter grades are assigned according to the following fixed scale:
| Letter | Points | Letter | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 97–100 | C+ | 77–79 |
| A | 93–96 | C | 73–76 |
| A– | 90–92 | C– | 70–72 |
| B+ | 87–89 | D+ | 67–69 |
| B | 83–86 | D | 63–66 |
| B– | 80–82 | D– | 60–62 |
| S/P | 80–100 | F | 0–59 |
Academic Integrity
All students will follow the UC Berkeley code of conduct. Attribute all ideas and code if they are not your original work. Every submitted lab or essay for this class must be your own work. While discussion with others is encouraged, you must write all your essays or solutions on your own, and acknowledge or credit resources you have consulted. When in doubt, ask me. For more information, see UC Berkeley's academic integrity policies.
AI Assistants & Large Language Models
We will largely follow the NeurIPS 2025 Policy on the Use of Large Language Models: you can (and probably should) use AI assistants like ChatGPT to boost your productivity—for brainstorming, editing, or handling routine tasks (e.g., formatting tables, which has little to do with the substance of your work). But you must fully understand everything you submit; if you use an AI tool to help with writing or coding, it’s your responsibility to verify its output, correct mistakes, and, indeed, learn from the process. Again, all submitted work must be your own: if you can’t explain it, you shouldn’t turn it in.
Accessibility & Accommodation
It is important to me that this course be accessible to you. If you have been issued a letter of accommodation from the Disabled Students Program (DSP), please see me to work out the necessary arrangements. If you need an accommodation and have not yet seen a Disability Specialist at the DSP, please do so when you can.
Late Policy
All assignments will be due 5 pm on the due date, with a 2-hour grace period. All students will have 3 slip days, each extending the deadline by 24 hours. Otherwise, a 10% penalty applies for each late day. Please feel free to talk to me if you anticipate difficulties in meeting any of the deadlines for any reason, and we can work together to figure out a solution.
(last updated: May 1, 2025)