Announcements (October 10th)

Rather than sending out multiple smaller announcements, we have bundled everything into this large announcement. Please read it carefully, as it contains many important pieces of information.


Midterm Exam

The midterm will take place on October 19th (for Sections 01 and 19) and October 20th (for Sections 07, 13, and 25) during your scheduled class time, and in your regular classroom. It will be an on-paper exam, and will be closed everything (no notes, books, laptops, etc.). Further details about the midterm will be covered in class on October 17th and 18th, along with an in-class review.


Reviews and Studying

There will be multiple opportunities to review. First, we will have an in-class review on October 17th and 18th. We will provide you with a large packet of review questions, and TAs will be available to help you during class. This review packet will only be available in class, so you must attend to receive one. We will not be providing a solution packet, but the TAs will be there to help you if you have questions.

There will be two review sessions outside of class, held by TAs who are volunteering their time. The first will be held on Monday, October 17th from 6:30 to 9 PM in ITE 241; the second will be held on Tuesday, October 18th from 7 to 9 PM in ITE 229. A reminder will be sent out via Blackboard that Sunday.

There are also additional materials available to you as study aides. The exercises done in the Guided Review Sessions are available on the course website under "GRS Materials," and cover topics like binary, algorithm design, and branching.
Those of you who have the e-textbook also have access to the Interactivities at the end of each section. These are a great way to check your understanding of a large number of topics. They will test your knowledge, and often provide hints when you get the answer wrong.

You have no homework due the week of the exam, and your lab that week is completed online. The TAs will be holding office hours during their regular discussion time, along with reviews Monday and Tuesday night. This means that you can focus on studying for the midterm exam, and using all the resources available to you to do so.


Midterm Scheduling

If you have a conflict that means you cannot take the exam, you must contact Dr. Gibson at k.gibson@umbc.edu (even if Dr. Gibson is not your instructor) as soon as possible to schedule a make-up exam. See the exams page for more details about make-up exams.


If you have accommodations from Student Disability Services that allow you to take the exam there, you must first schedule your exam with them. You may not schedule the exam to start before 1 PM on Wednesday, October 19th; you must have taken your makeup by the end of the day on Friday, October 21st.
Once you have scheduled your exam with SDS, you must email both your instructor and Dr. Gibson, letting us know what day and time your exam is scheduled to start. As a reminder, Student Disability Services closes at 4:30 PM, so plan accordingly.


Assignments

There is no homework due during the week of the midterm exam, to allow you to focus on studying. (Homework 5 is due the previous week on October 12th.) Homework 6 will come out the evening of October 20th, after the last exam is over, and will be due on Wednesday as scheduled.

Lab 7, which is scheduled for the week of the midterm, will be an online lab, and will be due by Thursday, October 20th, at 8:59:59 PM. Guided Review Sessions that week will be cancelled. During their scheduled discussion time, the TAs will be in ITE 240 holding office hours instead.


Office Hours and TA Availability

Professor Neary's office hours on Wednesday morning during the week of the midterm exam are cancelled, due to a conference. Please plan accordingly.

Instead of leading discussion, your TAs will be in ITE 240 during their regular discussion time, up until 6:20 PM. TAs who lead later discussions (7:10 and 8:10 PM) will be in the review session in ITE 229.

Starting at 5 PM on Thursday, October 21st, there will be no TAs available in ITE 240 — this includes the regular Friday office hours. The TAs will be grading your midterm exams. Normal TA office hours will resume on Monday, October 24th.


Other Questions

If you have any other questions, please email your TA.