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This policy applies to e-mail and newsgroup use as it pertains to this
course. Please read the following guidelines carefully.
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Always use a descriptive subject for your e-mail, and always
include the course identifier (like "CSC181") in your subject.
Also, subjects like "A question" are NOT descriptive: at least
75% of e-mails I get are questions! At the very least, let me know
what the question is about (lecture material, assignment, test, etc.).
If your e-mail does not have a subject field, or if the subject field
does not contain the course identifier or is not precise enough, I
will look at it last.
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Always sign your e-mail with your real name. I will only answer
questions from students in my course, and the only way I can verify
this is to check the name you sign your e-mail with. Do NOT include
your student number in newsgroup postings, because other students
can read the newsgroup; you should keep your student number to yourself.
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Please do not send messages that include HTML
or MIME. Plain ASCII text is the standard for communication by
e-mail and newsgroup postings. Have a look here
to see why and to find out how to turn off HTML and MIME.
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Never post to the course newsgroup your
solution to an assignment, or even your idea of the solution to an
assignment, or even one small part of a program that is part of your
solution to an assignment, etc.
If you do this, it will be treated as a case of plagiarism with all
the consequences that this entails.
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Before asking a question by e-mail or in the newsgroup, please
check the course Web site carefully!
I try very hard to keep the Web site updated with the most recent
information regarding all aspects of the course (announcements, answers
to common questions, etc.) so the answer to your question may already
be there. Send or post your question only if you've already checked
all relevant sections of the Web site carefully without finding the
information you need.
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If your question is about your system at home, then neither I
nor the ECF system administrators can help you. If your question is
about ECF, then please check the system documentation (or e-mail the
system administrators) first!
I have no doubt told you where you can find general information on
ECF: Please use those resources. They contain more detailed and accurate
answers to more questions than I can provide you with. They also contain
e-mail addresses for people you can e-mail in case you are having
problems with ECF.
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I normally answer my e-mail or post replies in the newsgroup within
2 days (3 days over the weekend). If you've sent or posted a question
and have not received an answer by that time, it's almost certainly
because the answer can already be found on the course Web site, so
check it again! Also, please be patient when you send a question:
just because I don't answer right away does not mean that I am ignoring
you or that I forgot about you! It could be that I haven't checked
my e-mail (or the newsgroup) recently, or that I need to look up the
information before I answer, or any number of other reasons.
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I reserve the right NOT to answer any question on the day or night
before an assignment is due, especially if it's a basic question about
the assignment or the course material that the assignment is on!
In other words, we made an effort to give you the assignment early
so you have enough time to do it, so we expect you to at least make
the effort to read and understand the assignment (and the relevant
course material) before the due date.
As long as you respect these guidelines, I will be happy to answer any
questions you may have, about any aspect of the course. (I also welcome
any suggestions or criticisms you may have about the course.) Don't let
these guidelines discourage you from asking questions! They are only meant
to help you find the information you need quickly and accurately, and
to leave me enough time to answer everyone's questions.
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