Table of Contents

Communication

We’ll be using Piazza as our main source of communication for announcements, questions, discussions, etc. Course notes/slides will be posted on Canvas. Assignments should be uploaded to Gradescope.

Prerequisites

Reading Materials

Our primary textbook will be Distributed Systems (4th edition) by Maarten van Steen and Andrew S. Tanenbaum (available online). We will also supplement the readings with material from Designing Data Intensive Applications (2nd edition) by Martin Kleppmann and Chris Riccomini (available online through the CU Boulder Library), as well as material from academic publications.

Assignments

Assignments in this course will consist of:

Grading

Other Policies

Late Policy

A total of (3) late days may be used across all assignments (excluding those with a fixed time such as exams, final project reports, and project presentations). One late day extends the due date of an assignment by 24 hours. After late days are exhausted, a late assignment will be penalized by 25% if submitted within 24 hours of the due date and 50% if submitted within 48 hours of the due date. Late days are automatically applied if an assignment is submitted late – it is your responsibility to track your used late days. Late days are individually applied for members in group assignments.

An assignment can be submitted a maximumum of 48 hours after the due date (regardless of if late days or penalties are applied). Any assignment submitted after 48 hours will not be accepted and will receive a score of 0. Assignments with fixed time slots (e.g., exams, final reports, and in-class assignments) may not be submitted late. Exceptions to the above policy will be made only for exceptional circumstances.

Collaboration Policy

Certain assignments (e.g., programming assignments and projects – as noted in the handouts) can be done in groups as a team effort. Homeworks and exams must be done individually and should be your own work.

Generative AI Policy

You should treat generative AI analogously to assistance from another person. In other words, you may only use generative AI tools to discuss high-level concepts related to assignments (e.g., conceptual explanations, brainstorming, etc.). You may not use generative AI tools to generate solutions to any graded assignments (e.g., solving a homework problem, completing programming assignments/projects). Students must disclose use of generative AI tools and the nature of assistance if used for an assignment. Failure to disclose such use constitutes an academic integrity violation.

Feedback

We welcome any feedback on how to improve the course! We’ll send periodic forms/polls over the course of the semester for students to provide anonymous feedback. Of course, students are encouraged to reach out to us with any concerns or issues throughout the course.

Honor Code

All students enrolled in a University of Colorado Boulder course are responsible for knowing and adhering to the Honor Code. Violations of the Honor Code may include but are not limited to: plagiarism (including use of paper writing services or technology [such as essay bots]), cheating, fabrication, lying, bribery, threat, unauthorized access to academic materials, clicker fraud, submitting the same or similar work in more than one course without permission from all course instructors involved, and aiding academic dishonesty. Understanding the course’s syllabus is a vital part in adhering to the Honor Code.

All incidents of academic misconduct will be reported to Student Conduct & Conflict Resolution: StudentConduct@colorado.edu. Students found responsible for violating the Honor Code will be assigned resolution outcomes from the Student Conduct & Conflict Resolution as well as be subject to academic sanctions from the faculty member. Visit Honor Code for more information on the academic integrity policy.

Accommodation for Disabilities, Temporary Medical Conditions, and Medical Isolation

If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit your accommodation letter from Disability Services to your faculty member in a timely manner so that your needs can be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities in the academic environment. Information on requesting accommodations is located on the Disability Services website. Contact Disability Services at 303-492-8671 or DSinfo@colorado.edu for further assistance. If you have a temporary medical condition, see Temporary Medical Conditions on the Disability Services website.

If you have a temporary illness, injury or required medical isolation for which you require adjustment, please email us to discuss.

Accommodation for Religious Obligations

Campus policy requires faculty to provide reasonable accommodations for students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. Please communicate the need for a religious accommodation in a timely manner. In this class, please email us to discuss accommodation options. See the campus policy regarding religious observances for full details.

Preferred Student Names and Pronouns

CU Boulder recognizes that students’ legal information doesn’t always align with how they identify. Students may update their preferred names and pronouns via the student portal; those preferred names and pronouns are listed on instructors’ class rosters. In the absence of such updates, the name that appears on the class roster is the student’s legal name.

Classroom Behavior

Students and faculty are responsible for maintaining an appropriate learning environment in all instructional settings, whether in person, remote, or online. Failure to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, marital status, political affiliation, or political philosophy.

For more information, see the classroom behavior policy, the Student Code of Conduct, and the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance.

CU Boulder is committed to fostering an inclusive and welcoming learning, working, and living environment. University policy prohibits protected-class discrimination and harassment, sexual misconduct (harassment, exploitation, and assault), intimate partner abuse (dating or domestic violence), stalking, and related retaliation by or against members of our community on- and off-campus. The Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC) addresses these concerns, and individuals who have been subjected to misconduct can contact OIEC at 303-492-2127 or email CUreport@colorado.edu. Information about university policies, reporting options, and OIEC support resources including confidential services can be found on the OIEC website.

Please know that faculty and graduate instructors are required to inform OIEC when they are made aware of incidents related to these concerns regardless of when or where something occurred. This is to ensure that individuals impacted receive outreach from OIEC about their options and support resources. To learn more about reporting and support for a variety of concerns, visit the Don’t Ignore It page.

Mental Health and Wellness

Your health and well-being are the highest priority. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if there are any circumstances which course staff can be of assistance. Please see below for other resources.

The University of Colorado Boulder is committed to the well-being of all students. If you are struggling with personal stressors, mental health or substance use concerns that are impacting academic or daily life, please contact Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS) located in C4C or call (303) 492-2277, 24/7.

Free and unlimited telehealth is also available through Academic Live Care. The Academic Live Care site also provides information about additional wellness services on campus that are available to students.