DD2451, Parallel and Distributed Computing, Pardis, 2011
Homework and Grading
As always the Nada Code of Honour applies to this course. Make sure you read it carefully. This document specifies only the rules applicable to this course.
Homework and Hand-ins
At each lecture a sets of homework problems is given, on the exercises page. These exercises are not graded. We will use the exercises as basis for discussion at the end of each lecture, so doing them makes a lot of sense. For grading, three hand-ins - problem sets - will be given. For each set you should hand in a written solution. Latex is preferred. Deadlines apply, see below. You may be asked to present your solution to a hand-in to Mads.
Presentations
There will be opportunity for each student to present a research paper. This is obligatory for postgraduate students. For undergraduate students this is highly recommended as it will influence your final grade (upwards). The topic of the presentation is chosen by the student and any paper on the topic of the course from a recent conference is acceptable. It may be worth doing a little reference tracking (and to note the citation counts though that is far from a 100% reliable metric) when choosing a paper. It may be more interesting to present a breakthrough paper which is 7 years old than to present a followup paper which is only 2 years old and maybe more technical and difficult to understand. Given that the course covers quite a wide range of topics, in both parallel and distributed computing and both theory and systems, quite a wide range of subjects is eligible, and a wide range of conferences exists that publishes material relevant to the course. Here is a list of candidate conferences that tend to publish papers of good quality: NDSS PODC PPoPP OPODIS PACT SSS NAS HotP2PEuroPar ICDCS SPAA ASPLOS SOSP OSDI STOC FOCS, but other venues may be of interest as well. If you are in doubt of a papers suitability for presentation, consult Mads. Let Mads know at the latest on Friday 11 Nov of your choice of paper to present.
Collaboration
Each student must write down and hand in solutions to the hand-in problems in his/her own words. Copying, even in part, will be regarded as a violation of the Nada Code of Honor. It is permissible to discuss the hand-in problems at most one colleague, but the hand-ins must then specify with whom the problems were discussed.
Deadlines
Hand-ins have deadlines as specified on the exercises page. Some solutions may handed in on time. At most one set of solutions may be handed in late. Solutions handed in after the hand-in has been presented to Mads will not be graded. Late solutions are handed in to Mads' intray at the department, level 4, Lindstedtsvägen 3.
Requirements and Grading
The course returns LAB1, 2 hp, and ÖVN1, 4hp. Since I have decided to drop the labs, LAB1 will be void (i.e. LAB1 will be passed automatically along with the entire course). For undergraduates three factors contribute to the final grade:
- Solutions to the hand-in problem sets
- Presentations
- Presence at the presentation sessions
The final grade of the course is determined by a numerical value S determined by the formula S = H1 + H2 + H3 + P + M where
- Hi are the hand-in scores
- P is the score for the presentation
- M is a discretionary modifier.
The max hand-in score is 100 and the presentations is scored on the scale [30,100]. The modifier M may receive a negative value on Mads' discretion if the student fails to turn up at other students presentation sessions without due cause.
Thresholds for grades E, D, C, B, A are 150, 190, 230, 270, 310, respectively.
Postgraduate students receive a pass/fail grade.
Late Solutions
Late solution receive a multiplier 0.9^d where d is the number of working days the solution is late. Solutions handed in late but on the correct day will be regarded as 1 day late. Only those solutions that are handed in late are subject to the 0.9^d multiplier.
Homework and grading