Collaborative work with other students is often a helpful way in which to learn material. However, each student is also individually accountable for the work that he or she hands in. This document clarifies the policy that I uphold in my courses on what is legitimate collaboration and what is not.
Unless otherwise indicated, all work submitted is done on an individual basis. This includes but is not limited to all exams, programs, homeworks, and writing assignments. The final criteria is that all work that is handed in bearing a student's name should reflect the knowledge and skills of that student. Exceptions for the reuse of code are detailed in the Plagiarism policy; in addition, brief use of quotations and the scholarly work of others may be made under the rules of full disclore and citation as stated in the just mentioned policy on plagiarism. If you are handing in work based on input from others that you do not fully understand, then you are violating my policy on collaboration.
I permit full collaboration on how to use software and hardware. Collaboration on the topics occurring in the course in general, and in specific classes in particular are permitted. And collaboration in order to clarify what an assignment requires are fully permitted.
As for the completion of an assignment, I permit only the following collaboration: any collaboration that involves only speech but does not involve the use of email, written notes, displays, graphs, drawings, programs or any other external aids is permitted; all other collaborations are a violation of this policy, and if committed, can result in my invoking the mechanisms of the UW Student Conduct Code for disciplinary action.
For those assignments that are group assignments, the collaboration is limited only to members within each student's group. Collaborating with students outside of the group is bound by the requirements as mentioned above for individual assignments. Full collaboration is permitted, and in general necessary, for group assignments. However, full disclores on which students performed which tasks is also required.
If you have any questions about your activities, then either consult with me, or don't do the act in question.