Course
Description For a very long time, the Things in our world have lived relatively lonely and single-purposed lives. With the advent of the Internet of Things, we can address, control, and interconnect these formerly isolated devices to create new and interesting applications. In this course we study Bluetooth Low Energy use Wi-Fi, one of the fundamental networking technologies behind Internet-of-Things devices, and Appcessories, which include smart watches, health monitors, toys, and appliances. In addition to learning about the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol and network stack IoT stacks, students gain hands-on experience developing multi-platform solutions that control and communicate with Things using an accompanying app on a mobile device. Students apply their knowledge and skill to develop a project of their choosing using topics from the course.
Prereq CSE132 (Arduino Version)
Text None: On-line reading / tutorials.
Materials Students may work together in teams of two on assignments. Each team is required to have:
  • Photon Maker Kit: $89+shipping.
    Available at: Amazon, Particle, and AdaFruit.
    Required by class Sept. 23rd
  • An extra Photon with breadboard and USB cable: $29+shipping.
    Available at: Particle and AdaFruit. Amazon sometimes has the kit, but if they are out you could by: 1) a Photon, 2) a Breadboard, and 3) A micro-USB cable (You may already have a breadboard from 132 and micro-USB cables are used for many devices, including Android phones. They are also availabl at many stores.)
    Required by class Sept. 23rd
Mini-studios may require some additional hardware (expected to be less than $20)
Final projects may also require some additional parts depending on the nature and scope of the project. The instructor and TAs will try to work with students to find low cost solutions.
Correspondence Piazza will be used for all class announcements. You are expected to be subscribed to the Piazza forum and check it regularly.
Please also use Piazza for all routine correspondence (questions about assignments, class logistics, etc.):
  • General questions regarding assignments or material are probably of interest to other students and should not be posted as private questions.
  • Questions regarding grading should be directed to "Instructors", which is also visible to TAs.
  • Questions of a sensitive nature should be directed only to the instructor (Bill Siever) alone.
Piazza should be used as a community forum. Please be an active participant and support your classmates. TAs and the instructor will monitor Piazza, but will typically delay responding to allow students to respond. Although I will monitor Piazza, I will usually only answer questions once a day. It is important to post any questions about assignments early to ensure you get a reply. This also gives both you and classmates an opportunity to get bonus credit for your Piazza participation.
Graded Components
Type % of Grade
Assignments 34%
Quizzes 30% (up to 60%, see below!)
Project 20%
Studios 15%
Course Evaluations 1%
Letter Grades Final grade assignments will not be higher than:
Letter Final Grade
A 93-100
A- 90-92
B+ 88-90
B 83-87
B- 80-82
C 70-79
D 60-69
F <60
An A+ may be given for exemplary work that goes far beyond the course requirements.
Late Work

Start assignments right away so you have time to complete them and submit them by the due date. If you wait until the last minute and get stuck, you may have trouble getting help. By finishing assignments on time, you will also be ready to start each new assignment as soon as it is assigned.

The deadline for any assignment may be extended at the discretion of the instructor. There may be brief outages of services used for assignments. Brief outages are to be expected and will not normally result in an extension.

Each student is issued fourteen (14) virtual late coupons for use during this semester:
  • Late coupons only apply to Assignments, not to any aspects of studios or the project.
  • Each coupon can be used to extend the time of an assignment or project component by exactly one calendar day. No penalty will be assessed for the late assignment, but the virtual coupon will be consumed.
  • You don't need to provide any notice that you are using a late coupon, but you do need to complete the demo/review of your work in the allowed time for the type of work.
  • No credit will be given for work if there aren't enough remaining late coupons.
  • When working in a group, each person must have the appropriate number of late coupons to get their credit.
  • Unused late coupons are worth 1/14th of 1% extra credit.
Assignments
Why Assignments are designed to provide practical experience with central topics of the course.
How many There expected to be 5-7 assignments. (6 is likely)
When/Submission/Demos

To be considered on-time, assignments must be submitted (via GitHub) and demoed by the end of the appropriate section on the due date. Most assignments can be demoed at TA office hours a day or two prior to the official due date.

There will be a demo sign-up list in the class on due dates. Demos will proceed in a first-come-first-serve order. You should assume that demos take at least 15 minutes and that additions to the demo list will not be honored in the final 20 minutes of class time. (That is, if you plan to do your demo during class time you need to be completely ready at the start of class and sign up as soon as possible.)
Who/Groups

Unless otherwise indicated, you may choose to work with another student on assignments.

Both students in the group are expected to understand the entirety of the work being submitted. When demoing group work the TA or instructor administering the demo will select one person to the "spokesperson", and the spokesperson must be able to competently demonstrate the work for full credit.
Late Work

Late coupons can be used to submit assignments late, but there are some limitations on how they may be used:

  • Assignments will not be accepted/demoed more than one school week after the original due date.
  • Late Assignment demos are always the lowest priority during class sessions. Class time will only be used for late demos if:
    1. You are completely done with the day's activity and did due diligence;
    2. There is sufficient time to complete the demo before the end of the session; and
    3. There are sufficient TAs/instructors to ensure that a demo will not interfere with the ability to support the normal day's activities.
    Consequently, you should assume that you need to demo your work during TA hours in the week after the official due date and prior to the second class period following the due date. Since assistance and demos are also done on a first-come-first-served basis during TA hours, you should try to attend TAs hours as soon as possible after submitting your work and arrive as early as possible.
  • The number of late coupons used will be based on when the work is demoed to a TA/Instructor.
  • Assignments that are not demoed until after the designated class session are considered at least one day late.
  • Submissions dated from after class time until 11:59pm the following day are considered the first late day. Additional late days are based on the difference between the calendar date of the demo and the first late day.

Here are two examples. Both assume that an assignment is due at the 2:30pm-4:00pm section of the class on Wednesday:

  • The assignment is demoed at 2:48pm. It's considered 1 day late because it wasn't demoed until after it was due.
  • The assignment is demoed Saturday at 1:20pm. It's considered 3 days late (Wed-end of Thursday is day 1, Friday is day 2, and Saturday is day 3).

Regrades Any concerns about grading should be formally presented within one week of completing the demo of the assignment. A written statement fully explaining the concern and justification for change being requested should be submitted via a private post on Piazza.
Quizzes
Why Frequent written quizzes (approximately 6) will be given rather than exams to help pace your progress through the course. The quizzes will focus on new content since the last quiz, but may still require understanding of content from earlier work.
How many There expected to be 5-7 assignments (6 is likely).
When Quizzes will be given in the last 40 minutes of class time on the designated days. The quiz is due at the end of the hour. There will be class activities prior to the quiz, followed by a 5-10 minute break, and then the quiz.
Makeup/Known Absences/etc. There will be no opportunities to make up quizzes or take them at other times. However, the lowest quiz score will be dropped. Each quiz accounts for 6% of the overall grade, so if extreme circumstances required missing two quizzes it may still be possible to obtain a high grade.
Regrades Any concerns about grading should be formally presented within one week of quizzes being returned to the class. A written statement fully explaining the concern and justification for change being requested should be submitted along with the quiz.
Impact on Overall Grade Most components of the class can be done in small groups and, consequently, quizzes are the only guaranteed measure of individual understanding. If the quiz average is less than 65% (i.e., if after any corrections or curves it's significantly below average), the relative weight of quizzes will be doubled and all other weights will be halved. For example, if the quiz average is 64, quizzes would count for 60% of the overall grade ( $2 \times $ 30%), Assignments would count for 17%, the Project for 10%, Studios for 7.5%, and Course Evaluations for 0.5%.
Project
Why The project is an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to apply a variety of course concepts.
How many There will be one project, but it will have few phases.
When/Submission/Demos

A few light weight brainstorming / proposal components of the project will be due early in the semester. This allows you to think about potential projects early on and may provide some context for other class content.

After mid-semester you will need to propose a full project and there will be a few required progress reports. The complete project will be due near the end of the semester (near Dec. 4th).

Projects will need to be demoed during the last week of classes to receive credit.

Who/Groups

You may choose to work with another student on the project.

Both students in the group are expected to understand the entirety of the work being submitted.
Late Work Each element of the project must be submitted on-time.
Regrades Any concerns about grading should be formally presented within one week of receiving a grade on the project. A written statement fully explaining the concern and justification for change being requested should be submitted via a private post on Piazza.
Studios
Why

Studios are designed to give you exposure to tools and topics that are critical to the course.

Many studios will require a group report to be submitted after the conclusion of the studio.
How many There will be approximately 12 studio sessions and a few "mini-studios". Mini-studios are a short exercise focused on a topic that may be of use on projects, but which isn't required for normal assignments. Mini-studios will be done on quiz days prior to the quiz.
When/Submission/Demos

Studios will have an attendance component. Attendance on the class day is mandatory for the credit.

Many studios will also require submission of a summary report of your findings within a few days of the studio session. It is expected that you complete any components of the studio marked mandatory and include them in this report, even if it requires working outside of the studio session. If it is necessary to complete studio work outside of class hours, the entire group should either meet in-person to complete the work.

Who/Groups

Most studios will require group work and interaction with peers. To receive full credit you must arrive on time; be an active, serious participant in the work; and be courteous to your fellow students. Uncivil or unprofessional behavior will not be tolerated.
Late Work/Missing Studio/Makeup There are two sections of the course and you are allowed to attend the other sections studio session if needed. There will be no other opportunities to make up studio class sessions or complete studios at other times. However, the lowest two studio scores will be dropped, so two studios can be missed without impacting grades. Each studio accounts for less than 1.25% of the overall grade, so if extreme circumstances required missing more than two it may still be possible to obtain a high grade.
Regrades Grades are purely based on participation, consequently there are no regrades possible.
Course Evaluation 1% of your overall grade is based on completing the end-of-semester course evaluation. Remember that the feedback is completely anonymous and not returned to the instructor until after final grades are posted, although an indicator of whether the evaluation was completed will be used to award credit for this component of the grade. Please seriously consider the questions on the evaluation and assist in improving the course.
Bonus Credit

Bonus credit may be available on Assignments. Bonus will only be given as an opportunity for the entire class, not on an individual basis.

Bonus credit may also be given based on Piazza participation. In particular there may be credit for:

  • Particularly significant questions,
  • Particularly good answers,
  • Sharing of content or concepts that may be of interest to others in the class, and
  • Overall participation (i.e., judicious use of "liking" answers, insightful followups, etc.)
Piazza participation bonus credit will be given or noted by an instructor/TA as a follow-up or response to posts, but any "Overall Participation" credit won't be awarded until the end of the semester.

Time Management

This is a 3 credit hour course. You should assume that you may need to work up to 9-10 hours outside of class time each week.

Many class components require programming, where a small logic problem can require significant time to find/fix. You should start assignments early and when you find yourself "stuck" for more than 15-20 minutes, you should take a break and, if you're still stuck after resuming work, consider seeking help via Piazza or Office hours.

Accommodations
Learning Support

If you need any special accommodations, please provide a visa as soon as possible via a private post to me (Bill Siever) on Piazza.

Washington University is committed to providing accommodations and/or services to students with documented disabilities. Students who are seeking support for a disability or a suspected disability should contact Disability Resources at (314) 935-4153. Disability Resources is responsible for approving all disability-related accommodations for WU students, and students are responsible for providing faculty members with formal documentation of their approved accommodations at least two weeks prior to using those accommodations. I will accept Disability Resources VISA forms by email and personal delivery. If you have already been approved for accommodations, I request that you provide me with a copy of your VISA within the first two weeks of the semester.
Victims of Sexual Assault

The University is committed to offering reasonable academic accommodations to students who are victims of sexual assault. Students are eligible for accommodation regardless of whether they seek criminal or disciplinary action. Depending on the specific nature of the allegation, such measures may include but are not limited to: implementation of a no-contact order, course/classroom assignment changes, and other academic support services and accommodations. If you need to request such accommodations, please direct your request to Kim Webb (kim_webb@wustl.edu), Director of the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Center. Ms. Webb is a confidential resource; however, requests for accommodations will be shared with the appropriate University administration and faculty. The University will maintain as confidential any accommodations or protective measures provided to an individual student so long as it does not impair the ability to provide such measures.

If a student comes to me to discuss or disclose an instance of sexual assault, sex discrimination, sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic violence or stalking, or if I otherwise observe or become aware of such an allegation, I will keep the information as private as I can, but as a faculty member of Washington University, I am required to immediately report it to my Department Chair or Dean or directly to Ms. Jessica Kennedy, the University’s Title IX Director. If you would like to speak with directly Ms. Kennedy directly, she can be reached at (314) 935-3118, jwkennedy@wustl.edu, or by visiting the Title IX office in Umrath Hall. Additionally, you can report incidents or complaints to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards or by contacting WUPD at (314) 935-5555 or your local law enforcement agency. See: Title IX

You can also speak confidentially and learn more about available resources at the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Center by calling (314) 935-8761 or visiting the 4th floor of Seigle Hall. See: RSVP Center
Academic Dishonesty

Work submitted should be developed purely by you and/or other members of your group on group assignments. Please keep in mind:

  • The overarching goal of the course is developing skills to be able to solve problems, NOT having the correct solution to a specific assignment. When getting/giving help always focus on the skills needed to solve the problem rather than the problem itself.
  • If you use any snippet of code from outside sources (like Stackoverflow), you should provide a citation. Significant omissions would be considered academic dishonesty.
  • Any form of sharing code or using shared code (at any time) is considered academic dishonesty. This includes posting work after the semester is over. Enabling others' academic dishonesty is considered academic dishonesty and every effort will be made to penalize all violations, even after the course is complete.
  • The easiest way to avoid problems when working with other students is to discuss logic and solution approaches in general terms without reference to your specific solution. It's also important to discuss all the alternative solutions, rather then the specific solution from one person/group.
  • Looking at another person's quiz or using prohibited resources/communication during a quiz is academic dishonesty.
  • Altering work to misrepresent what was graded or how it was graded is an extreme example of academic dishonesty. In such cases the instructor will request the penalty be suspension or expulsion.
  • Let your peers make the same mistakes you made — it's part of how we learn. But you are welcome to help them find, understand, and fix mistakes after they have made them.
  • Give credit to any people (other than TAs and the instructor) who helped you in any way.

There is zero tolerance of Academic Dishonesty. I will be actively searching for academic dishonesty on all coursework, especially assignments, projects, and quizzes. Any activities that are deemed to be likely incidents of academic dishonesty will be reported to Associate Dean for Student Services in the School of Engineering, who will handle review and penalties for Academic Dishonesty.

In all cases a violation will be penalized by:

  • An indicator on your transcripts, which would be visible to any employers or graduate schools that review transcripts.
  • a penalty that is substantially worse than just omitting the work.

If you suspect that you may be entering an ambiguous situation, it is your responsibility to clarify it before the professor or TAs detect it. If in doubt, please ask.
University Policies and Support
Bias Reporting

The University has a process through which students, faculty, staff and community members who have experienced or witnessed incidents of bias, prejudice or discrimination against a student can report their experiences to the University’s Bias Report and Support System (BRSS) team. See: brss.wustl.edu
Mental Health Mental Health Services’ professional staff members work with students to resolve personal and interpersonal difficulties, many of which can affect the academic experience. These include conflicts with or worry about friends or family, concerns about eating or drinking patterns, and feelings of anxiety and depression. See: shs.wustl.edu/MentalHealth