Laboratory Tasks

• A labtask, to be completed in the lab. The percentage value of each labtask is indicated with the task. The Labtasks are worth 20% towards your grade.
• zyBook Participation Exercises, normally due at 8am on Tuesday, i.e., before the Tuesday lecture. The Participation Exercises are worth 5% towards your grade.
• zyBook Challenge Exercises, normally due at 8pm on Friday after the Thursday lecture. The Challenge Exercises are worth 10% towards your grade.

The labtasks are due by the end of your lab session in the week indicated. When you (think you) have completed a labtask, tell one of the TAs and it will be assessed. (That includes you being able to explain your code to the TA - we want to be sure that you have done the work and understand the work!) If your work is not perfect you will receive feedback so you can improve it and resubmit (by the end of the lab session). If you do not show your labtask work to a TA then your labtask will not be assessed. You may not submit by email, or any other way - you must physically attend the lab and see a TA. If you have a documented reason for not attending lab, we'll make a Zoom plan - it requires my permission - TAs cannot approve that.

Students are encouraged to work on the labtasks in advance - often there will not be enough time in the lab session to get the task completed as required. If you do the labtask in advance:

• Labtask work can be shown for points only after the lab presentation is complete (typically after about 30 mins). That avoids disrupting the presentation.
• If your labtask work is perfect (including you being able to explain your code to the TA) you will receive the points. You can then leave if you want to, but you are encouraged to stay and repeat the task according to the presentation steps.

When doing labtasks you may not use any programing techniques or constructs other than what has been taught in the course up to that point. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know you might know more, or have found answers from other sources that use more advanced techniques. You have to learn to use basic constructs correctly, because that will make you a better programmer in the long term. You are welcome to use AI-tools to help you program, but beware, the programs generated by AI-tools often do not meet the requirements of CSC120, e.g., they might use programing techniques or constructs other than what has been taught in the course up to that point. Your work must also demonstrate the required Programming Style, and AI-generated code often is nasty nasty nasty.

Answers will be posted in some cases.