Course Goals

This course introduces relational database management systems as a class of software systems and prepares students to be sophisticated users of database management systems...

Lectures	will focus on developing a conceptual understanding of database design & usage, as well as DBMS implementation.
Homework	will apply conceptual knowledge via problems and code implementation.
Project	will build up to a complete a database application from start to finish, including design & creation/optimization within a DBMS, as well as a programmatic user-interface.

Evaluation

The final grade for this course will be weighted as follows...

• Homework: 35%
• Exams: 40%
• Project: 25%
• Participation (bonus): 5%
  Including...
  • Collaborative contributions during each class session.
  • Asking & answering great questions via the class forum.
  • Early reports of major assignment "bugs."

 

Final grades will be assigned based on the following scale...

At the time of final-grade determination, numeric grades are rounded naturally (e.g. 94.4 is a 94, but 94.5 is a 95).

 

Homework

Written work (e.g. problems, diagrams, reports) is to be professionally typeset and submitted as a PDF. Code is expected to be professional and properly documented.

Exams

There will be two exams during the semester:

1. February 6
2. March 20

More details and opportunities for practice will come closer to each exam, but they will be taken on-paper during lecture.

Project

The goal of the project is to gain hands-on experience with developing a full database application from the ground up. Details on the project will be provided during the semester. Group projects will be subject to a peer evaluation process to hopefully achieve contribution equity.

Policies

Attendance and Tardiness

Classes will be held on-campus in Miami each week -- any deviation in the delivery of the lecture will be announced through Canvas.

Attendance and active engagement during lecture is highly recommended: missing a class not only causes you to miss the information disseminated in that lecture, but can cause you to miss important information with respect to exams and assignments. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to catch up on the material you missed including obtaining notes from a classmate and reviewing posted materials. Class starts promptly and students are expected to be in class at that time. If you have circumstances that can prevent you from being in class on time, please email the instructor in-advance (if possible).

Make-up Policy

All assignments have a specific due date and time -- falling behind on work is never a good idea: the course presents new material every week, making catching up harder and harder. Each assignment, however, can be submitted up to 24 hours after the deadline with no penalty; submissions after this time will receive no course credit. Students who miss a scheduled exam or presentation will not be able to make up that assessment.

If there is a legitimate reason why a student will not be able to complete an assignment on time or not be present for an in-class assessment, then they should contact the instructor beforehand. Under extreme circumstances, as decided on a case-by-case basis by the instructor, students may be allowed to make up assignments or exams without first informing the instructor.

Grading Re-Considerations

Sometimes mistakes can happen and so if you are confused or concerned about feedback, please directly email the instructor. You must submit any requests for grading re-consideration at most 7 days after the feedback was released.

Academic Conduct

While students are encouraged to discuss course materials, no plagiarism/copying is allowed. In particular:

• You may not copy anyone else's code or answer under any circumstances -- this includes online sources.
• You may not permit any other student to see any part of your program/assignment and likewise you may not permit yourself to see any part of another student's (the only exception is if you have been paired by the instruction staff).
• You may not post a public question that contains any part of your code/solution.

While the use of AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot) is becoming more common in academic and industry settings, responses they generate may be inaccurate, incomplete, poorly designed, difficult to read/maintain, and/or otherwise problemmatic. It is thus extremely important that you develop the conceptual knowledge and design skills to be an effective partner, both to other humans and potentially AI systems. As such, in this class you should not use these tools for assignments, but rather commit to the fun & challenging journey of discovery & learning. As with the use of any resource, it is important that you fully understand your work, such that you can explain it and productively work with others to improve it.

If you have a question about what is considered a violation of this policy, please ask! The university academic integrity policy discusses actions regarded as violations and consequences for students.

The instructor reserves the right to request you to verbally explain an answer or snippet of code that you have turned in and to modify your grade on the assignment based upon your response.

The first time you are found in violation of this policy on an assignment, you will receive a 0 for the associated work. A second violation, or a violation during an exam, will result in failing the course.

Classroom Environment

To create and preserve a classroom atmosphere that optimizes teaching and learning, all participants share a responsibility in creating a civil and non-disruptive forum for the discussion of ideas. Students are expected to conduct themselves at all times in a manner that does not disrupt teaching or learning. Your comments to others should be constructive and free from harassing statements. You are encouraged to disagree with other students and the instructor, but such disagreements need to respectful and be based upon facts and documentation (rather than prejudices and personalities). The instructor reserves the right to interrupt conversations that deviate from these expectations. Repeated unprofessional or disrespectful conduct may result in a lower grade or more severe consequences. Part of the learning process in this course is respectful engagement of ideas with others.

Title IX

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects individuals from sex or gender-based discrimination, including discrimination based on gender-identity, in educational programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance.

Northeastern’s Title IX Policy prohibits Prohibited Offenses, which are defined as sexual harassment, sexual assault, relationship or domestic violence, and stalking. The Title IX Policy applies to the entire community, including male, female, transgender students, faculty and staff.

If you or someone you know has been a survivor of a Prohibited Offense, confidential support and guidance can be found through University Health and Counseling Services staff (https://www.northeastern.edu/uhcs/) and the Center for Spiritual Dialogue and Service clergy members (https://www.northeastern.edu/spirituallife/). By law, those employees are not required to report allegations of sex or gender-based discrimination to the University.

Alleged violations can be reported non-confidentially to the Title IX Coordinator within The Office for Gender Equity and Compliance at: titleix@northeastern.edu and/or through NUPD (Emergency 617.373.3333; Non-Emergency 617.373.2121). Reporting Prohibited Offenses to NUPD does NOT commit the victim/affected party to future legal action.

Faculty members are considered "responsible employees" at Northeastern University, meaning they are required to report all allegations of sex or gender-based discrimination to the Title IX Coordinator.

In case of an emergency, please call 911.

Please visit https://www.northeastern.edu/titleix for a complete list of reporting options and resources both on- and off-campus.

Students with Disabilities

Students who have disabilities who wish to receive academic services and/or accommodations should visit the Disability Resource Center at 20 Dodge Hall or call (617) 373-2675. If you have already done so, please provide your letter from the DRC to me early in the semester so that I can arrange those accommodations.

Schedule

Note: This schedule is subject to change and will be adjusted as needed throughout the semester.