Homework check-ins are a new component of CS221 that we are piloting this quarter.

A homework check-in is a 10-minute, 1-on-1 meeting with a CA over Zoom each week, where you will be asked questions about the homework and your solution. Check-ins are designed to assess your understanding of the homework assignment. Check-ins will also serve as a way to receive direct feedback to improve your learning and understanding of the material.

The pilot will be a randomized controlled trial (RCT), where we wish to evaluate whether check-ins are an effective learning tool (and you'll be helping with science!). During the first week of class, half of the class will be randomly assigned to do check-ins (and the other half not). For fairness, we will assign grades to each group separately (as if the other group didn't exist).

You must complete your check-in by the Friday of the week the assignment is due (assignments are due on Mondays at 11:59pm). For example: HW 1 is due Monday at 11:59pm, so your HW 1 check-in must happen between Tuesday and Friday of that week.

Sign up for HW Check-ins on Calendly here (opens on the first day of class).

What to expect: During your HW check-in, a CA will go through that week's homework with you: you will be asked to explain your solution to several randomly selected problems from the homework. The CA will then ask follow-up questions to assess your understanding of the homework. If there is additional time left at the end, you may ask the CA any questions you might have had on the homework or course material.

Check-ins are designed so that if you have completed the homework, sufficiently understand your solutions, and are able to explain them, you should be able to receive full credit.

Grading: If you are assigned to participate in HW check-ins, they will account for 10% of your HW grade for that particular homework. Check-ins are scored on a 0 (incomplete/missing), 1 (partially complete) or 2 (full credit) scale. If you are not assigned to complete HW check-ins, your HW grade will be based on your homework submissions alone.

Your grade for the check-in will be released along with your full HW grade. You will NOT receive your check-in grade at the check-in.

Late / Drop Policy: We will automatically drop the lowest check-in grade (out of the 7 homeworks) to provide some flexibility. You will not be allowed to use late days on HW check-ins.

Scheduling: You may sign up for one check-in slot per week, starting from the first day of class. You may sign up any amount of time in advance, and we encourage you to sign up early so we can guarantee you a slot that works for your schedule. Only students assigned to the check-in group may sign up (we will still hold office hours throughout the week for all students). You may reschedule your check-in slot up to 24 hours before the day of your check-in.

Please be on time. If you are late, you may be docked points on your check-in. If you do not show up to your slot, you will receive an automatic zero.

If you have any extenuating circumstances or any additional questions or concerns, please email the course staff at cs221-staff-aut2627@cs.stanford.edu. This is the first quarter we are running HW check-ins, so please bear with us as we work out the details. We really appreciate your participation and encourage you to share any feedback with the staff in our feedback surveys.