• an understanding of the major classes of high-level programming languages, language features, and programming styles, with an emphasis on applying concepts from programming language theory;
• formal methods of specifying the syntax and semantics of programming languages;
• and the knowledge needed to write parsers, interpreters, and simple compilers for the major classes of programming languages.

To submit an MP, you must have an account on the EWS systems. Using an EWS machine, you will need to run the handin program. Before submitting an assignment, you MUST make sure that your MP compiles with the student grading script supplied with the assignment. If your MP fails to compile with the student grading script, your assignment will get NO CREDIT. There will be no partial credit for assignments that fail to compile.

Short version: Each MP will normally have an automatic 48-hour extension with a point penalty of 20% on that MP.

During the automatic extension, staff is not obliged to answer questions for that MP. You are on your own.

Extensions without a point penalty for the first 48 hours and any extension beyond the 48 hours will only be granted under extraordinary circumstances such as a medical or family emergency. A signed note from a responsible party will be required. If you do need such an extension for some legitimate reason, do your best to let us know as soon as possible, preferably before the normal MP deadline.

Short version: If something was misgraded, we'll regrade it up to a week past when the grade was provided to you.

Long version: Our goal as the course staff is to grade your work carefully and accurately. Unfortunately, occasionally staff may overlook something, misunderstand an otherwise correct answer, or record a score incorrectly. This is where the regrade procedure comes in.

In order to have your regrade considered you must provide the following:

• your netid;
• what assignment or exam question was graded incorrectly; and
• why you think your answer deserves more points than what the grader gave.

Good reasons to ask for a regrade:

• You used a notation that was unfamiliar to the grader but is standard (e.g., in a textbook for one of your other courses).
• The grader recorded a score incorrectly.
• The problem was ambiguous (or just plain wrong), causing you to interpret it differently than the grader.
• The grader marked the problem wrong incorrectly.

Bad reasons to ask for a regrade:

• Part of your answer "matched" the answer given in the solution. A partially correct answer is still wrong.

  "The difference between an almost right word and a right word is the difference between a lightning bug and lightning." — Mark Twain

• You wrote down two or more answers, only one of which was correct. Never put more than one answer for a question unless we tell you that such a thing is legitimate.
• You expended a lot of effort answering the problem. We are measuring mastery, not effort.
• You wrote something down.

Short version: Help each other learn, but do your own assignments in full. This will to help you maximally learn the course material.

Long version: You are allowed to collaborate on the machine problems (MPs) and the written homework of this course, in order to figure out how to solve the problem, resolve things you don't understand, and help each other track down errors or bugs. Nevertheless, you must each write and test your code separately and handin your own MP.

You don't have to tell us who you collaborated with. Whether you pass this course or not will depend on whether you pass the exams—and those are non-collaborative.

We allow you to collaborate for several reasons:

• all research done indicates that students learn more when they are allowed to work together;
• our own ability to respond to student questions is increased because your peers are able to give help.

Think of MPs and written assignments as being part of the practice for the exam. Many of the problems will be used as a basis for the exam problems themselves. In fact, when it comes time to study, we will likely advise you to redo your MPs and written assignments. If you get really stuck, and do end up needing someone else to write some small function on an MP for you, or use some code from any other source, by all means acknowledge it up front in your work. Doing so may cost you some credit, but you will not be considered to have cheated.

Short version: Cheating is pointless. You're taking this course to learn. We hope it won't be an issue.

Long version: We will be looking for cheating on both homeworks and exams. The penalty for being caught cheating a first time—either sharing your solution—or copying someone else's solution—is that you will receive a negative score for the unit cheated on equal to the value of the unit. A homework (MP or written assignment) is one unit. A numbered problem on a test, including all its parts, is a unit. The penalty if you are caught cheating a second time is a grade of F for the class. Moreover, both cheating episodes will be reported to the department. You should take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from cheating and report any suspected cheating.

• The Objective Caml system, release 3.08 Documentation and user's manual by Xavier Leroy (with Damien Doligez, Jacques Garrigue, Didier Remy and Jerome Vouillon), from the official INRIA website for OCAML.
• an online book about OCaml from CalTech.
• Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools, also known as "The Dragon Book"; by Aho, Sethi, and Ullman. Published by Addison-Wesley. ISBN: 0-201-10088-6.
• Essentials of Programming Languages, 2nd Edition; by Friedman, Wand, and Haynes. Published by MIT Press 2001. ISBN: 0-262-06217-8.
• Advanced Programming Language Design, by Raphael A. Finkel. Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 1996.
• Programming Language Pragmatics, by Michael L. Scott. Morgan Kaufman Publishers, 2000.
• Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming Peter Van Roy and Seif Haridi, MIT Press, 2004 ISBN 0-262-22069-5