2 COVID Syllabus Addendum

This page includes changes to the syllabus specifically to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

2.1 Goal

My primary goal this semester is to teach you all some cool, hard stuff about compilation and software engineering, while prioritizing a safe, healthy, and relatively low-stress learning environment. I will prioritize health at the expense of some learning objectives and evaluation if necessary. I will try to make decisions early, without waiting on UBC policy, to reduce the anxiety of uncertainty. I may make changes in the interest of health above and beyond what UBC requires.

You should feel free to contact me if you have concerns about COVID and course policy.

2.2 Changes to Lecture Delivery

Lectures will probably be delivered in person, unless UBC policies changes. Regardless, I will record (but not stream) lectures. Recording will be made available to all students, with the following caveat: research into learning suggests students who rely on recorded lectures, instead of attending lecture, tend to do worse.

IF YOU ARE SICK, DO NOT COME TO CLASS. Doesn’t matter if it’s COVID or not.

All lectures will be recorded; this is meant to enable students who are ill or exposed to COVID to isolate. If you must miss lecture, please watch the recorded lecture ASAP and come to office hours with any follow up questions. However, you are strongly advised to attend lectures synchronously when it is safe for you to do so. Students who rely entirely on recorded lectures tend to do worse than students who attend synchronously, as they are unable to ask clarifying questions and may fall behind and be unable catch up.

I will post all lecture materials, including code and slides, after each lecture. I may also post additional lecture notes. However, the online book already contains most of what we will cover in the course.

Masks should be worn (including over your nose) during lecture, and I strongly recommend all students upgrade to respirator-type fitted masks. N95s are orders of magntitude (~1000x) more effective than cloth masks at filtration, and can be safely reused for approximately 200 days if not structurally damaged or wet, according to the N95 rating. You can find details here: https://www.acgih.org/covid-19-fact-sheet-worker-resp/. They are composed of both fibers and fiber glass that has been electrically charged to attract and trap tiny particles. They should not be washed or exposed to high heat, as this can destroy the charge, but they should be allowed to dry between uses; I setup a rotation of 7 that I reuse weekly, until they wear out. They’re pretty easy to find online, e.g., https://unitedcanadainc.com/product/3m-aura-disposable-particulate-respirator-9205-n95/ or https://shop.vitacore.ca/. I have a few I can hand out. You should look up how to put on and fit test such a mask, e.g., https://youtu.be/RcI7vbTzPlk?t=624.

2.3 Changes to Office Hours

Office hours are expected to be in person, but may move online at the discretion of the TAs and instructors.

Students are expected to wear masks (see above) while attending office hours, and occupancy may be limited.

2.4 Changes to Evaluation

The project deadline is not until the end of the semester, so there are no extensions. Plan ahead, and expect to get sick at some point during the semester.

The final exam will not be in person and includes a week to complete what ought to take no more than a day to complete, so there should be no disruptions due to any COVID policy changes. There are no extensions for the final exam.

2.5 Accommodations and Accessibility

If you require, or think you might require, any accomodations, you should reach out to the Centre for Accessibility immediately. I am unable to handle accomodation requests on my own, and may need documentation and support from the Centre, which may take time. Without documentation from the Centre, you are expected to follow all course policy including rules in this syllabus without exception.