Although on-line resources are provided, they are not an adequate substitute for attending class. The on-line notes are not complete and cover the material from previous years, not necessarily exactly what we're doing this year. If you try to learn the material on your own, you will waste a lot of time and miss out on the opportunity to ask questions as the material is discussed.
Of course, you may need to miss a class a couple of times during the semester, but it is to your benefit to keep the number of absences as low as possible. If unavoidable circumstances necessitate an extended absence, please make arrangements with the instructor as soon as possible, preferably in advance.
Attendance in lab sections is also important. Your graded quizzes
and labs will
be returned in lab sections, and you will have an opportunity to discuss
written comments with the TAs during lab. Also, most lab assignments
require a demonstration of your working program in the lab section
on the due date (or the next day if your lab section is on Wednesday).
You must attend your lab section in
order to give the required demonstration unless you have already done the
demo for a TA during consulting hours.