During each task, you will complete a Python template file which you will download from Moodle, e.g. tick1.py. Some of the code is filled in for you. In general, what you need to do is fill in the empty functions. Please do not edit any of the data files or util files as the pretester assumes you are using the versions supplied. You don't need to submit and of these files to the pretester, only the tick files. Do not submit any text files - this will cause compilation failure.
Ideally, you should aim to get each tick in the session when it is announced, although there are some tasks where you might need a little bit more time.
You are advised to wait until after the lecture to start the practical, because there is no guarantee that everything will be obvious from the material available online before the lecture. Even if your code passes the automated assessment, you may fail to satisfy the demonstrator and not get the tick.
At the same time, please do not leave it last minute to get your submissions checked by a demonstrator. We encourage students to do this as soon as they pass the automatic tester.
Make sure you saved your own copies of all submission files. If your solution re-uses your code from previous practicals, you will have to re-submit the appropriate files.
A certain proportion of students will be randomly sampled; these students need to get a tick from a demonstrator. Once your code has successfully passed the automatic tester on Moodle, you may write your name on the whiteboard to let the demonstrator know you are ready to get your tick. The whiteboard is a queue that the demonstrators work off. You can also ask to be ticked voluntarily. We try to give ticks to everybody who announces readiness for a tick, but we cannot guarantee it, particularly if you announce late in a ticking session. While waiting, you may start work on the next task if it's already announced. For some tasks there are open-ended, harder exercises to do (starred ticks) exist. You can do these if you like and have them checked from a demonstrator too (voluntary).
During a ticking session, you may be asked to run your code through the tester again and make changes. In case you decide to wait with ticking until later, you can achieve up to 3 ticks per ticking session. After you achieved a tick, please note name of demonstrator and time in your lab book.
You must pass the pretester for all 12 MLRD task (when existing). The following deadlines are our expectation when you should have completed the respective ticks. (Completion of a tick means submission to the automatic grader and being ticked off by a demonstrator.)
Your DoS has the ability to check your progress with respect to pretester status and ticks (by a method not available to you). The deadlines are softlines in that there are no other negative consequences -- we simply expect you to catch up as soon as you can.
In many of the tasks, there is information you are asked to find out. Please keep such information in a lab book, which can be either physical or digital. In your lab book, you should take notes of your results and anything you think it will be useful to refer back to. The demonstrator may ask for such information, even if you haven't been asked to formally submit it to the system.
Any important announcements about the practicals will be sent to this forum. Please make sure you monitor it. Posting is restricted to staff, everyone is subscribed.
You may post requests for help here (anonymously if you like). This may also be used for reporting infelicities in the practicals.
The mechanism for getting help from demonstrators are the timetabled lab sessions, and email and/or the Help Forum if you are self-isolating, sick or cannot attend for another reason. The Help forum is primarily intended to allow you to get help from fellow students between sessions. It will also be monitored by demonstrators, but we cannot guarantee immediate response on the Help Forum.
If you do help someone, short code snippets are fine, but please don't post complete solutions!
Demonstrators have been instructed not to respond to email about the course. If you have serious problems, your supervisor may be able to help. You may also contact one of the lecturers or talk to your DoS, of course.