Rules & Regulations
Participation
This module is a compulsory elective module in the bachelor's programme of computer science and various other subjects at Saarland University.
Good to Know
In the following, you will learn about
- the rules for passing this module and the rules determining your final grade,
- essential information on the structure and organization of the module, and
- various other useful information.
Tutorials and Concurrency Café
Continual support will be provided by our team of tutors. They will assist you in consolidating the relevant topics during tutorials and the Concurrency Café (see main page). In addition, there is the option to ask questions online in the forum. We offer tutorial sheets and exercises to allow you to deepen your skills.
Making use of these offers is entirely voluntary (but highly recommended). Tutorials and the Concurrency Café will take place as in-person events.
Blocks
The module consists of three blocks:
- The block 𝓣 covers the theoretical (𝓣) aspects of concurrency, and consists of lectures, colloquia and tutorials.
- The block 𝓐 covers the application side of concurrent programming, and consists of lectures, colloquia and tutorials.
- The block 𝓟 covers the practical aspects of concurrency in the form of a project.
The blocks 𝓣-𝓐 consist of eight units in total (𝓣 : A, B, C, and D; 𝓐 : E, F, G, and H), each unit containing approximately one week of lectures.
Structure of Blocks 𝓣-𝓐
Each part of the 𝓣-𝓐 block will be concluded by an in-person examination in the form of a written exam. The exams will take 60 min each. There will be re-examinations for each exam.
The midterm exam will cover block 𝓣 and take place on 20.05.2025 between 10:00 and 12:00. The main exam will cover block 𝓐 and take place on 04.08.2025 between 10:00 and 12:00. Registration in LSF is needed for the main exam. For the midterm, registration will be handled within CMS.
For each part, we offer an in-person re-examination. For the midterm exam, it will take place on 15.07.2025, and for the main exam in early fall 2025. There is a separate registration in LSF for the main re-exam.
We may allow you to bring summaries and/or cheat sheets to the exam. We will announce details in the lecture.
Colloquia
There will be a total of 8 colloquia spread over the teaching term.
For these colloquia, you will be assigned to a group of approximately 3-4 students. For every colloquium, you will receive an exercise sheet with explicitly-marked assignments and additional training exercises. In general, you are expected to prepare for the colloquium (in your group) by doing all assignments and bringing your solutions and notes to the colloquium. The assignments may come with additional rules, including, but not limited to, the requirement to work on them individually and to hand in the solution in writing prior to the colloquium. Those additional rules will be clearly stated as part of the respective assignment. In addition, you are expected to prepare for questions relating to the materials presented in the corresponding lectures, e.g., by working on the training exercises.
There are two necessary and together sufficient criteria for passing a colloquium:
- You need to demonstrate your individual, practical ability to reflect on the contents at hand, as spelled out in the preceding lectures, and through the specific assignments communicated to you beforehand.
- You need to fulfill the formal requirements stated on the individual assignments. Note that these may include the requirement to achieve a certain number of points on specific exercises to be submitted in writing.
Practical Programming Project
At the start of block 𝓟, you will be divided into teams for the purpose of exercising the implementation of a programming problem. For the actual programming, you will have about four weeks. The programming project can be graded with either „passed“ or „not passed“. For passing the project, your solution will need to satisfy a set of requirements spelled out in the project description. This includes passing a set of public, but also a set of secret tests, and, importantly, that it is free of concurrency bugs. If your solution has the quality to be graded with “passed”, you will have to defend and explain it in a face-to-face defense. Further details follow with the kick-off of the project.
Admission Criteria
There is no admission requirement for the midterm exam. To be admitted to the final exam and the programming project, you need to fulfill all of the following requirements:
- passing at least 7 of the 8 colloquia
- passing the midterm exam or the midterm re-exam
Passing the Module
To pass the module in the summer term 2025, you need to satisfy the admission requirements, and need to:
- pass the final exam or the final re-exam, and
- pass the programming project.
Bonus
You will receive a bonus (in the order of one step in the grade scheme) on your final grade if you submit an excellent project. Details will be announced with the publication of the project.
Furthermore, we may offer a few bonus assignments throughout the term. They each come with a deadline. Handing in solutions is entirely voluntary. Submissions must be prepared individually. Solutions will be marked with a point score. These points will be added to the examination results prior to computing the final grade, and as such serve as a bonus for the committed students.
Please note that in both cases, the bonus does not influence whether you pass the course, it can only serve to improve an already passing grade.
Final Grade
Your final grade will be determined based on the accumulated point results of the two passed exams plus potential bonus points.
Plagiarism will be punished by exclusion from the lecture and reporting to the examination board. We employ both automated and manual plagiarism checking.