CS 2073 Engineeering Programming
Grading Policy, Spring 2006

Factors Determining Grade (with tentative percentages)
1. At most 11 C Programs (all count): >= 40% (>= 3.6% each)
2. At most 3 Quizzes (no make-ups): <= 6%
3. Attendance: <= 3%
4. Two in-class hour exams (no make-ups): >= 30% (>= 15% each)
5. Final exam (comprehensive): >= 20%
Notes:
  1. Course Grade: I do not use a predetermined precentage of total points for each grade, but I determine the percentage at the end of the course based on my assessment of how hard the different parts of the course were. Generally, however, I draw the C/D line somewhere around 65-70% of total points, and the D/F line at 55-60%.

  2. C programs: Each homework program is described on a separate web page. All programs will be counted for credit. Programs turned in after the first due date will be subject to a late penalty (worth only 75% of on-time programs). Programs will not be worth anything after the second due date. Programs are not like homework in a math class, but they are an especially important part of the course, more like laboratories in an engineering class -- you must complete a majority of them to do well in the course, and a student with perfect exams and no programs will not get a good grade in the course. The programs will cover material that is not adequately tested elsewhere.

  3. Exam Seating:I may use assigned seating for exams, either alphabetic or reverse alphabetic order, or some other assigned order. We have enough room in class so that no one will need to sit next to someone else duing an exam. In general I don't give makeup exams, but just count the other course elements for greater credit.

  4. Final Exam: The final exam will be comprehensive, with greater emphasis on material after the mid-term exam.

  5. Grade Distributions: I do not provide information to students about the performance of other students. In particular, I do not give exam averages or distributions, since such information is irrelevant -- you are not competing with other students for a limited number of good grades, and a single course is too small a unit in which to expect a normal distribution of grades.

  6. Exam Grading: If you have questions about the grading of the hour exams, you should write your concerns on the exam itself, indicating each problem and the reasons for concern. Then I will regrade the entire exam. You are expected to list all concerns at one time, so that only one iteration is needed.

  7. What your grade will be: I do not answer questions of the form: "What grade do I need on the final to make X grade in the course?" There are too many variables for me to speculate in this way, and I can only recommend that you try hard, consistent with keeping good grades in other courses (and staying sane).

Revision date: 2005-08-28. (Please use ISO 8601, the International Standard Date and Time Notation.)