CS 2213/2211
Advanced Programming
Grading Policy, Spring 2005

Factors Determining Grade (with tentative percentages)
1. Recitations (<= 14, none dropped >= 30% (2% each)
(2-3 are "projects" for more credit):
1. In class quizzes (<= 8, none dropped): <= 12% (1.5% each)
3. Two in-class exams (no make-ups): >= 30% (15% each)
4. Final exam (comprehensive): >= 25%
5. Attendance (< 15 recorded): <   3% (< 0.2% each)
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.

  2. Recitations: Each recitation is described on a separate web page. All recitations will be counted for credit. As described in the page on submission of recitations (submissions), recitations after the first due time are worth only 75% maximum, and recitations after the second due time are not counted. Recitations 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 the course, and a student with perfect exams and no recitations will likely get a poor grade in the course. The recitations cover material that is not adequately tested elsewhere. 2 or 3 of the recitations will be thought of as "projects" and will count for more credit than the others.

  3. Quizzes: There will be up to 8 quizzes, each on a Thursday, at the end or the beginning of the hour. None will be thrown out and there will be no makeups.

  4. Exams: There will be 2 exams, each also on a Thursday (with no quiz that week). I don't usually give makeups for an exam, but just weigh other parts of the course more heavily. I may use assigned seating for exams, either alphabetic or reverse alphabetic order, or some other assigned order. In general I don't give makeup exams, but just count the other course elements for greater credit.

  5. Final Exam: The final exam will be comprehensive, with greater emphasis on material after the second exam.

  6. Attendance: Attendance may be monitored in ways yet to be determined. This should involve at most 15 class periods that will count for attendance.

  7. Recitation Grade: The recitation instructor and I will consult with one another about grades. It is possible to get different grades for the lab and for the course, but this is rare. In no case will a grade >= C be assigned to one part, with a grade < C to the other part.

  8. 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.

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

  10. 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: 2005-01-05. (Please use ISO 8601, the International Standard Date and Time Notation.)
Copyright © 2011, Neal R. Wagner. Permission is granted to access, download, share, and distribute, as long as this notice remains.