CS 3723
Programming Languages  
Fall 2014
  Grading Policy  

Factors Determining Grade Tentative %  
1. Homeworks (13 or 14, none dropped):     >= 40%
2. In-class quizzes (>= 0 of them):     <=   5%
3. Mid-term exam (1, no make-ups):     >= 20%
4. Final exam (emphasis on second half):     >= 25%
4. Attendance (sign-in sheets):     <=   3%
Notes:
  1. Course Grade: I do not use a predetermined percentage 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 70% of total points.

  2. Homeworks: Each homework is described on a separate web page. All homeworks will be counted for credit. As described in the page on submission of homeworks (submission), homeworks after the first due time are worth only 75% maximum, and homeworks after the second due time are not counted. Homeworks are not like homework in a math class, but they are an especially important part of this course, more like laboratories in an engineering class -- you must complete a majority of the homeworks to get a reasonable grade in the course, and a student with perfect exams and no homeworks will fail the course. The homeworks cover material that is not adequately tested elsewhere.

    It is terrible strategy to fail to submit even a single homework. This is the one part of your grade you can control. Some students submit nothing, or submit without any understanding of the requirements.

    Always submit incomplete homework for partial credit.

    You can always ask me questions by email at:

      < nealδοτwagnerατgmailδοτcom >

  3. Get help and hints: There will probably be a teaching assistant available to help. The instructor will usually be available for help. You can also ask questions by email. Technical questions and answers will be posted.

  4. Exam Seating: I may use assigned seating for exams, either alphabetic or reverse alphabetic order, or some other assigned order. I may ask you to leave alternating columns of seats empty.

  5. Make-up Mid-term Exam: In general I don't give makeup exams, but just count the other course elements for greater credit. If you know before the exam that you won't be able to make it, let me know and we can often work something out. Active-duty military should contact me because I know that military demands can be inflexible.

  6. Final Exam: The final exam may have more emphasis on material after the mid-term exam.

  7. Attendance: Attendance at lectures is greatly encouraged. Attendance may be a (small) part of your grade. (Hey, you're paying quite a bit for this course; you should get your money's worth.)

  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 Grading: If you have questions about the grading of the mid-term exam, 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. After the course you can look at the final exam grading.

  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: 2014-07-25. Please use ISO 8601, the International Standard Date and Time Notation.)