Grading Scheme
Likely to change based on class discussions during the first week of classes.
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Grade components:
- Students are expected to complete and submit all assigned coursework in good
faith; those who fail to do so will earn a failing grade, regardless of overall numerical
score.
component | % of grade |
class participation | 5 |
newsgroup activities | 5 |
homeworks | 20 |
two quizzes | 20 |
two midterm exams | 30 |
final exam | 20 |
|
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Class participation:
- Students are expected to contribute to learning by asking questions and making relevant
comments in class and on the class newsgroup. Quality is more important than quantity. Disruptive activity
contributes negatively. See policies below.
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Newsgroup activities
- Discussions on the class newsgroup are an important mode of learning. To encourage
everyone to participate actively in these discussions, there is a portion of the grade assigned to how well, and
how often, students participate on the newsgroup.
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Homeworks:
- Homeworks include programming and non-programming ones, often mixed. No collaboration is
permitted. Everyone is encouraged to discuss the problems and solution strategies at a high level, but the final
solution and details must be individual work. If the boundary between permissible and non-permissible
interactions is unclear, please ask for clarifications.
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Exams:
- All exams are open book, open notes. You are free to bring with you any resources that you find useful.
However, no communications are permitted other than between students and me. The use of computers
during exams is strongly discouraged, but brief use may be permitted provided it does not cause a
disturbance, at the discretion of the proctor. You may use the Internet, but only as a library to look up
material you may find useful. Ask for clarifications in case of any doubt. The exams are designed
to require no equipment other than a pen and paper, along with the textbook and assigned
readings.
The midterm exams will be held during a regular class meetings, and will be roughly an hour long. The final
exam follows the usual university schedule, and is thus held outside of regular class meeting times, and often
at a different location.