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. Cut-offs
for final letter grades D, C, B, A are, respectively, 35, 55, 70, and 85. Actual grades may be higher;
these cut-offs provide lower bounds.
| component | % of grade |
| class participation & exercises | 10 |
| 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 participating in the specified online components of the class.
Quality is more important than quantity. Disruptive activity contributes negatively. See policies
below.
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Classroom exercises:
- Our work in the classroom will include a few short individual and/or group exercises,
meant to solidify understanding of the concepts being discussed. The exercises will be graded primarily for
effort, group work, and other contributions, and less so for simple correctness.
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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. Some homeworks may include parts to be completed online
using Brightspace or similar systems.
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Exams and quizzes:
- All exams and quizzes 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.