Grading Formula and assigned work for CS 173
Your final average is a weighted combination of your averages on exams, homeworks, discussion problems, and tutorial attendance. Specifically
Homeworks — 30% — if you do well on homeworks, you will do well in this course
Midterms (two) — 30% — if you complete homeworks successfully, you should excel on midterms
Final — 20% — if you excel on midterms you should excel on final, which is comprehensive
Quizzes, Attendance, Participation, Office Hours, and other activities — 20% — instructor's discretion
Standard +/- Scale: 90% or higher is the cutoff for an A- (similarly for B,C,D); 87% or higher is the cutoff for a B+ (and so on). 59% or less is an F.
You are responsible for keeping an eye on your eLearn gradebook and promptly reporting apparent errors. See the FAQ for how to report grading and/or entry problems.
If the scores you are receiving alarm you, seek help.
You are expected to prepare for each lecture by doing the posted readings. Basic material (e.g. basic definitions) is typically not covered in the lectures and is tested in the class Quiz.
Students are expected to participate actively. Active participation goes beyond mere attendance. Showing up to class is good and earns a B. To get an A in this category, students must be actively asking and answering questions, in-class, on eLearn, or during office hours.
Working in small groups of two or three is highly encouraged. Similar or identical code, or the use of tutors, are OK and not cheating. If you work in a small team, then offer credit appropriately to your teammates by writing in the margin, e.g., "Got help from Samantha." If you come across a solution online, you offer credit by writing, e.g., "Found online: http://blah.com." If the professor covered it in class or office hours, say so. You cannot get in trouble for acknowledging help. But the converse is true: you can get in serious trouble for failing to do so. A good helper should ask questions rather than give answers, they "teach you to fish, not feed you the fish."
Missed Work
There are several scenarios that could lead to you being absent from work or missing an exam. The guidelines presented on this page pertain to minor issues like short-term illnesses.
Major Problems
If you're facing major problems, it's crucial to contact your instructor ASAP to devise a suitable plan, which may require one or a series of in-person oral defense exams with your instructor during the final period.
Examples of major problems would be:
Extended illness
Serious injury
Serious family problems
We may ask you to provide documentation (e.g. a doctor's note). You should typically be working with SDRC, your advisor, and/or the Dean of Students office. The Dean of Students office can be especially useful in situations where you are unable to personally notify your instructors (e.g., you are in hospital). They can also offer confirmation of any issues you may be facing where you prefer not to disclose all the details to the class staff.
Missed/Late Homework
Homework can be turned in late on eLearn for a grade penalty: up to 2 days late (1 minute to 48 hours) you are capped at 80% credit, and after that are generally not accepted without obtaining prior permission from the instructor — and this is the important part — sufficiently in advance. How long in advance depends on the situation, but two or three days is generally desired.
In most situations, request of removing penalty after submitting late will not be granted: you have many days to work on the homework, so if you start it on the last day you are gambling that nothing bad will happen on that last day (e.g. "my computer broke at 10pm before it was due" is not a valid excuse).
Missed Lecture/Tutorial
Notice that we don't take attendance at the Week 1&2 lectures/tutorials. So you do not need to make those up, though it would be wise to work through the tutorial problems.
If you cannot go to the lecture/tutorial on a given week, you can make up the attendance credit by submitting the answers of the quiz after the class (passcode will be removed). This must be done within one week of the missed lecture / tutorial. You can make up the lecture or tutorial section this way up to 2 times each with no justification required.
Beyond that, you will not be able to get credit this way unless there is a major issue (eg. extended illness, serious injury, serious family problems) - in which case you should reach out to the instructor and follow the protocols in the major problems section.
Missed Exam
If you miss an exam, you will not receive any credit unless there is a significant reason for your absence, such as an extended illness, a serious injury, or a severe family problem. In such cases, please follow the guidelines outlined in the major problems section.