Assessment & Grading
Course grades will be based on assignments (programming homework), two midterms, and a final exam according to the proportions below. Each homework assignment will be assigned a point value; the overall homework assignment grade will be computed as your total points earned divided by the total achievable points.
- $70%$ - Eight Assignments (Programming Homework)
- $30%$ - Exams (Two Midterms and a Final)
In the Spring 2021 academic term, assessment will necessarily occur remotely.
Please refer to the course homepage, section on "Exams" for information about remote assessments. Note however, this is a dynamic situation and we may employ different approaches/tools/modalities for each assessment, as the need arises.
Letter grades for the course will be subject to the instructor’s evaluation of your overall class performance, generally based on this standard scale:
| Cutoff | Letter Grade | S/U Grading |
|---|---|---|
| $> 90$ | $A-$, $A$, $A+$ | Satisfactory |
| $> 80$ | $B-$, $B$, $B+$ | Satisfactory |
| $> 70$ | $C-$, $C$, $C+$ | Satisfactory |
| $> 60$ | $D$ | Unsatisfactory |
| $\leq 60$ | $F$ | Unsatisfactory |
The cutoff for assigning $-$/$+$ to each grade letter is further subject to the instructor's evaluation of your overall class performance. Do not expect a curve in this course.
You must get a passing grade (at least $70%$) on exams (midterms and final combined), and on assignments (combined), to pass the course. If you fail to meet this bar for either component, you will fail the course.
Note: The Homewood Academic Council has voted to make S/U grading the default grading for undergraduate courses at Homewood during Fall 2020, but to allow students to opt for letter grades for any number of courses they choose (providing that the course is not set at entirely S/U grading). This policy applies to the Spring 2021 semester as well.