CS 423UG Fall 2005 Grading Policy (or How to Play it Safe in CS423UG)

Play it Safe - 4 Golden Rules

If you follow these 4 simple rules during the CS423UG class, you'll make sure that you do well in the course:

Attend every lecture.

Read the course material (textbook sections assigned+slides).

Submit everything (MPs, HWs, quizzes, exams) on time - don't be late.

Don't cheat.

Go outside these rules, and the result is not guaranteed.

Grade Splits and Overview

Final Exam 30%
Mid-term Exam 15%
Homeworks and Surprise Quizzes 25%
Machine Problems: 30%

Surprise Quizzes (5%-10%)

There will be surprise quizzes, given at the start of a lecture, during any lecture. The total number of quizzes could be anywhere between 3 and 40.
NO LATE or MAKEUP SURPRISE QUIZZES, under any circumstances whatsoever.
Surprise quizzes are completely individual efforts.
Your best strategy is to play it safe -- attend every lecture.

Homeworks and Machine Problems (30%)

Homework must be handed in by the start of lecture on the specified due date. MP's must be handed in by the due date and time to TAs
HW solutions need to be typed up, with the exception that figures and tables may be drawn by hand. We will not accept hand-written solutions. You may use your favorite word processor -- Word, latex, or any other.
HWs are completely individual efforts. Although you are allowed to discuss HWs with your fellow students, you are expected to solve them yourself and type up the solution yourself. Unless otherwise mentioned, you cannot use any resources beyond the textbook, the slides, your notes and your previous CS textbooks. Use of any readily available solutions is prohibited.
- If two written solutions are the same or similar, both will be penalized (100% penalty for the entire HW), or given a failing course grade (discretion).
- ¨If a written solution is similar or same as an online or other solution resource, you will be penalized (100% penalty for the entire HW), or given a failing course grade (discretion).
- Any violation of the above policies will be penalized (100% penalty for the entire HW), or given a failing course grade (discretion).
MPs are efforts done in groups. Although you are allowed to discuss MPs with your fellow students (even outside your group), you are expected to solve them within your group and program the solution within your group. You cannot use any resources beyond the textbook and online Nachos resources. Use of any readily available solutions is prohibited
Late HW's and MP's (only):
- ¨6 hour extension: 10% penalty
- ¨12 hour extension: 25% penalty
- ¨24 hour extension: 50% penalty
- ¨24+ hour extension: 100% penalty
  This means that a delay of 24+ hours is equivalent to not submitting! No late quizzes or exams.
  
  For any HW or MP that is submitted late, please email ta423ug@cs.uiuc.edu a softcopy of your HW/MP, and in the case of HW's or MP reports, slip a printout copy of the late submitted HW under Indy's office door (3112), with your time of submission noted at the top. The time of email receipt will be taken as the timestamp of your HW/MP submission.
Machine problems will, in general, be collected and graded on-line using the handin program. More information will be posted on this soon.

Exams (15%+30%):

There will be one midterm exam held on October 10th during regular class hours (tentative date, will be re-confirmed in class)
The final exam will be on Saturday, December 17, 8:00 AM-11:00 AM. The classroom for the final exam will be announced.
NO LATE EXAMS, unless you obtain prior approval from Indy and show doctor's certificate or dean's approval.
Please attempt to determine and discuss potential exam conflicts with the staff at least 2 weeks prior to the exam date.
Exams are completely individual efforts.
Exams will include all textbook material + lecture slides + other reading material. Exams may include questions on topics not covered explicitly during lecture, but present in the reading material assigned to you (incl. textbook sections). Your best strategy - play it safe; read all textbook material assigned in lectures.

Re-grading Policy [very important!]

After the grades for a quiz or a MP or HW or an exam is available, students have 1 week to request for re-grading of this quiz/MP/exam. Once the 1 week re-grading period passes, students can never ask for re-grading of this quiz/MP/exam.

Cheating Policy

nZero tolerance Policy towards Cheating: Your work in this class must be your own - we have a zero tolerance policy towards cheating of any kind and any student who cheats will get a failing grade in the course.
nBoth the cheater and the student who aided the cheater will be held responsible for the cheating

Your work in this class must be your own. You may discuss, in broad terms, such things as strategies for completing machine problems. Be aware that, as a general rule, pseudo-code is not "broad terms". The programs and exams you hand in, however, must contain only your own work. Your programs (and HWs) will be checked against other programs in the class for similarities. If you have any questions about this policy, please talk to the staff. In the past, we have caught students cheating by copying programs or HWs from other students without their knowledge. To avoid having your work copied without your knowledge, refrain from leaving source code prints or HWs lying around the lab, protect your files, don't give your passwords to anyone, and enter your passwords in a way that cannot be seen by others. Do not leave a login session active on an unattended workstation. Use xlock in the sparc lab if you must leave briefly, or use some similar measure (or log out!) in other labs; remember that it's a violation of the sparc lab policy (and probably the other lab policies) to leave your workstation unattended for any extended period of time. Report any suspicious behavior to the lab sitters or the TAs.

Quizzes and exams are completely individual efforts. Although you are allowed to discuss HWs and MPs with your fellow students, you are expected to solve them yourself and type up/write down the solution yourself. Any violation of this will be penalized through an F grade for the course for the first offense. Remember that we know all online sources of solutions to HW and MP problems -- if you copy or cut-n-paste, be assured that we will find it out.

Your best strategy to avoid getting penalized - play it safe; don't cheat!

Late Submission Policy

NO LATE QUIZZES or EXAMS, unless you obtain prior approval from Indy and show doctor's certificate or dean's approval. MPs and HWs must be handed in by the deadline, or as soon after it as possible -- see late penalties listed above for HWs and MPs. Your best strategy to avoid getting penalized - play it safe; submit everything on time!

Viewing your Grades, and Final Grades

Course grade rosters will be posted on line using a grading system (TBD which one since 'grade-book' system does not exist anymore). Final grades are determined based on the distribution of the final score (a weighted sum of the exams, MPs and quizzes). Grades will be assigned on a curve, with the mean grade B or B+, depending on the overall class performance.