Grading Formula and assigned work for CS 173

Your final average is a weighted combination of your averages on examlets and PrairieLearn assignments. Specifically

When we translate these averages into final letter grades, a score of 90 will be at least an A-, 80 at least a B-, 70 at least a C-, 50 at least a D-. If the raw scores are running excessively low, we may revise these cutoffs to be more generous. However, this has happened only very rarely in recent years. In recent terms, around three quarters of the grades have been A's and B's.

Monitoring grades

You are responsible for keeping an eye on your PrairieLearn 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.

Readings and lectures

Video lectures will be posted each week. However, you are also expected to prepare for each lecture by doing the posted readings. Basic material (e.g. basic definitions) is typically not covered in the videos. (The first-week videos are more comprehensive because we are just getting started.)

Examlets

There will be bi-weekly examlets - these account for most of your final course average. We plan 7 bi-weekly examlets (one of which is the 'final'), each 1 hour 50 minutes long.

Sign up for each examlet far in advance! The CBTF usually opens signups on PrairieTest 11 days before each examlet. Timeslots may fill up, and we will not accept "the CBTF ran out of timeslots" as an excuse for missing an examlet.

We do not drop any examlet scores. See the missed work page for how to arrange a makeup.

The final examlet which will partially cover the most recent material like any other examlet, and partially review old material, with one long induction proof and with short questions that sample topics from earlier in the term. The final is the same length and worth the same amount as a normal examlet.

At the end of the semester (most likely the last week of the semester), you can optionally choose to retake one of the examlets. (You do not have to declare in advance which you're retaking - the choices will be offered to you when you've started the retake at the CBTF.) Your retake score will replace your original score if it is better.

Before the first examlet, familiarize yourself with the basic CS 173 exam instructions. Only the most critical parts will be explicitly included on the individual exams.

Questions on examlets are sometimes exact copies of homework or study problems, or problems used in past terms. They might be entirely new. Or they might look similar to past problems but differ in critical details. We make no promises about whether you will or won't be doing a problem that you've seen before. Similarly, makeups and retake exams may use previously-seen problems and/or new ones. Therefore, when studying for an examlet, concentrate on mastering general skills rather than memorizing specific solutions.

Pre-Tutorial Checkpoints (PTCs) and Homeworks

Each week will have one Pre-Tutorial Checkpoint due the day before tutorial, and one Homework due 4 days after tutorial. These are autograded on PrairieLearn, and you can submit them as many times as needed to get full credit.

The Pre-Tutorial Checkpoints are simpler questions designed to make sure that you have completed the readings and watched the lecture videos, and the Homeworks released after tutorial go into more depth.

We'll drop your lowest checkpoint grade and your lowest homework grade when computing your final averages (though remember you can submit these multiple times; it should not be too difficult to ultimately get 100% on all of them).