Unless otherwise stated, all exams will be closed book and closed notes. No calculators, computers, cell phones, MP3 players, etc are allowed.
We will use Illinois Compass for online grade posting.
| Homeworks | 35% |
| Midterm Exam 1 | 15% |
| Midterm Exam 2 | 15% |
| Final Exam | 35% |
In previous terms, this course has given about 20% As, 30% Bs, 30% Cs, 15% Ds, and 5% Fs. We expect the grading scale to be no more harsh than this. We will give a grade of C- or above to students whose grasp of the material makes them adequately prepared to succeed in the following CS courses (CS 421 and 473). Normally, most Fs involve students who stopped even attempting to do the work, often very early in the term, but mysteriously never dropped the course. Ideally, we would like everyone either drop the course early on, or else pass it.
Except for cases of simple arithmetic mistakes, the entire homework or exam will be regraded very carefully from scratch. We intend to take regrade requests very seriously and will give use the greatest care possible in reconsidering the evaluation of points; however, frivolous regrade requests will be met with the scorn and derision they deserve. It could be possible that more points are taken off, if more errors are discovered as a result of the regrading. We will readily admit, apologize for, and correct our mistake if you have been unfairly graded; such mistakes are bound to occur!
Please note that our notion of fairness means you were graded no more harshly (nor more leniently) than other people in the class. Thus, it does not refer to your own opinion of whether you deserve more points for incomplete or partially correct answers. Such opinions are usually subjective; rather than debate, we can only offer our own opinion of how much credit various answers are worth, and then try our best to treat everyone the same way.
You should frequently use the newsgroup for questions and discussions. The staff will monitor the newsgroup and help answer questions. We encourage you to discuss problems with other students here, but please do not post any part of any solutions to a problem (that would be considered as a form of academic misconduct). Postings regarding the definitions and problem formulation are acceptable. The newsgroup can also serve as an opportunity for students to give constructive feedback to the staff in the way the course is being handled. Constructive comments and suggestions that are posted by students could help improve the learning experience for everyone.