CS/ECE 374 Grading Policies

Graded Work

  • Homeworks are worth 30%
    • Homeworks are graded by CAs, directly within Gradescope, under the supervision of one of the TAs, using a common detailed rubric developed within Gradescope.
    • All numbered homework problems are worth the same amount.
    • When calculating the homeworks contribution to final grade, we will only consider the top 24 homework problem scores. (We expect to assign and grade 10 or 11 homework sets, each with three problems, so if you submit everything, this is equivalent to dropping two or three complete homework sets.)
    • If you submit less than 16 homework problems you will fail the class unless there is an overriding excuse.
  • Exams are worth 70%
    • Exams are graded by graduate TAs.
    • Each midterm is worth 20% of the final grade. The final exam is worth 30% of the final grade.
  • Exceptions
    • Forgiven midterm exams will be treated as if they did not exist; the other exams will have more weight in the final grade calculation.
    • We will not drop zero grades that result from cheating offenses.
  • Outliers:
    • Anyone with a raw total over 95% automatically gets an A+. This rule typically applies to the top 2-3% of the class.
    • We reserve the right to give any student meeting at least one of the following conditions an automatic F:
      • Raw total below 33%
      • Raw exam average below 25%
      • Submitted less than 16 homework problems.
      This rule typically applies to the bottom 2-3% of the class. These are not the only ways to fail!

Regrade requests

  • Please check that your grades are tabulated and recorded correctly. If you notice a mistake, please use gradescope to ask for a regrade.
  • Please double-check the posted solutions for correctness before you submit a regrade request.
  • All regrade requests for homeworks/exams must be submitted within one week after the grade is available. Late regrade requests will be ignored.
  • If you do not understand your grade on a homework or exam problem, please discuss your grade with one of the instructors or TAs during office hours. After that discussion, if you still believe that your work has been graded incorrectly, please request a regrade.
  • All regrade requests must include a brief written justification for the request. Good justifications include the following:
    • My answer agrees with the posted solution, but I still lost points.
    • I lost 4 points for an incorrect time analysis, but the rubric says that's only worth 2 points.
    • You took off points for missing the base case, but it's right here (right here!).
    • My answer is correct, even though it does not match the posted solution. (This happens more frequently if your answer is not even remotely similar to the "standard" solution.)
    • There is no explanation for my grade.
    • The official solution is incorrect; here's a counterexample.
    Regrade requests with poor or missing justifications will be denied. For exam regrade requests, write your explanation on a new scheet of paper and staple it to the front of your exam.
  • We can only grade what you actually submitted. You cannot get a higher grade by explaining what you meant, either in person or in writing; your original submission must stand on its own.
  • If you submit a regrade request, we will regrade the submitted problem from scratch. Your grade may go down.
  • You can at most submit two duplicate regrade requests for the same problem. At that point the problem would have been graded 3 times. If you are still unconvinced, go to office hours.
  • We will readily admit, apologize for, and correct our mistakes if you have been graded unfairly. However, please remember that "unfairly" means your grade is inconsistent with the published grading rubric, or that you were graded more harshly than other students, not just that you think the rubric itself is too harsh. Please also keep in mind that each homework point is worth approximately 0.1% of your final course grade. Don't fight for each point like your life depends on it - it does not!