CSCE 531 Spring 2007: Grading Policy (Subject to Update)

  • Homework (other than programs): 15%
  • Programming Assignments: 40%
  • Midterm: 15% (if two midterms, 7.5% each)
  • Final Exam: 25%
  • Quizzes and In-Class Exercises: 5%
  • In order to pass the course with a grade of C or better, a minimum raw score of 60% on the midterm and final exam is needed. Homework must be turned in typed; exceptions will be made for assignments requiring figures or unusual formatting. Homework will normally be assigned on Fridays. It will normally be due at the beginning of class on the following Wednesday and will normally be returned on the following Monday. Homework turned in late is subject to a 10% per day penalty, subject to the provision that no credit is given to homework turned in after the beginning of class (normally Friday) following the one when the homework is due.

    Each student is expected to attend all classes for this course and is responsible for all material covered in class or assigned. In particular, absence from more than nine scheduled classes, whether excused or unexcused, is excessive and may result in a grade penalty. Quizzes (or, more often, in class exercise) are designed to emphasize a salient issue in the lecture of the day or in a previous lecture. Another purpose of quizzes is to take attendance. Students who take all quizzes will receive full credit for them. Missed quizze may be replaced by correctly answered quizzes, up to a number (usually four), which is determined by the instructor, mainly as a function of how many quizzes are given.

    Each student must follow the University Code of Student Academic Responsibility and turn in his or her work. You are encouraged to discuss the material you study, but you must do your homework individually, unless an assignment is explicitly designated as a team assignment. The minimum penalty for a violation will be a zero on the work involved. In addition, an honor code violation will be subject to the penalties described in the USC Community Handbook and Policy Guide.

    Programming assignments should be developed to run in the UNIX environment. Please comment your code, when appropriate. They must be submitted using the dropbox program on the Sun Ultra or Linux computers in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. This program is accessible at https://www.cse.sc.edu. Your programs may be tested using Java 1.3 on the Sun Ultra or Linux computers in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering using automated testing procedures, so it is important that you follow exactly the instructions for program code submission. Further details on how to submit programs will be announced later. Results of automated testing will be sent to your cse.sc.edu address.