T-Th 9:05
or
T-Th 11:15
in Olin 155

CS 1110: Introduction to Computing Using Python

Spring 2014

Grading


Course Grade Computation

For students taking the course for a letter grade

The 5-8 programming assignments in total count for about 50% of the course grade; the later, more work-intensive assignments are weighted more heavily than the earlier ones. The two prelims count for about 15% each. The final exam counts for about 20%. iClicker-based participation: 1-2%. If you miss more than two labs, we reserve the right to lower your grade by a level (e.g., from B+ to B).

We make ultimate letter-grade determinations by looking at the average class performance, deciding what letter grade we think that performance corresponds to, and then making grade cutoff decisions moving from that average point. This means that if everyone gets really high numerical scores, then we will give everyone As (which we would love to do!), and if everyone does poorly and we feel that this is our fault for making things too hard, then we will “curve up”, as they say. Historically, a typical grade distribution in CS1110 is: 35% some flavor of A, 35% some flavor of B, 25% some flavor of C, and 5% D or F, but that does not guarantee what will be the case this semester.

We do take special considerations into account, such as illness or what the course staff knows about your work (e.g., by working with you in office hours).

For students taking the course S/U

To receive an S, you need to receive a C- or above on the first prelim and receive an average of C- or above on the assignments using the same weighting scheme as above. Missing more than two labs or having unsatisfactory iClicker participation may result in moving from an S to a U.

We decided that S/U students do not need to take the second prelim or final exam in order to reduce stress on these students. This is our implementation of the principle that the S/U option is to “allow students to explore unfamiliar subjects or take advanced courses in subjects relatively new to them without being under pressure to compete with better-prepared students for high grades”.


Posted Grades

Grades are posted online on the CS Course Management System (CMS)


Exams and Exam Conflicts

The times and policies for the prelims and final are given on this page.


Course Material Authors: D. Gries, L. Lee, S. Marschner, & W. White (over the years)