ECE 462 Grading

Please do not ask for any extension for the assignments. Such a request is always denied. There is no exception.

• 10 laboratory exercises (LEs), 1 point each
• 4 individual programming assignments (PAs), 5 points each
• 4 group exercises (GEs), 1 point each
• 1 group assignment (GAs), 20 points divided into 4 stages, 5 points each

Please double check your submission. Submitting wrong files is a common mistake.

You will receive zero, if your program cannot be compiled (i.e. syntax errors). If you miss any needed file in the submission, you will receive this penalty.

Please remember to check your submission.

The instructor and the teaching assistant will never enter your account for grading. Do not send your password to the instructor.  Each programming assignment or exercise has a no-penalty extension. You do not need the instructor's approval to use the extension. No additional extension will be given. 

It is your responsibility to submit early.  Please remember that being late by one second is late. The deadline is enforced electronically by Blackboard based on its server's clock.

The names of your files must not have space or special symbols. A valid file name must start with a letter (a-z or A-Z), followed by letters, numbers (0-9), or underscores (_). Extensions are needed for programs. Use .c or .h. Please read the international standard on file names.

• 3 midterm exams, 10 points each. All exams are open-book and open-note. You can bring any book (or books).
• 1 final exam, 16 points.

The exams covers everything in this class, including the textbook, the lectures, the exercises (LEs and GEs), and the programming assignments (PAs and GA).

Exams 1 and 2 will be available on paper only. The third and the final exams will be available on paper and on-line.

• up to 10 bonus points by class participation, 0.5 point for each item
  • background evaluation before 2009/09/10
  • background evaluation between 2009/12/06 and 2009/12/12.
  • each survey or the course evaluation.
  • each posting in Blackboard - Discussion.
  • each potential exam question in Blackboard - Discussion.
  • each posting in Rhea.
  • speaking (ask or answer one or more questions) in each lecture.
  • talking to the instructor during each office hour.
  • joining "ECE 462 Group" in facebook.com.

Additional bonus points may be available. You are welcome to suggest other types of bonus points.

Regrading must be requested by email sent to the instructor within one week after the grade is posted in Blackboard. Please explain clearly why you deserve more points. You are not allowed to discuss regrading with the teaching assistant. This is to avoid confrontation between a student and the teaching assistant.

Letter Grades:

Because of bonus points, the highest score in the whole class may exceed 100. If the highest score is below 100, the highest score is adjusted to 100 and everyone else's score is adjusted proportionally. 

All conditions (score, PAs, and GAs) are required.   Since bonus points are offered, this grading scheme will be followed closely and cannot be negotiated.

The instructor is not responsible for improving your GPA. It is your responsibility. Do not say, "I am only x points away from A." This argument is always rejected. If you want a better grade, improve your scores by acquiring bonus points.

Late policy:

Each exercise or assignment is due at 5:59PM on the corresponding deadline.  You have a one-week no-penalty extension. The deadline is enforced by Blackboard. Before the deadline, you can submit, withdraw, and resubmit. During the extension, you can submit but you cannot withdraw nor resubmit. The extension is not a new deadline. After the extension, you can no longer submit.

If Purdue cancels classes on the due day, the deadline is extended until 5:59PM of the first day of resumed classes. Otherwise, the deadlines will not be extended. The no-penalty extension already considers situations such as network problems or power failures. Hence, they are not excuses to request any additional extension. If Purdue cancels classes on the day when a no-penalty extension ends, the extension will not be further extended.

The deadline is determined by the clock of the Blackboard server. Missing the deadline by one second is late.  Do not ask the instructor to accept your submission because it is "only one second late."  Do not send your assignment by email because it is late.

No late submission will be accepted. There is no exception.

If you submit wrong files, you will not be allowed to submit correct files after the deadline.

Make-up Exams:

If you are unable or unwilling to take an exam at the specified time, you must make an arrangement with the instructor and take the exam earlier. You cannot take an exam late. Exceptions are given to emergencies only. If you miss an exam, you will receive zero, not the average of the other exams. To request an exception, you must present the document showing an emergency. Visiting PUSH is not considered as an emergency.

Policy Handling Dishonest Behavior:

You will receive F in this class if you cheat. Your case will always be reported to ECE main office. There is no exception.

Do not copy code from your classmates or from the Internet.

You must understand that you cannot cheat forever. If you cheat, you will get caught, sooner or later.

You are allowed to use the code given to you by the instructor or generated using the tools approved by the instructor. You are not allowed to download code from the Internet and claim the code as yours. If you discover useful code, you must (1) announce the code in Blackboad Discussion so that everyone in the class is aware of the code or (2) request the instructor's approval or (3) describe with sufficient details where the code comes from and how you use it in your README file. You must request the code owner's permission to use the code and you must cite the source in your submission. You are not allowed to purchase code from, for example, getacoder.com.

There were cases when students "accidentally" submitted code from the Internet because these students were "studying" the code. In these cases, the students were considered cheating and received appropriate penalty.  It is not possible to "accidentally" submit the code that is not written by you. If it is your code, you must spend many hours writing the code. You will treat the code with the greatest care. You will check, double check, and check again before submission. If you have spent so much time on an assignment, you will not accidentally submit wrong code.  "Accidentally submitting wrong code" is an invalid defense and you will receive F in this class.

You are not allowed to work with anybody in the laboratory exercises, individual programming assignments, or exams. If you violate this rule, you will reveive F in this course (not just that particular assignment) and you will be reported to the ECE main office. You should know that advanced tools are available checking programs' similarities. These tools can detect programs of similar structures. These tools can detect similar programs even if you rename variables or change for to while (or many other techniques to disguise). These tools have successfully detected many cheating cases.  The very fact that you consider to cheat indicates your lack of programming skills. Hence, you do not have sufficient knowledge to defeat these similarity checkers.

You are equally guilty if you give your code to another person. You will receive the same penalty. You are responsible protecting your work. Do not leave a computer unattended. Do not throw away the printout of your programs.

If you find any useful information, you must cite the sources and explain how you use it.

Only the group exercises (GEs) and assignments (GAs) allow cooperation.

If you need help, please talk to the instructor or the teaching assistant, or post your questions in Blackboard Discussion. Do not ask your classmate to give code to you.

Suggestions to improve your grades.