Policies and assessment

Students are responsible for reading and understanding the course policies in these web pages and for announcements made in class and in the course email list.

You will be permitted to use the textbook and course notes for tasks involving programming, but not during tests. On tests you may be permitted a small amount of reference material.

Important note: It is absolutely essential for you to master basic Scheme programming, since the entire course is based on small interpreters implemented in Scheme. The Little Schemer is a superbly written book that has been used by several generations of programmers to learn the language --but it is only useful to the extent that you stop at every question and think hard about the answer before proceeding.

Grading

There will be homework projects taking two or three weeks. There will be short, unannounced quizzes in class; the purpose is to motivate attendance and to help both you and your instructor gauge your progress. There will also be exams; these will be similar to the quiz and homework questions.

Exams are closed-book, except that you are allowed to bring one letter-size sheet of paper for reference notes.

Scores are weighted as follows:

The lowest two quiz scores will be dropped. Letter grades are assigned on the usual basis: at least 90 for A, else at least 80 for B, etc.

How to prepare for quizzes and exams --it's obvious: attend class, do the reading, and especially do the homework. Do it carefully and thoughtfully. Get help from the TA and instructor and work hard.

There are no make-ups for quizzes or exams. The only possible exceptions are in the case of death in the student's immediate family or near-death experience of the student; advance notice is required.

Homework policy.

Homework must be done individually. You are encouraged to discuss the problems with your classmates but you must not share details of the solutions. If you are unsure whether you have shared too much, discuss the situation with the TA or instructor; it is your obligation to avoid even the appearance of cheating.

We all have trouble meeting deadlines. But homework doesn't get easier to do if it's late. And doing it on time helps you avoid falling behind when it comes to subsequent lectures and quizzes. Hence the following strict policy:
how late points deducted (out of 100)
1 day (1-24 hours) 25
2 days 50
3-7 75
$>$ 7 100


David Naumann 2006-12-08