Programming Projects
Home FAQ Overview Material Facilities Help Miscellaneous Exercises Exams
CS Announcements Syllabus Times Staff Advice Examples Projects Grading

Project Assignments
Programming projects will consist of larger problems that help you build your problem solving skills. Refer to the advice page if you need tips on how to tackle these problems. You can download the assignments, provided below. You can also retrieve them during lecture or Carpenter Lab, if copies remain:
 
#
Due Date
Assignment
(PostScript)
Assignment
(Adobe Acrobat)
Assignment
Code/Tips/Hints
Solution
1
Tues 2/1
PS
PDF
TXT
-
TXT
2
Thurs 2/10
PS
PDF
TXT
see newsgroup
TXT
3
Tues 2/22
-
-
TXT
-
TXT
4
Thurs 3/9
(changed from 3/7)
-
-
 Updated version: TXT
(see Announcements)
TBA
core
bonus
5
Thurs 3/30
-
-
updated version
old version
hints
core
bonus
6
Thurs 4/13
(extended from 4/11)
-
-
write-up (PDF | PS)
milestones
tips
what_to_hand_in
-
code(draft)
output
7
Thurs 5/4
-
-
  • Java Inheritance
  • Matlab
  • Decryption
  • What To Hand In
    		•

    Note: All projects are due on Tuesday except for Projects 2 and 5 which are due on Thursday.

    Grading
    Each programming project will receive three distinct grades for

  • correctness (C)
  • style (S)
  • bonus (B)
    • You can score 0-5 on both correctness and style. For example, you might receive a score of C5 and S5 for one project where you satisfy a majority of the requirements of the assignment. Graders might assign bonus points to reward additional/exceptional work. Look here for more information. We record your score in the form C/S/B. For instance, a 3/4/1 indicates a score of C3, S5, and 1 bonus point.

    If you work with a partner, both you and your partner will receive the same correctness and style grades for that assignment. See below for information about having partners.

    A 55 point total counts as a perfect project score. Note that the total number of points for projects is 70. So, if you miss a project or do poorly on some, you can still achieve a perfect score. Furthermore, if you score above 55, we will convert excess points into bonus points.

    Warning
    Since projects "count" for a relatively small percentage of the total score, some students are tempted to skip them (or let their partners do most of the work) and plan to learn the material by reading the sample solutions.  This process does not work for most people. This material is learned by actively doing the projects, not by passively watching a partner or reading the sample solutions.  Thus, failure to actively do the assignments is likely to hurt your grade.

    Philosophy
    We expect projects to teach you how to solve more complex/larger problems. We grade mostly for feedback to let you know how you are doing. To reduce stress, projects are worth a relatively "small" percentage of the course score. Plus, we will not require you to do all the projects perfectly to get a perfect project score (see Grading, above).  Thus, as long as you make a sincere effort on most of the projects, you should get a good project score.

    Style and Commentary
    Your comments and overall style will greatly affect your style score.
    For information, check this out.

    Submission Rules
    You have two options for submitting your work:

  • Submit homework in lecture on the due date. You may submit in either lecture, but no later!
  • Submit homework in Carpenter Lab for early submissions only. You must give the project to a consultant, personally!
    • We do not accept late submissions.

    For each project you must do the following:

  • Print all your work as hardcopy, such as programs, output, and discussion answers. Please, no disks!
  • Staple or bind together all sheets of paper. "Bind" means ring or folder, not twist-ties, string, or such nuisances
  • Submit entire code unless directed otherwise.
  • Type all work and responses to discussion questions.
  • Include the following comment block with your information filled in at the top of each program:
    • //  Name:  your name Partner:  partner's name
    // ID: your ID ID: partner's ID
    // Section:  your section's instructor, day, time  Section: partner's section's instructor, day, time
    //
    // Date: due date
    // Project: number and title
  • Ensure correct alignment of tab stops in programs with no "chopped"  line of code.
    • Note: Submit work as hardcopy, not as email or on disk!

    Picking Up Graded Projects
    Where's your work?

  • Projects are usually graded in about 1 week.
  • We return graded assignments in section.
  • You may retrieve unclaimed assignments from the consultants at Carpenter Lab at the end of the week in which they were returned in sections.
    • Look here if you wish to submit a regrade.

    Partners
    We encourage you to work with a partner on the programming projects. (Why, or why not? Look here.)
    If you work with a partner, you must adhere to the following rules:

  • You can have only one partner for each project.
  • You cannot have different partners for different parts of the project.
  • You can pick a different partner for each project.
  • You and your partner receive the same correctness and style grade for the entire project.
  • You and your partner may attend different sections.
  • You must submit only one project with both your names, IDs, signatures, and section information, as specified in the Submission Rules.
  • You cannot take your exams with a partner.
  • You should avoid "divorcing" partners before submitting your project. Why? What if your partner submits a duplicate version of your programs? All the graders will see is an academic violation, so be careful.
    • If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask the staff.

    Academic Integrity
    Respect academic integrity! Please review the Code and notes for CS100 here.


    Back to Top
    Back to CS100 Home