BU CAS CS 113
Introduction to Computer Science II with Intensive C
Fall 1996

Your work will be graded according to the following criteria

1. Was it properly submitted?

   All assignments are to be submitted using the submit program (not email, not on paper) on csa and must run on csa. (If you do your programming in the lab in the Computer Science Building, this should be no problem, since you will be working on csa. If you are going to be using some other computer, see the note about using other machines in this course.)

   It is extremely important that you follow all specific instructions for each individual assignment exactly. Not only is it good training to learn to write programs which conform to specifications, but a computer program will be used to check parts of each assignment (that you did it, that your programs compile correctly, that it behaves correctly on various test data, etc.) For this to work, your filenames must match exactly those specified, and input/output must also conform to specifications.

2. Does it work?

   At least half of your assignment grade will be based on the performance of your program(s). Your programs should

   • be contained in the appropriately named files.
   • compile without errors or warnings. (Compile with the switch -Wall which displays all warnings.)
   • give the correct answer(s). Program performance will be tested using a standard test suite generated by the graders, TA, or instructor.
   • follow input/output specifications (to the extent given in the assignment) exactly. This is especially important in light of the computer-aided grading.
   • exhibit good modular design. We will talk about what this means as the course goes on, but basically this means that we should be able to compile parts of your programs with parts of programs you have never seen before and not experience any difficulties.

3. Does it conform to the programming conventions for the course?

   A considerable portion of the credit will be given for following the programming conventions for this course which are designed to encourage informative comments, consistent programming style, and good general presentation, all of which make it much easier for other programmers (including the grader and yourself two weeks later) to read, understand and modify your code.

4. Was it submitted on time?

   Late work will receive reduced credit. The amount of the reduction will increase the later the assignment is finished. Eventually it will be worth nothing at all. All assignments are due at 11:59:59 pm (according to the system clock on csa.bu.edu.) on the date specified in the assignment. The submit program will record the time and date of all submission. This will be used to determine whether an assignment is late.

5. Did you go the extra mile?

   Although you are not required to do more than is specified in the assignment, you may be given extra credit (or at least get your name mentioned in class or your program posted on the class web page) for doing something extra or for doing the required work in a particularly elegant manner. If you add extra functionality (more features) to your programs remember the following two maxims:

   • If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

     Be careful not to introduce new problems into your program or to violate the required input/output guidelines as you add new features. First and foremost, your program must do what was required in the assignment.

   • More D work is still D work.

     You can, of course, substitute any letter grade you like in this statement. The important thing to keep in mind is this: The way to improve poor grades is not to do extra work, it is to do the required work BETTER.

Collaboration / Academic Honesty:

Do not allow your work to be used by others:

• Set the permissions so that they are not readable by others.
• Do not recycle old printouts. Take them home to throw them out.
• Do not e-mail your solution to anyone.

Warning: If someone cheats by using your work, you will also be penalized.