Grading Scale

CSE 190Z (Pre-CSE) is a graded course, The general components that will influence your grade are:

• Attending and participating in this workshop
• Attending and participating in your weekly office hours with a TA or the instructor
• Completing all in class work and homework assignments for this class
• Seeking help if you are struggling with material
• Preparing for and succeeding on course assessments

We will be using two grading scales for this class:

• SN
  • S (Satisfactory):
    All parts of the work have been attempted, and most parts of the work are correct. The work must be completed prior to the solutions being released to receive an S.
  • NS (Not Satisfactory):
    Parts of the work are left undone, and/or most of the work is incorrect or poor quality. NS grades will be recorded after teh solutions are released.
• ESNU
  • E (Excellent/Exemplary):
    Work that meets all requirements and displays full mastery of all learning goals and material.
  • S (Satisfactory):
    Work that meets all requirements and displays at least partial mastery of all learning goals as well as full mastery of core learning goals.
  • N (Not Yet Satisfactory:
    Work that does not meet some requirements and/or displays developing or incomplete mastery of at least some learning goals and material.
  • U (Unassessable):
    Work that is missing, does not demonstrate meaningful effort, or does not provide enough evidence to determine a level of mastery.

Coding Asessements and Projects, Reflections, and Quizzes will be graded using the ESNU scale. Checkpoints and participation will be graded using the S/NS scale.

It is important to note that, under this system, it is the work that is assessed as a proxy for the student. This is an imperfect system, but is necessary to manage a course of the size and scale of CSE 142. It is in your best interest to ensure that your work accurately reflects your mastery by being careful and diligent in following instructions, meeting deadlines, and understanding requirements.

Required Coursework

There will be five categories of required course work for pre-cse:

• Checkpoints (approximately one per class):
  Shorter assignments consisting of problems to give you practice with the content covered in class. Checkpoints will be graded using the S/NS scale and may be worked on collaboratively with classmates, but you will be required to cite the names of those you collaborated with.
• Participation:
  Generally participation will be tied to your effort in this class as measured by your active engagement in the class work and activities such as design or code reviews, and with full participation as an audience member during our Teach the Class presentations. Participation will also be demonstrated by attending office hours on a regular basis, keeping up with threads on the discussion board, and and your altruism in helping others in lecture, during office hours, and on the discussion board. Particpation will be graded using the S/NS scale. (For more details on what it means to be an "active participant" in the class, please see the Participation section.)
• Coding assessments/Projects:
  Coding assessments and projects are designed for you to demonstrate that you have synthesized the material you have been practicing. This category will include your work on the Teach the Class presentation and your final project. Coding assessments and projects will be graded on (generally) four dimensions, which are detailed below.
• Reflections:
  Brief, written reflections designed to help you engage in metacognition and reflect on your current progress and understanding. Each reflection will be directly tied to other required course work, usually an assessment, and will be due along with that course work. Reflections will be graded on an ESNU scale.
• Quizzes (approximately every other week):
  Some form of assessment will be given every other week. The purpose of the quizzes are to assess your knowledge of the material being presented, and to give you an opportunity to practice your study and test taking strategies. These quizzes graded on the ESNU scale and may take one of these forms:
  • Resource based quizzes where you will given access to resources such as books, computers, etc.
  • One time in class written quizzes (as a check point for your knowledge)
  • "Perfect quizzes" where you are given multiple opportunities to get an E on the quiz.

Coding Asessements and Projects

Coding Assessments and projects will generally be graded on four dimensions

• Behavior/External Correctness
  Does the input and output functionality of the submission conform to the specification?
• Structure & Design
  Is the code effectively broken down into methods and are those methods well-written to create a well-structured program/class. Note: this categegory is not used for the HTML/CSS project.
• Use of Language Features
  Are all relevant language constructs used effectively and appropriately.
• Documentation & Readability
  Does the code conform to all code quality guidelines for this course.

Work will be assigned a grade on each dimension using the ESNU scale, resulting in 3-4 ESNU grades per coding assessment or project. Each assignment will specify the expectations for each grade in each dimension as part of the assignment's specification.

Resubmissions

Learning from mistakes is an important part of mastering any skill, especially for novices. To enable this, you are allowed to revise and resubmit your work on coding assessments (only) to demonstrate improved mastery after your initial submission. Resubmissions are subject to the following rules:

• You may not resubmit a coding assessment for which you did not make an initial submission.
• You may not resubmit a coding assessment for which you received a U in Behavior.
• You may not resubmit a take-home assessment until you have received feedback on your previous submission (including resubmissions) of that assessment. (Generally one week after the due date.)
• Resubmissions must be submitted through a private post on the Ed discussion board and acoompanied by a short write-up describing the changes made. This will both support you in being deliberate about the changes you make and ease grading of resubmissions by making the changes clear.
• A maximum of one coding assessment can be resubmitted each week.
• An assessment that has been found to involve academic misconduct may not be resubmitted.

Final Grade Assignment

Final grades will be based on the quantity of work completed at each level of mastery, based on the following minimums:

• at least 3.5
  • S on at least 18 checkpoints
  • E on at least 4 reflections, S on all others
  • S or better on 4 quizzes
  • S or better on all assessments, E or better on at least one dimension of every project/assignment
  • S in at least 27 participation areas
• at least 3.0
  • S on at least 16 checkpoints
  • S or better on 5 reflections
  • S or better on 3 quizzes
  • At least 26 S or better scores on assessments, and no U or N grades
  • S in at least 24 participation areas
• at least 2.5
  • S on at least 15 checkpoints
  • S or better on 4 reflections
  • S or better on 2 quizzes
  • At least 24 S S or better scores on assessments, and no U or N grades
  • S in at least 22 participation areas
• at least 2.0
  • S on at least 14 checkpoints
  • S or better on 3 reflections
  • S or better on 1 quizzes
  • At least 22 S or better scores on assessments
  • S in at least 21 participation areas
• at least 1.5
  • S on at least 13 checkpoints
  • S or better on 2 reflections
  • N or better on at least least 3 quizzes
  • At least 20 S or better scores on assessments
  • S in at least 19 participation areas

Note: These minimums are subject to change if we add or remove assignments from the planned curriculum.

To receive a particular minimum grade, all requirements for that grade must be met. Exact final grades, including all grades not listed above, will be determined by the course staff based on each student's overall body of work. Importantly, meeting the requirements for a certain minimum grade exactly does not gurantee that a student's grade will not be higher than the guarantee, just that they will are guaranteed at least that grade. Similarly, not meeting the requirements for a certain grade does not guarantee that a student will not get that grade, only that they are not guaranteed to get that grade.

Gradebook

Unfortunately Canvas and Gradescope do not work easily with this type of rubric. Most assignments will appear "ungraded" on canvas, or you will receive 0 points in a Gradescope rubric - however you will still receive feedback with the rubric items in either case.

The grade book on Canvas will denote a "score card" of how many of each grade/item you have received. We will updated the counts in the canvas gradebook once a week. Please check Canvas regularly to be sure scores have been recorded correctly and contact the course staff (either with a private message on the discussion board or by emailing cse190z-staff@cs) if something has been recorded incorrectly. If you feel something has been regraded incorrectly, please see the re-grade policy below.

Participation

Your participation grade will mostly include your active participation in class and in the learning process. The questions below are designed to help you understand what it means to be an active participant in this class.

• Did you come to class with relevant ideas, and questions related to the class topics?
• Do you make at least one excellent contribution (e.g., insight or question) to each class without monopolizing discussion?
• Do you give active nonverbal and verbal feedback?
• Do you refer to other students by name and react to their contributions?
• Are any email or message discussions held to our same class norms?

Participation Balance

In any group there will be those who speak more and those who speak less; this might be because of differences in personality, language fluency, or culture. Some people like to carefully think before they speak and some believe that interaction should be rapid and assertive. Be mindful that others have important things to say too, but they may need a bit more time to speak.

If you often find yourself dominating class discussions, or answering all of the instructors' questions, try limiting yourself to 3 really good responses, to give others a chance to participate. Remember, the silence is really OK, and it is sometimes needed for other students to feel comfortable speaking.

References

Some of the text in the Participation section was borrowed from Benjamin Mako Hill's Teaching: Assessment materials

Re-grade Policy

Reflecting on graded work and assessments is one of the most valuable ways you can learn from your mistakes, and we encourage you to do so. If you have a question about a grade you received or if you feel the grade you received is incorrect please email the instructor for an appointment to discuss the assignment and your grade in detail.

It is also possible for the graders to make mistakes. If that happens we certainly would like to correct the error. Please note the following:

• When you request a regrade, we may look at the entire problem/lab/question/etc. This means that while it is possible for your grade to go up, it is also possible for it to go down.
• We will be using Gradescope to grade homework, projects, and assessments. Gradescope has a mechanism for managing regrade requests (instructions). Via Gradescope, you will submit each request separately for each problem. Be sure to explain the reason why you want this problem regraded with clear details. The time by when you need to submit your regrade request will be set in Gradescope, but generally will be within a week of when the grade was returned.
• For material that is graded through Canvas or other systems, send an email from your UW or CSE Net ID only to the TA who graded you (if known) and CC the instructor. Include a written summary describing why your work should be looked at again. Regrade requests must be submitted within a week of when the homework grade was returned. Failure to do any of the above may mean your work is not regraded.

Zoom

For Zoom norms and expectations, please see CSE 190z Zoom Norms and Best Practices section on the Zoom page.

Communication

You, the student, are expected to...

• Check our Ed Discussion board daily. Use our class Ed board to ask clarifying questions on coursework, engage in discussions and view class announcements.
• Check canvas for course assignments daily.
• Read emails that are sent to the course list (occasionally).
• Respond to direct emails in a timely manner (using your UW or CSE Net ID only)
• ASK QUESTIONS!!! particularly if part of an assignment or assessment is unclear.

The instructor will ...

• Do the best to write clear assignments and assessments.
• Do the best to respond to student emails within 24 hours on weekdays, 48 hours on weekends.

Attendance and Punctuality

Please see the STARS Courses: Basic Policies document for information about the attendance policies of this and other STARS courses.

Technology

(Portions heavily borrowed from Professor Hacker)

Technology in the classroom

This is a computer science class and somewhat obviously, we'll need to use technology in the class. However, it is to be used for adding value to your learning, not as a distraction. I understand that your phones connect you with your friends and family, our "classroom" (whether in person or virtual) should be a place apart, however briefly, from the outside world. You will learn more, in short, if you can concentrate on the course while you’re in the course.

The following are some guidelines:

• Phones, tablets and other communication devices: This should go without saying: your cell phone and other devices should not be a distraction in class.
  • I am not asking you to turn your phone "off" (no one does when they're told to anyway), but your phone should be set to silent or vibrate before you enter the classroom and put away where it will not distract you (i.e preferably not in your pocket, but rather in your bag).
  • You should not be sending or receiving any messages (text, Snapchat, Facebook, etc).
  • If there is a somewhat emergent case where you do need to receive a phone call or text message, please speak with an instructor at the beginning of class to explain why you need an exception to these rules. If we are in person, you will still be expected to keep your phone on vibrate, and as soon as you receive said call or message, you quietly excuse yourself outside to answer it, returning promptly after. If we are remote, please make sure your mic is muted and your video is off when you take the necessary call.
• Laptops: I'm sure you've heard all the research (like this, and this, and this) that you should really take notes with pen and paper, but you may use a laptop or tablet to take notes during this class. In fact, we'll be needing our laptops quite a lot to view lecture, do course work, test out theories, and even look up facts during class. However, in-class laptops also present temptations that many students find irresistible. You should not use a laptop during class to follow a game, use social media, play games, IM/DM, respond to email, etc, or even do work for another class! Such activities not only distract you (meaning you will be less able to participate meaningfully in the class’ conversations), they may also distract others.

Technology "woes"

Instructors have heard just about every excuse for why work is not turned in on time. Many of these excuses are technology focused, and even some of them were really out of the students' control. Professor Hacker says it: Let’s face it: technology breaks: servers go down, transfers time out, files become corrupt. The list goes on and on. These are not considered emergencies. They are part of the normal production process. An issue you may have with technology is no excuse for late work. You need to protect yourself by managing your time and backing up your work.

As such you are expected to...

• Have and use anti virus software provided by the university,
• Back up your work regularly using the ample "cloud" resources like Google Drive or Microsoft 365.

and... we expect that if your computer breaks, get lost, has trouble, and so on you will:

1. Look into university resources to get it fixed/replaced (if you need to purchase a new machine check into the University's short term loan program). If this is not available, please email cse support (support at cs) to see if they have any equipment for loan available.
2. If open and available, use the university lab resources through Odegaard or the Engineering lab to complete your homework for this class.

Honesty in Communications

Individuals are expected to be honest and forthcoming in communications with TAs and the instructors.

School Appropriateness of Content

Note that one of our course policies is to engender an inclusive environment. As such it is important that you are thoughtful about what you choose to use in your work. Please make sure that the images and text you are using are “school appropriate” and follow the guidelines of expected behavior. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask a TA or your instructors. Inappropriate work submitted may be ineligible for credit on that assignment.

Copyright and Citations

All of the expressions of ideas in this class that are fixed in any tangible medium such as digital and physical documents are protected by copyright law as embodied in title 17 of the United States Code. These expressions include the work product of both: (1) your student colleagues (e.g., any assignments published here in the course environment or statements committed to text in a discussion forum); and, (2) your instructor (e.g., the syllabus, assignments, reading lists, and lectures). Within the constraints of "fair use," you may copy these copyrighted expressions for your personal intellectual use in support of your education here in the UW. Such fair use by you does not include further distribution by any means of copying, performance or presentation beyond the circle of your close acquaintances, student colleagues in this class and your family. If you have any questions regarding whether a use to which you wish to put one of these expressions violates the creator's copyright interests, please feel free to ask the instructor for guidance.

The essence of academic life revolves around respect not only for the ideas of others, but also their rights to those ideas. It is therefore essential that we take the utmost care that the ideas (and the expressions of those ideas) of others always be handled appropriately, and, where necessary, cited. When ideas or materials of others are used (particularly in your creative projects), they must be cited. The citation format is not that important - as long as the source material can be located and the citation verified, it's OK. In any situation, if you have a question, please feel free to ask.

You must have the right to publish any of the images, videos, text, or other media on your creative sites. This means you may use:

• Media you have created or generated yourself (i.e. pictures you have created or taken yourself, text you have written yourself.)
• Images that are in the public domain (something from Wikipedia), or something with a creative commons license that allows for reuse without explicit permission of the owner.
  • Creative Commons Kiwi is a really informative video on Creative Commons licensing.
  • Instructions on how to search for images that are fair use are here.
  • You must cite any works that you use that you did not generate yourself (although technically you only need to cite things that are CC Attribution). A handy site for knowing how to add your citations is here.

Collaboration Policies

"As a teacher, it’s not my goal in life to read a class’ worth of programs on a topic that all basically look the same. My goal is to assess whether you understand the material that we’ve taught in class enough, and you demonstrate that to me through the work you do. I can not assess that if you are turning in someone else’s work."

- Dr. Tom Butler, Lakeside H.S.

Computer science education is odd in that we expect you to turn in work that you do completely independently when in the "real world" that’s not how it works at all. In the real world, co-workers collaborate, bounce ideas off each other, and they look up parts of solutions on the internet. But in the "real world" the people doing the work have years of experience, they have proved themselves to their teachers, co-workers and bosses to where they are at that moment and most importantly, they know how to evaluate which of the solutions they are receiving is an appropriate one to solve the task at hand.

As your instructor, I need to be able to evaluate your work. Thus, unless otherwise specified (i.e. pair or group work), all work in this and other CS classes must be your own. You may wind up using other people or online resources to learn how to achieve new things, but we expect you to synthesize this work in your own way and learn to write your own code. You should never copy (plagiarize) homework or code from another person in this school (past or present) or that you find online directly and submitting it as your own work.

Specifically, you must abide by the following:

• You may not use code directly from any external sources (including copying lecture/section material in programming assignments).
• You may not post your homework solutions on a publicly accessible (non-password-protected) web server or Git repository, during the course or after it has been completed. Please see the course website for acceptable ways to show your work to others.
• You may not look at or use prior solutions from any source.

In short: you should think of most assignments in this class as assessments and as such, complete them independently - unless otherwise told.

Important reading: Some students at Lakeside HS wrote the Collaboration Guidelines for CS document in 2016 (you need to be logged in with your UW NetID to read this). This document has some clear examples of what to do and not to do and will be required reading for Computer Science courses.

Privacy

To support an academic environment of rigorous discussion and open expression of personal thoughts and feelings, we, as members of the academic community, must be committed to the inviolate right of privacy of our students and colleagues. As a result, we must forgo sharing personally identifiable information about any member of our community including information about the ideas they express, their families, lifestyles and their political and social affiliations. If you have any questions regarding whether a disclosure you wish to make regarding anyone in this course or in the university community violates that person's privacy interests, please feel free to ask the instructor for guidance.

Knowingly violating any of these principles of academic conduct, privacy or copyright may result in University disciplinary action under the Student Code of Conduct.