Programming Assignments

CIS22A - Joe Bentley - Fall 2019

Suggestions

The programming assignments are the heart of the course. They are how you get your real-life experience.
You should definitely not put off the assignments. They will take some time, especially the later ones. They will not get easier.
You should allow enough time to get stuck and be able to seek help. You should take advantage of the lab time and office hours to get questions answered from the instructor or a tutor.
Under no circumstances may you copy someone else's program. You may get help from another student, friend, or whomever, providing you can independently write the code by yourself. If you can't do that, you don't own the code, and you may not use it.
Do not hack (or guess) at a solution. You can't really wear your compiler down. If you have to guess (or try this or that), then you don't know what you are doing and you should ask for help.

Email Help From the Instructor

• Do not procrastinate.  The instructor is most likely not available during the day that the assignment is due.  The instructor is not usually available after 9 pm.  
• If you have a question about a compiler error, include a copy of your code in your email.
• Don't expect help with lots of compiler errors.  The instructor can probably help you with the first error in the list.  If you compile often, your list of errors is probably not that long, and it's easier to isolate the error.
• Make sure your questions are specific, not vague.  "I don't know where to begin" is not a fair question to ask.  
• A fair question is often, "how do I ...?", or "how would I write a function to ...?".
• Make sure you read the entire assignment description before you dive in.  You should have a pretty good sense of your plan before you start writing code.

How they are graded

Assignments are worth 20 points each. There are eleven assignments. Your lowest grade will be discarded. Hence, there is a possible 200 points for the assignments.  Since your lowest grade is discarded, you may miss one assignment without penalty, you should save that assignment for an illness or an urgent situation.  

Unless otherwise stated, all assignments must be submitted by email with the source code added as an attachment.  The email containing the assignment should be an original email and the attachment should be named ass#.cpp (where # is the assignment number).

Assignments are due at the beginning of the class meeting on the due date specified. Assignments will be accepted late with a 5 point penalty if they are received within 24 hours of the due date.  After that time, they will not be accepted.  

Assignments will be tested using Code::Blocks on Windows.  Assignment that fail to compile or run will be penalized.

Assignments will be graded according to the following criteria:

• Assignments that do not compile will not be accepted.
• For multi-part assignments (most are of this type) each part is given specific point values. Therefore, if you are unable to complete one (or more) part(s) of the assignment, you should submit it anyway for partial credit.
• Specific program specifications will be look for. For example, if you are asked to write a specific function, if it is not present or does not adhere to the requirements, you will be penalized. You may know a better way of solving the stated problem, but you will be graded on the specific program requirements.
• Specific statements (or functions) will be looked for in each assignment. These will be worth 1-5 points each.
• Assignments that do not match the sample output provided will be penalized at least 3 points.
• Incorrect syntax errors will be penalized 1 point each.
• Use of non-"standard" C++ code without documentations will be penalized 1 point.
• Missing header files will be penalized 1 point each.
• Missing file open checks 1 point each.
• Use of C-header files  1 point each.
• Use of global variables will be penalized 1 point each.
• Sloppiness or inconsistent style will be penalized 1-5 points.
• Use of stringstream classes (istringstream,ostringstream, or stringstream) without permission will be penalized 3 points
• Use of a variable length array will be penalized 1 point each.

Finally

• Be proud of your assignment.  If you are not proud of it, then you didn't do it correctly.
• You don't really need the instructor to grade your assignment.  You know how you did.  Do not ask the instructor to check your assignment unless you are turning it in for a grade.
• Compile and test as you proceed through the assignment.  It is almost always a mistake to write the whole program, and then expect it to work as planned.
• In every class, there are students with good assignment grades, but do poorly on the midterm and final.  The test scores cause the grade to drop, sometimes one or two letters.  When this happens, there is always the question, why?  Why didn't the student learn with the assignments?  Did the student copy someone else's code or did the student get "too much help" with the assignments?
• If a student is suspected of copying an assignment, the suspected student may be interviewed and asked to explain their solution.  If they are unable to explain the code, the suspected student will receive a 0 grade for the assignment.  If the student whose assignment was copied allowed the copying to occur, that student will also receive a 0 grade for the assignment.