1. Examinations and Major Assignments

The course assignments will include 4-6 homework assignments and 2-3 projects. There are no examinations; the scheduled final exam date/time is the last date/time that projects & homework assignments will be accepted without penalty. I am usually flexible about late submission of assignments, but I will not accept a late submission of an assignment without prior approval.

Homework assignments will include “essay” and analytical problems which cover topics from the lectures and readings. Projects will be team projects on specifications and design, and may require the use of software tools.

2. Grading

Attendance is not mandatory, but if you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to check on announcements & assignments made while you were away. I do count class participation as 10% of the final grade. Grades will be based on homework (45%), projects (45%) and class participation (10%). Final grades will be calculated with specific grades assigned to average scores in a more or less traditional manner (>93 = A; 88-92 = AB; 83-87 = B; 78-82 = BC; 73-77 =C; 68-72 = CD; 63-67 = D; <63 =F). I reserve the right to review the grade distribution and lower the ranges of scores for a given grade (e.g., perhaps 85-89 = AB; >90 = A).

Students always expected to work independently, except when collaboration is explicitly expected (such as for the team projects). Failure to do independent work may result in a failing grade for the assignment or, in some cases, for the course.