Lab Grades

Dear Students:

If you are not satisfied with your lab grade (that was graded by me), especially for the functionality part, please read this email.

Grade disputes can be done in person by visiting my office hours: Thursday from noon - 3pm at Phelp 1413. If you cannot come in during that time, you can grab me after my discussion session on Wednesday from 4-5pm at Phelp 1445. If you still cannot make it, we can make an appointment.

In general, there will be a standard 10 points deduction for the "CODE DOES NOT COMPILE" or "CODE NOT EMAILED" situation. But if you need to change your code a lot, the deduction can be more. Of course, if you can show me that it is not at all your fault, then you will get your points back without a deduction, plus an apology from me :) (and probably some chocolate, if I still have some.)

I cannot re-grade your program by email because

1. I've already graded it, and already found that it did not compile or function properly. (Please read my comment in your lab paper.)
2. I need to show you that it really does not work. And you need to show me that, with minimal code change, you can make it work. This is easiest done in person, especially when there are many students with different circumstances.
   
3. I need to make sure you understand the seriousness of, among other things, the "CODE DOES NOT COMPILE" situation. In real-life work, it usually does not matter if your program compiles and works on your machine. What matters is whether your program compiles and works on your customer's (or boss', or professor's, ...) machine. Therefore, it is of great importance to check and re-check to make sure that your submission will work as expected.
4. I need to note the new points on your paper and take it back to Prof Carlin to record it.
   

For your information, the most common mistakes are:

1. You did not include all the needed files.
   When I grade your code, I download your files into an empty directory, and run
   javac *.java
   If there is an error because it is missing some files (such as Mover.java), then it does not compile.
   
2. You included too many files, and some of them do not compile.
   You may have edited some code and you decided you no longer need it. Do not include it in your submission, since
   
3. You decided to put comments in at the last minute, and you did not test it after that.
   
4. You put your code in a package, which requires a directory structure.
   Most likely, the IDE did this for you. Make sure you set it up properly.
5. You forgot to turn it in.
   
6. You turned it in, but you did not include your full name and lab number in the subject line.
7. You turned it in properly, but the email got lost.
   For this, I will need to ask for a proof.

- Mock