CSE 201 Course Grading Criteria:
Lab (Programming) Assignments

Lab assignments will be graded according to the following general criteria:

• The solution adequately addresses the problem at hand. Specifically:
• The solution clearly represents a good-faith attempt to address the requirements for the assignment.
• The program compiles, links, and executes.
• The program runs correctly (or at least appears to be correct based on testing done by the grader).
• The solution constitutes a high quality product expected of a professional. Specifically:
• The program is easy to read and to understand, i.e., it is well commented and adheres to the course standards for layout and format (see the Java Code Conventions for an example set of programming conventions). For example, method and object names are appropriate and thoughtfully chosen, and all potentially confusing/complex program code (including non-trivial if-statements, loops, method calls, etc.) is adequately documented.
• The general design of the program is clear and reasonable. For example, the program makes good use of classes and methods; and the algorithms used are appropriate for the task, are clearly explained, and are implemented in a sensible, understandable way.
• All procedure and function headers include comments explaining what the method is supposed to do (not how it does it) and the purpose of each formal parameter. Be as precise and careful as you can be.

Each lab assignment will receive a grade according to the following table:
 

Quality of Submitted Solution	Points (%)
the solution meets all criteria well	100
the solution meets most criteria, but there is some room for improvement	80
the solution is just satisfactory; it meets some criteria but there is significant room for improvement	60
the solution is barely acceptable; there are serious shortcomings in meeting most criteria; it needs a lot of improvement	40
the solution is not acceptable	0

Any lab submitted containing syntax errors or producing garbage output (multiple copies of the same line, nonsense data, incorrect values or totals, etc.) will receive an automatic grade of zero. Also, it is your responsibility to be sure that all files are submitted in a timely and thorough fashion. No credit will be given for labs written but not submitted.

The instructor and/or the course coordinator may at times question a student about his/her lab submissions. If the student is unable to explain satisfactorily his/her solution (what it does, how it does it, why it was designed that way, etc.), a (possibly substantial) grade penalty may be imposed.

Students often wonder why a seemingly small error can cause a relatively large grade deduction. The reason is that software that does not work properly even in the smallest detail -- not in these assignments, of course, but in the "real world" -- can be costly or even dangerous to its users; and software that is difficult to change can be costly to companies that develop it. Most employers of software professionals therefore have high standards for quality. We want you to get used to this: to understand that "almost right" isn't good enough for most employers, and that as a professional it shouldn't be good enough for you even if it were good enough for your employer. Therefore, an error that prevents your program from working (especially from compiling properly so it can run at all) can result in a significant grade deduction.