Software Component Engineering 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.  For example, operation and object names are appropriate and thoughtfully chosen, and all potentially confusing/complex program code (including non-trivial if-statements, loops, procedure calls, etc.) is adequately documented.  See the example programs in the text and on-line for suggestions about how to comment and format your programs.  Formatting should be relatively easy through use of the Resolve/C++ mode in emacs.
• The general design of the program is clear and reasonable.  For example, the program makes good use of classes and operations; 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 requires and ensures clauses and parameter modes.  You do not need to worry so much about writing formal comments unless explicitly requested to do so; just use the structural organization of formal comments and be as precise and careful as you can be using English.

Each lab assignment will receive one of the following marks:
 

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

In some cases, the grader may award a mark of 4.5 (worth 90%).  This may happen when a lab submission is not quite what was required but the mistake is superficial.  Generally, no other in-between marks will be given.

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.  This means it is usually better to continue working on a program after it is due, taking a deduction for lateness, than to submit a buggy program.  Once you start getting 2-3 days late, however, it's probably a toss-up unless you're sure you are going to get it working soon!