CISE DPS-3 Project - Evaluation

You will receive a letter grade for your project that will be based on the following factors:

1. Grade returned by your project advisor, based on completeness, complexity, and quality of your effort;

2. Grade on oral presentation and examination (oral questions), returned by the course supervisor; and

3. Grade on your final report returned by the course supervisor.

Since the grading is essentially subjective, it is not possible to post an exact formula for grade computation that is specified down to the last little detail. Here is how the current semester (Fall 2003) evaluation will proceed:

The advisor will return a grade ranging from zero to 50, which can be based on the following partitions. However this is not required, as various advisors may prefer to implement their own grading schemes.

   
          Complexity   of Project ..... 10 points
          Quality      of Results ..... 20 points
          Quality of Interim Report ... 10 points       
          Quality of Interaction ...... 10 points       

The grade assigned by the advisor will count as 50 percent of your final score. This grade will be added to the grades assigned by the course supervisor (described below), to yield 100 points as the maximum final score. Late submission of the final report copy signed by your advisor will not be permitted, except for officially documented medical, judicial, law enforcement, or military service excuses.

Your first midterm presentation (e.g., a meeting with your advisor) will not be graded, but your attendance will be recorded and will influence your final grade if you are on the borderline between two letter grades (e.g., between C+ and B). The course supervisor will assign a grade of zero to 5 on your second midterm presentation, per the following guidelines:

                     --------- GRADE ----------
    CATEGORY         Unacceptable    Acceptable
    ---------------  ------------    ----------
    1. Clarity             0              1
    2. Organization        0              1
    3. Completeness        0              1
    4. Speaking Habits     0              1
    5. Question/Ans.       0              1
    -------------------------------------------
    MAXIMUM TOTAL POINTS for first oral = 5

This grade will not be changed by your advisor, and will count as 5 percent of your final score. Lateness of presentation will not be permitted, except for the excuses specified previously.

The course supervisor will assign a grade of zero to 30 on your interim or final report, per the following guidelines:

                     ------------ GRADE --------------
    CATEGORY         E      D       C       B       A
    ---------------  --     --      --      --      --
    1. Clarity        1      2       3       4       5
    2. Organization   1      2       3       4       5
    3. English        1      2       3       4       5
    4. Appearance     1      2       3       4       5
    5. Discussion or
         Analysis     1      2       3       4       5
    6. References     1      2       3       4       5
    -----------------------------------------------------
    MAXIMUM TOTAL POINTS from Course Supervisor =   30

This grade will not be changed by your advisor, and will count as 30 percent of your semester score. Lateness of presentation will not be permitted, except for the excuses specified previously.

The course supervisor will assign a grade of zero to 15 on your end-of-term oral presentation, per the following guidelines:

                     ------------ GRADE --------------
    CATEGORY         E      D       C       B       A
    ---------------  --     --      --      --      --
    1. Clarity        1     1.5      2      2.5      3
    2. Organization   1     1.5      2      2.5      3
    3. Completion     1     1.5      2      2.5      3
    4. Speaking 
         Habits       1     1.5      2      2.5      3
    5. Question/Ans.  1     1.5      2      2.5      3
    -----------------------------------------------------
    MAXIMUM TOTAL POINTS from Course Supervisor =   15

This grade will not be changed by your advisor, and will count as 15 percent of your final score. Lateness of presentation will not be permitted, except for the excuses specified previously.

The final score will be computed on the basis of a maximum of 100 points (50 points maximum from advisor + 30 points maximum from supervisor for final report + 5 points maximum for first oral presentation + 15 points maximum for final oral presentation). The final grade (A-E, or I with documented excuse), will be determined without curving of any kind, according to the standard University grading system:

        90 - 100 : A    85 - 89 : B+      80 - 84 : B
        75 -  79 : C+   70 - 74 : C       65 - 69 : D+  
        60 -  64 : D     0 - 59 : E

Complexity of Project

Projects should be significantly complex. A significant project is defined as one that is novel, well-developed and useful to your project advisor.

For example, projects that involve literature searches and artistic design, in addition to the required demonstration and software deliverables, are generally considered more complex than projects that involve merely developing an animation that has been written before on a large scale.

For instance, a project entitled "An Object-Oriented Database Design for Manufacturing Schedules" would likely be more novel than "Interfacing Spreadsheet X to Graphics Program Y", especially if the first project requires a careful review of the existing literature and recent software developments.

If you are unsure of the suitability of your project, please talk with your project advisor.