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211

 CprE 211 - Microcontrollers and Digital Systems Design

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering   
Iowa State University

Spring 2007

Grading Policy

 

Policies and Procedures

General

  1. You are required to access the course home page for relevant and timely information throughout the term.
  2. Class attendance is not required. If you choose to attend the class, please make sure that you do not indulge in disruptive behavior such as newspaper reading and chatting.
  3. There is no textbook for the course.
  4. Be aware of the laboratory policies (see below).
  5. Email is an effective way to communicate with the instructors and TAs. 

 

Grading

  1. Some of your work is done in groups and some individually. An example of group work is regular laboratory exercises, and an example of individual  work is homework. You are allowed to discuss homework and laboratory exercises, but you are not allowed to exchange answers or submit duplicate work.  Exams must be exclusively your work; cheating will be dealt with per University regulations. Academic dishonesty on class or laboratory work will be dealt with harshly and may result in a 0.0 for the course.

  2. The following grading scheme will be used (* denotes group work):

 

·         Homeworks: 15%

·         Regular Laboratory Exercises: 25%

·         Laboratory Project *: 15%

·         Midterm Exam 1 (Th Feb. 15): 15%

·         Midterm Exam 2 (Th Mar. 29): 15%

·         Final Exam (Exam 3)  (M Apr. 30, 9:45AM-11:00AM): 15%

·         TOTAL: 100%

 

 

  1. The grading is not on a fixed scale. It would be based on class distributions and our expectations based on prior class offerings. You will see a sample of grading at mid-semester and pre-final stages.

 

Lab Policies

Pay special attention to the items in bold.

  1. Lab attendance is mandatory. If you will be absent, you must notify the lab instructor by email or phone before the absence for it to be an excused absence. Unexcused absences may result in a zero for the corresponding lab(s) and is sufficient cause for a zero lab score for the semester, and in turn, a 0.0 grade for the course.
  2. The lab period may begin with a timed skill-building exercise to be completed before the scheduled laboratory activity. Students should be in the lab and ready to begin promptly.
  3. Students will typically work with partners or groups on lab work. Lab partners and roles may be rotated during the term to give students different learning experiences. A single prelab may be submitted by lab partners. The same score will be awarded on group work unless there is evidence to support different scores.
  4. Prelabs are due upon instructor request at the beginning of the lab period before the lab is to be performed. The prelab should be submitted in typed form (well-drawn figures for schematics) along with the evaluation form from the lab webpage. There will be no credit for a late prelab.
  5. The lab should be worked on during its corresponding lab period. If the lab is not completed during the lab period, it may be finished during any other unscheduled/open lab time. The lab must be demonstrated to your lab instructor no later than the beginning of the next regular scheduled lab time, otherwise it is considered late (it must be ready to demonstrate - students may not work on Lab i during the period for Lab (i+1). The late penalty is 20% for a lab assignment turned in at any time within one week after its due. After one week it will not be accepted.
  6. Work can be done outside formal lab times to verify and test hardware and software designs. Software design tools are available in the lab.
  7. No handwritten reports or code will be accepted. All schematics, tables, text, figures, etc., must be printed using a word processor. Microsoft Word is available on the PCs in the lab. Access to printing is also available in the lab.
  8. All code must be commented. This does include prelabs as well as the final version. For assembly code, this equates to a ratio of almost one line of code to one comment. In C, comment where necessary. For the labs, it is equally important to do the lab well as to get the correct solution.
  9. Students will keep track of many files in Cpr E 211, and each student is responsible for creating and maintaining a directory on his/her U: drive for Cpr E 211.  Make sure that at the end of a lab, you have your own copy of your work. 
  10. Grading will be based on evaluation forms as specified for each lab. Failure to complete the lab requirements (i.e., hand in graded work) will result in a zero for the lab and is sufficient cause for a zero lab score for the semester, and in turn, a 0.0 grade for the course.
  11. CprE 211 labs are meant to be instructive and fun. You learn by being prepared. You learn by doing. You learn by working cooperatively. Enjoy!

Integrity of Scholarship and Grades

All students are to adhere to the University's policy relating to integrity of scholarship and grades as presented in the Student Information Handbook.