NEW HAMPSHIRE TECHNICAL INSTITUTE 
Concord, New Hampshire

CP 107 Introduction to Programming with C++

Policy and Procedures Regarding Lab Assignments

 As described in the syllabus, lab programming assignments constitute the major portion of your grade.

Due dates and lateness policy

Lab assignments MAY have a scheduled (Pre-Lab) in class lab assignment followed by the lab assignment. Lab assignment due date is list on the class schedule.  Detailed directions on specifically how to submit a lab for grading will either be listed on the lab or you will provided instructions. It is your responsibility to know how the lab must be submitted. If you are not sure, ask the instructor. In general, a printed copy of the source code AND an electronic copy of the source and executable files on diskette must be submitted for grading.

Assignments sent to the instructor as email attachments will not be graded unless the instructor has agreed to receiving the work ahead of time (student is ill and/or can’t come to campus).

If a required assignment is late, the grade will be decremented by 20% for each class.

Extenuating circumstances for lateness should be a reason to contact the instructor (email or in writing) before or after the occurrence, to ask for an exception to this policy.

Criteria for Grading the Lab

When writing a program, there are 2 audiences you need to be aware of:

1. The user

2. The programmer

The user is the person who will be running your program as an executable.  Source code will not be available to your user.  You need to present information on the screen to the user that is understandable and not ambiguous.  Your output to the user should be what is promised or should give an explanation as to why it didn't happen.

The programmer audience is one that will be looking directly at your source code for

As an instructor, it is important to include satisfaction of both audiences in grading.

Grading is based on

Program Header

1. A program header or title block is required at the beginning of each program.  It should include your name, lab section, today’s date, program name, short description of the assignment and any known limitations of the software outside of the given specifications. Example:
   
   //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
   // filename.cpp : Lab 2 - Part 1
   // Today's date - 2/11/99
   //
   // Name: Your Name
   // Class: CP 107 Introduction to Programming with C++
   /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
   // Description
   // 
   // Part 1: Create a function that defines a local variable twice
   // in the function to show the scope of a variable.
   /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
   // Program Output
   //
   //
   /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
   
   

2. Use meaningful variable names and include a comment for each variable explaining its purpose.  For example:
   
   “x” and “y” might be good variable names in a program that solves a mathematical function
   
   “MilesToBoston” might be a good variable in a program that calculates miles per gallon on a trip to Boston
   

3. Align curly braces“{“ and “}” vertically
   

4. Use indentation to differentiate levels of structured and nested code
   

5. Use at least one blank line to separate major sections of the program, such as:
   
   Preprocessor directives (#include <iostream>)
   
   Beginning of main program or beginning of a function definition
   
   Between declaration area and program statement area of each function
   

6. Use one space on either side of an operator for readability purposes.
   

7. Include adequate comments within the code to explain how the software woks
   

8. For each function other than main, provide a brief description of its purpose, a list of inputs and a list of outputs
   

Receiving Feedback From the Instructor

The instructor will review the source code, compile and test the program. Instructor will then place a grade and evaluation feedback on the first page of the printed copy of the source code and return the results back to the student.

Resubmittals

Any lab assignment that received a passing grade (70% or more) is eligible to be resubmitted once.  (Resubmittals cannot raise the grade above 90%).
Resubmittals will be due one week (next class) after you receive your graded lab back.
When resubmitting an assignment, include the old copy that has instructors grading comments so that the instructor knows what corrections should have been made by the student.  If the instructor’s original grade and comments are missing, the resubmittal will not be graded.

Copyright (c) Yusuf Family Website 2001