Lab Rewrites & Grading
Thomas J. Kennedy
1 The W in CS 411W
CS 411W is the writing intensive course with the Computer Science major. The 'W'
at the end of CS 411W is the writing intensive designation.
The W
designation requires that students:
- Receive feedback on their writing
- Make revisions based on supplied feedback
- Submit the revised work
- Receive updated grades based on revisions
- Use the revised work in another assignment
2 Grading Rigor & Points
What you wrote in CS 410 was the initial Lab 1 Draft. In CS 410 the draft was graded for content and a little grammar. CS 411W is the writing intensive course for Computer Science. The grading is required to be rigorous. Grading covers:
- grammar
- formatting
- style
- technical content (presence, correctness, and completeness)
- content overall
Every item you need to address is a 1 point deduction (with exceptions for mistakes such as missing sections/content). Every comment is something you need to address (i.e., correct) in your next revision.
3 Low Lab 1v1 Grades
Lab 1 version 1 (Lab 1v1) is the first formal Lab submission. The Lab 1v1 grade usually results in students questioning their writing skills. “Low” Lab 1v1 grades (i.e., grades under 50) are normal.
Lab 1v1 is the first time many students submit a formal technical document. There are many habits that carry over from other courses. These habits include:
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using meaningless buzzwords and buzzphrases (e.g., easy-to-use, streamlined, Web 2.0, and secure).
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writing in first person (e.g., using I and we).
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using terms such as “a lot” or “many” without quantifying amounts.
Lab 1v1 is the beginning of the semester. Lab 1v1 is when we break bad habits.
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Bad habits are difficult to break.
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Old habits result it repeated mistakes throughout a paper.
4 Lab 1v2 & Lab 1 Final Grade
Lab 1v2 is the second formal Lab 1 submission. Lab 1v2 grades usually fall in the 82 to 100 range.
The Lab 1 portion of your grade will be max(Lab 1v1, Lab 1v2)
. Lab 1v2 submissions are always the higher grade. Your Lab 1v2 grade will take the place of your Lab 1v1 grade.