A290/A590
Tools for Computing/Topics In Programming:
Introduction to SQL Programming.

"What one man can invent another can discover."

-Sherlock Holmes "The Adventure of the Dancing Men"

Instructor: Jeff Whitmer

• Office: Luddy Hall 2050 (IF2050).
  
• Office Hours:
  
  
  • Spring 2021: By Appointment Only.
    
  
  
• Office Hour Special NOTES:
  • Any changes to my office hours will be posted here.
    
    
    • Tuesday, May 9, 2023: FIRST DAY THIS CLASS MEETS.
      
      
• Luddy Hall 2050 (IF2050) Office Phone: 855-3974.
  
• E-mail: jwhitmer@cs.indiana.edu.
  

Meeting Times: (Summer Session 2023)

• Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday: 12:30 - 1:45pm (Section 10701 and 10702) in Luddy Hall 0006 (IF 0006).

Important Updates for All Students
enrolled in Summer Session 2023

[LAST UPDATED: 6/19/2023]

• ACTIVE Course Engagement scores, Final Averages and Final Grades: are now posted on Canvas. Final Grades have been submitted to the Registrar and should be visible to you tomorrow, 6/20/2023.
  
  
• I have been able to modify the Canvas grading scale so it matches the modified grading scale explained below. This means your final average and Final Grade as displayed on Canvas are official and confirmed accurate and correct.



• A note on the ACTIVE Course Engagement Score: The A290 ACTIVE Course Engagement score represents my evaluation of your preparation and participation in the class meetings, as well as your overall engagement in the course. As noted at the beginning, just being the one making the most inquiries doesn't mean you will get the highest rating. Similarly, making no inquiries doesn't mean you'll get a low score. ALSO NOTE that you cannot expect a high participation score if you missed a substantial number of the class meetings, even if your absence was excused. I did my best to advise everyone of the possible consequences of these issues at the beginning of the course. You can not be engaged if you are not present. All ACTIVE Course engagement scores were in the 70s, 80s, or 90s..
  
  Here are a few additional details on Final Grades. Grading Scale Adjustment: While the performance by the class as a whole was very good, I could still justify making a modest adjustment in the grading scale to reflect this. The original scale was used, 90-80-70-60 with the top and bottom 2.5% being the +/- grade. I decided to drop all the ranges by 3 points. This makes the new scale 87 - 77 - 67 - 60 with the top and bottom 2.5% still representing the +/- grade. Everyone worked hard and I think that is reflected in the final grades each of you. Again, I think most of you were actively involved and this is reflected in the scores.
  
  Remember, your final average was based on the following "weights" for each course component as published on the website the first day of class:
  
  Attendance: 5% (.05)
  Assignments/Programs: 75% (.75)
  MINI/CAT/JIT/Quiz: 10% (.1)
  ACTIVE Course Engagement: 10% (.1)
  
  Together, these add up to 100% and if you multiply your averages by these percentages, you will get your final average. NOTE: While final averages are published to 2 decimal places, they are stored and calculated to 6 decimal places.
  
  A NOTE ON "BORDERLINE" GRADES: After the new grading scale was set and initial final grades were determined, some students may have been on the "borderline" for a higher grade. PLEASE be careful to note that "borderline" in this course means within .1 -.2% (tenths of a percent), NOT within 1-2% (full percent). For any such student, I looked carefully at every aspect of the course, from MINIs to CATs to Assignments at least once, if not twice. If the work was of consistent quality in all areas, the higher grade was probably given. HOWEVER, if there were one or more areas where the scores/averages were consistently lower, or if there was any missed work, then the higher grade was not given. Just so you are clear, since I have taken the time to review all this information already, unless you find a mathematical error in your averages, I will not be open to a request for a grade change.
  
  Federal privacy laws bar me from sharing the final grade distribution details publically, but the distribution was consistent with past version of the course, both in the summer and during a regular semester. Thanks to everyone for their hard work. I hope you found the course interesting and useful. Best of luck in the future to each of you.
  
  
• Assignment 3 scores posted and and Assignment Averages confirmed correct, emails on the way. Assignment 3 scores are posted on Canvas. Everyone should receive an email with their Assignment 3 score and some comments by the end of today. This was an good set of submissions as a group. Almost everyone showed a good, clear understanding of what was expected. The average on Assignment 3 for the class was 87.75%, which is very good. The most common oversights were to not declare a Primary Key (PK) for each table or not realizing that CONSTRAINT had to be used to create the Composite PK for Enrollment and then ALTER had to be used to establish the Foreign Keys for Enrollment.
  
  The overall averages for the three Assignments was also outstanding. For the class, the average was 83.58% NOTE: The Assignment average calculated by Canvas have been confirmed correct. ALSO NOTE: Active Course Engagement scores, Final Averages, and Final Grades will be published sometime tomorrow (Monday), as previously announced. PLEASE NOTE: I realize you may be looking at your current average and have concerns about your Final Grade. Keep in mind what you currently see on Canvas does not include your Active Course Engagement score nor does it reflect any adjustments I may make in the final grading scale. Please be patient and allow me time to consider these rather than contacting me with concerns that are not well founded at this point. I appreciate your cooperation with this.
  
  
• CAT 4 scores posted. Canvas MINI/JIT/CAT Averages and Attendance Averages confirmed correct: Just a quick note to let everyone know I have posted the CAT 4 scores and confirmed the MINI/JIT/CAT averages on Canvas match my records. Overall, the individual averages varied greatly. Federal Privacy Laws bar me from sharing detailed information publicly when the class size is small. I can point out, as noted at the beginning of the course, missing one or two of these small point value assignments would have minimal impact on your final average, but as some of the lower averages reveal, some students missed a fair number of these assignments which impacted final averages.
  
  I also have confirmed the Attendance averages on Canvas are accurate, keeping in mind that on Canvas they are rounded up or down to the nearest whole number when displayed. A 71.43 would display as a 71 and an 85.71 would display as 86. The precise, accurate values are still maintained in my records for the Final Average calculations.
  
  As per Course Guidelines, every student was entitled to 1 "undocumented" excused absence and I went through and applied this policy for everyone who was eligible. Keep in mind this reduces your total possible Attendance points, so each remaining meeting was worth a little more.
  
  
• Your input greatly appreciated. I will mention this in class today but I also like to post a brief message about the Online Course Questionnaire (OCQ). You each should have received an email late last week about the OCQ and how to access it for this course. I would be grateful if you could find the time in the next 2 days to complete the questionnaire.
  NOTE that it locks up at6 7am on Friday, June 16.
  The most useful sections for me are those where you can write in your opinions about what when well, what can be improved, and so on.Some of the things we do in this class now are based on this sort of feedback offered by students in prior semesters/sessions.
  I hope you can find the time to make your comments about how this course can be improved.
  
  

Undergraduate Assistants, Summer Session 2023:

Nick Van Burk

Email: ndvanbur@iu.edu

• Office Hours/Appointments: No formal office hours. Preferred appointment times available and appointments strongly encouraged.
  PREFERRED Appointment times:


• Mondays: 10:00am - 12:00pm and Thursdays: 11:45am - 1:45pm. These are both earlier and later in the week and both are on days we do not have class to give you more options.