C335/A593
Computer Structures

Instructor: Jeff Whitmer

• My "Permanent" Office: Lindley Hall 201G.
  
• My "Hotel" Office: INFO West W013.
  
• Office Hours:
  
  
  • INFO West W013: Monday/Wednesday: 8:00 - 8:45am, 10:00 - 10:45am, 12:15 - 12:45pm. Appointments also available.
    
    
  • Lindley Hall 201G: Nothing scheduled, but appointments available.
    
    
  
  
• Office Hour Special NOTES:
  • Any changes to my office hours will be posted here.
    
    
    • Monday, January 7, 2013: FIRST DAY OF CLASS.
      
      
    • Monday, January 21, 2013: Martin Luther King Jr. Day: NO CLASSES.
      
      
    • Friday-Sunday, February 1-3 2013: I will be out-of-town with very limited email access. Most replies won't happen until Monday, February 4.
      
      
• Lindley Hall LH201G Office Phone: 855-3974.
  
• E-mail: jwhitmer@cs.indiana.edu.
  

Meeting Times: (Spring 2013)

• Monday/Wednesday: 9:05 - 9:55am (sections 16419 and 16394) Informatics East 130 (I E130)

Lab Times: (Spring 2013)

• Th: 5:00pm - 8:00pm in Lindley Hall 035 (LH035) (sections 16420)
• F: 9:00am - 12:00pm in Lindley Hall 035 (LH035) (sections 16421 and 16596)
• F: 12:15pm - 3:15pm in Lindley Hall 035 (LH035) (section 32610)

Important Updates for All Students enrolled in
Spring 2013

[LAST UPDATED: 5/1/2013]

• Final Grading Scale set and Final Grades posted and submitted. Final Grades have been submitted to the Registrar and should be visible to you tomorrow, 5/2/2013.
  
  Here are the IMPORTANT DETAILS on the Final Grading Scale. Grading Scale Adjustment: I made an adjustment to the Final Grading Scale> Based on the challenges with the Homework, the Midterm, and the Final, I dropped the entire scale by 7 points (83-73-63-53). After careful consideration, this is the only adjustment I made. The 10-point range for each letter grade seemed well-founded and the top and bottom 2.5% still being the +/- grade. Everyone worked hard and I've tried to be sure that is reflected in the final grades. This means the lowest A- went from 90.0% to 83.0%, the lowest B- went from 80.0% to 73.0% and the lowest C- went from 70.0% to 63.0%.
  
  Just a reminder, your final average was based on the following "weights" for each course component as published on the website the first day of class:
  
  Homework: 20% (.2)
  Midterm Exam: 10% (.1)
  Final Exam: 10% (.1)
  Lab Assignments + Assessments: 40% (.4)
  Final Project: 20% (.20)
  
  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.
  
  Based on the new grading scale, the final distribution of grades was: 15 A, 3 A-, 8 B+, 7 B, 4 B-, 3 C+, 2 C, 0 C-, 0 D+, 1 D, 0 D- and 0 F. Overall, this means there were 18 A, 19 B, 5 C, 1 D, and 0 F. NOTE these are before the Attendance penalty. I had really hoped this would not have to be applied, but alas, it was. I decided to temper it just a bit. Originally, if you missed more than 3 classes unexcused, you stepped down a grade step (B+ to B). Intead, if you had 1 extra unexcused, there was no penalty. If you had 2-3 extra unexcused, it was one step, if you had 4-5 extra unexcused, it was two steps, and if you had 6 or more extra unexcused, it was a full letter grade. I decided not to penalize anyone more than one full letter grade. I wish I had not had to do this at all, but some form of the penalty applied to several students.
  
  A NOTE ON "BORDERLINE" GRADES: After the new grading scale was set and initial final grades were determined, just a few students were on the "borderline" for a higher grade. PLEASE be careful to note that "borderline" in this course means within .1 -.3% (tenths of a percent), NOT within 1-2% (full percent). For each student, I looked carefully at every aspect of the course, from labss to homework, to attendance. 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 missed work, i.e., got a 0 (zero), 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.
  
  Thanks to everyone for their hard work. I hope you found the course fun or interesting or useful, or even all three. Best of luck in the future to each of you.
  
  
• Final Exam Scores and Final Averages posted, BUT FINAL GRADING SCALE NOT SET. I have posted the Final Exam Scores. Needless to say, as most of you already know, it was a more challenging exam than I had intended or anticipated, much like the Midterm. The overall average was 62.19, about the same as the Midterm. There was 1 score in the 80s, 10 in the 70s, 14 in the 60s, 13 in the 50s, 3 in the 40s, and 2 below 40. Again, this is a reflection in large part on the exam, and in small measure on how well some of you were prepared. Many sections went well, but the ABI sections didn't, nor did the "callee/caller" section or the Assembly decode. The C/Assembly question went well except for those who failed to explain what "lsl #2" actually does, i.e., it's not just "logical shift left by 2", it has the consequence of multiplying the current value of r1 by 4.
  
  I have also posted your Final Average. Remember, this is based on 10% for the Midterm, 10% for the Final, 20% for all the Homeworks, 20% for the Final Project, and 40% for all the Lab Assignments + the Assessments. I have not yet set the final grading scale. There will be a significant downward change, but I want to take the time to carefully consider it before setting, publishing, and submitting Final Grades. I plan to set the scale either late today or early tomorrow. Again, The Midterm, Final, and Homework Assignments did not go as well as hoped for, and there will be adjustments to the grading scale to take into account each of these.
  
  
• Phase 3, Assess, and Final Project TOTAL as well as LAB Average posted and emails sent. Phase 3 scores and Final Project TOTALs are posted. The Final Projects went very well, with the Phase 3 average being 64.71/70 and the Final Project Average being 94.60/100. Assessment 3 went pretty well, with an average of 42.04/50 for those who submitted. Those who did not submit scored 0. The Feedback forms for both Phase 3 and Assess 3 have been emailed to everyone. Also note your Lab AVERAGE is now posted. It is comprised of the 11 lab scores along with 25 points for Assess 1, and 50 points each for Assess 2 and Assess 3. The overall Lab average was 85.43%. Very Good. ALSO NOTE: If you had more than 3 unexcused absences, that is now noted as well, as "Attend Penalty." If you see "none" you have no penalty. As announced at the beginning of the term, for every unexcused absence after 3, you step down one grade step, i.e., B+ to B, or B to B-. If you have a minus value, that is the number of unexcused absences you have OVER the 3 permitted.