a common email from me

Students are encouraged to discuss grading issues during my office hours. If you email me about grading, I may give you the following reply:

Dear Student,

You received this email because you asked me a question about the grading, relating to my subjective evaluation of your work.

- - -
First of all, I totally understand your concern. Spending so much time on an assignment and not getting enough credits for your effort is really sad. I've got that feeling several times myself when I was an undergrad, and that was a painful part of my learning process.

- - -
Second of all, let me clarify the grading process.

When a program passes the tests, the grades automatically come up. If it fails all the tests, it becomes the responsibility of the grader (me), to look at the code and evaluate it subjectively.

I would like to repeat the word "subjectively." It means that "it's up to me." Which, to many students, may sound like I can do it arbitrarily.

The matter of fact is: I do have some subjective guidelines. For example, the maximum I can possibly give for a program that fails all tests is around 4/15 points (that equals the maximum credits for non-compiling programs). The only programs to receive such credits need to show significant work toward project completion. Just a minor 1-line modification would have made your program perfect. In other words: it needs to clearly show that "you almost got it!"

My initial subjective evaluation of your program (both the output and the code) resulted in the score you received. As a human being, my evaluation may not be perfect. And of course, you are welcome to appeal.

- - -
Third of all, let me clarify the appeal/dispute process.

If you believe there was an error in grading, or that your program was evaluated unfairly, you are welcome to ask me to re-grade. However, I need to ask you to come to my office hours or make appointment. We need to meet in person so that you have a chance to explain to me:
- what minor changes are needed in order to make your program perfect.
- what's the approach you used, and why it did not work.
- or you can show me that your program actually works. And I can show you that it actually does not work.

This kind of back-and-forth discussion and negotiation cannot be done effectively by email. That's why meeting in person is the best way to do it.

:)
Sincerely,
- Mock