Title: How to get a good Grade
Course: CPS 261: Advanced Java Concepts ~ DL & MM MASTER

How to get a good Grade

1. There 1000 points on all of the Java Homework (JH) assignments + Tests ... turn them in on time
2. Watch ALL of the required videos(Actively) before doing the assignments/Tests. Instead of watching the videos passively (like a TV show), engage your brain while watching the video. You can do this by taking notes. You can also do this by doing the program at the same time in Eclipse that is being created in the video.
3. Practice is essential to learning Java ... this is the purpose of the JH assignments. The concepts are unlikely to click if you don't practice the concepts covered.
4. If you are struggling with the JH assignments , you can get help: See the Blackboard section on "Getting Help" for the available options
5. Some of you have enough discipline to stay on track and will find that doing the JH assignments will be sufficient to mastering the material.
6. Many of you would benefit attending MM sessions. As it was mentioned in the Class Policy video, this will help you avoid procrastination, get help on a timely basis. Because I believe this will improve the performance of many students, I offer the MM_Bribe System defined below:

MM_Bribe System

How does this affect your Effective Grade?

MM_Attendance_Percentage(MAP) = Percentage of the time that you showed up to MM sections (starting on the second week)

There are 1000 points on all of the JH assignments + Tests.

Let G = your score on JH assignments + Tests

Your Effective Grade for the class (EG) will be:

EG = 300*MAP + G * (1 - 0.28 * MAP)

The best way to explain this is to describe 3 scenarios:

1. If you never show up to an MM section(MAP=0) and you never do any practice problems and achieve a grade of G, then your effective grade will be G.
2. If you show up to every MM section, it should improve your performance. Additionally, your Effective Grade will be 100% on 30% of your grade. The remaining 70% of your grade will be a little better than the percentage that you achieved (G) in JH assignments and tests.
3. If you show up some of the time to MM sections then your Effective grade wil be prorated based on how much you actually participated in the MM_Bribe_System.

Table that shows the result of the above formula:

Last Modified: December 24, 2014 5:06 PM