Course Grades and Assignments

Grade Components

Course grades are based on the following required assignments:

Additionally, students can earn up to 70 points in extra credit:

Final Grades

The following letter grade scale will be used in issuing final grades for students electing the letter grade option:

Incomplete grades are issued extremely rarely, only in the case of severe family or medical emergencies. Significant documentation is required.

Assignments

Homeworks

Homeworks are formal assessments designed to provide students with an opportunity apply the skills they have learned in the course in solving real world problems. They are graded based on a rubric included at the end of their instructions.

These assignments are available on your instructor's Assignments page. Homeworks are due at 11:59pm Eastern Time on the listed due date. A penalty of 20% per calendar day will be deducted from late work. During Summer semesters, Homework #5 may not be accepted late.

Only one submission will be graded for each Homework. In the event of multiple submissions from a student, instructors will grade the most recent complete submission received at the time they begin grading.

Extensions for Homework due dates are at the instructor's discretion and will generally only be granted in the case of an personal or family emergency or severe illness. All requests must be made within a timely manner, preferably prior to the assignment due date and under no circumstances more than 48 hours after the assignment was due.

Exams

Exams are formal assessments designed to measure student learning of the objectives and skills required in this course. They are graded based on a rubric included at the end of their instructions.

Exams are closed book, closed notes, and closed Internet. The only allowed outside resource is the built-in Microsoft Help system. The use of cameras, cell phones, smart watches, tablets, or other communications devices is prohibited. Talking or communicating with others is also prohibited.

These are assignments are available at a URL provided by the instructor. Students will have 50 continuous minutes each for Exam #1 and 90 continuous minutes for Exam #2. Exams must be completed in one sitting. If students arrive late, leave early, or miss the Exam entirely, any lost time if forfeited. Students in in-person sections must take their exam in-class at the scheduled time, or if they have an accessibility accommodation, in the OAS Testing Center. Students in online sections may self-proctor their exams.

Students are responsible for having access to a computer with the Windows version of Microsoft Office and a reliable Internet connection to complete their exams.

If you wish to reschedule an Exam because of a schedule conflict, scheduled event, or Day of Concern, you must notify your instructor at least one week prior to the day the exam begins. If you miss an Exam because of a personal, family, or medical emergency, you must notify your instructor within 48 hours of the scheduled start time to request a makeup exam. Documentation may be required. Other requests for makeup exams will generally not be accepted.

All rescheduled or makeup exams are at the instructor’s discretion. They must be completed within 4 weekdays of the scheduled exam day (Exam #1) or at the announced makeup session (Exam #2).

Aside from cases where there was an instructor-approved makeup exam, exam submissions will not be accepted after the exam deadline. Students are responsible for ensuring their exam was correctly submitted prior to the deadline.

MyLab Lessons

MyLab Lessons are computer-based simulations of Microsoft Office. Each Lesson consists of multiple modules, each containing one or more simulation questions. In total, approximately 218 questions are available across 7 Lessons.

MyLab Lessons are computer-based learning activities designed to teach students how to use Microsoft Office as required by this course. They are automatically graded by the MyLab IT software with credit being given for the highest-scoring attempt for each modules. Credit of 1 point is awarded for each on-time successfully completed question. Students are required to successfully complete at least 190 questions during the semester to receive full credit.

These assignments are available in MyLab IT. Students must complete all modules available for each Lesson. MyLab Lessons are due at 11:59pm Eastern Time on the listed due date. Late work is accepted for 50% credit until the listed MyLab Lessons Late Submission Deadline. Grades for late MyLab Lessons work may not be appealed.

Extensions for MyLab Lessons due dates are at the instructor's discretion and will generally only be granted in the case of an personal or family emergency or severe illness. All requests must be made within a timely manner, preferably prior to the assignment due date and under no circumstances more than 48 hours after the assignment was due.

Students are responsible for setting their Student ID in MyLab IT as shown in our instructions. Students with incorrectly set Student IDs may not receive credit for MyLab Lessons if the issue is not corrected by the MyLab Late Submission Deadline.

Simultaneously launching the same assignment in multiple browser windows is not supported and may result in loss of credit for the assignment.

MyLab Extra Credit Projects

MyLab Extra Credit Projects are optional formal assessments of student knowledge that can be completed for bonus credit. They are computer-graded based on a rubric included with their instructions. Students may submit each assignment multiple times and will receive bonus credit for the highest-scoring attempt. Projects must be submitted through and computer-graded by MyLab IT to receive credit.

These assignments are available in MyLab IT. MyLab Extra Credit Projects are due at 11:59pm Eastern Time on the listed due date. Late submissions will not be accepted and extensions will not be granted for any reason. Grades for MyLab Extra Credit Projects may not be appealed.

Students are responsible for setting their Student ID in MyLab IT as shown in our instructions. Students with incorrectly set Student IDs may not receive credit for MyLab Extra Credit Projects if the issue is not corrected by the MyLab Late Submission Deadline.

Students scoring at least 90% on each individual MyLab Extra Credit Project will receive a Credly badge from Pearson for that particular Microsoft 365 application. This may allow students to purchase discounted vouchers to take the Microsoft Office Specialist certification exams.

Participation Projects

Participation Projects are learning activities and informal assessments that provide students with opportunities to practice the skills taught in the course. They are graded based on a rubric included at the end of their instructions. Students are required to successfully complete at least 20 Participation Projects during the semester to receive full credit.

These assignments are available on your instructor's Assignments page. For online sections, Participation Projects are due at 11:59pm Eastern Time on the listed due date. For in-person sections, projects must be completed in-class and submitted by the end of class to receive credit.

Late submissions of Participation Projects will not be accepted. Participation Projects may only be made-up in the case of university-sanctioned absences, and in those cases, arrangements for making up the work must be made with the instructor prior to the time the assignment is due.

Instructors may revoke credit for Participation Projects if, in their sole determination, the student was not making a good faith effort to participate in the class and complete the assignment.

Students may be assigned into groups of 3 to 4 students to conduct peer evaluations of each others' Participation Projects. Peer evaluations are to be conducted on at least 3 projects of each group's choosing during the semester. Students should provide copies of their completed files to their group members for the projects on which peer evaluations will be conducted. Peer evaluations are to be completed using a rubric included at the end of each Participation Project's instructions. Peer evaluators should evaluate the student's overall performance on the project and note any errors they find in the student's work. Evaluations should be completed and provided to the student being evaluated within 10 calendar days of when the Participation Project being evaluated was due.

Due Dates

CS101 is not a self-paced course. Homeworks, Exams, MyLab Lessons, and MyLab Extra Credit Projects are due on the dates shown below.

Participation Projects are due as listed on each instructor's Assignments page.

Participation Projects due dates are not listed on the above schedule as they are not announced in advance. A listing of previous Participation Projects is on your instructor's Assignments page.

Schedules showing the content being taught each week are posted on your instructor’s website.

Grading and Feedback

Grades and detailed feedback are posted to the CS101 View Grades page. Students should review grades as soon as they are posted. Grades may be appealed within 7 calendar days of when they are posted by contacting your instructor. After this time, grades are final. All grades for MyLab Extra Credit Projects and late MyLab Lessons work are final and may not be appealed.

Grades and feedback for Homeworks and Exams will generally be posted within 10 class days of when the assignments were due. Official grades for MyLab Lessons and MyLab Extra Credit Projects will generally be posted to the CS101 View Grades page within 7 calendar days of when the assignments are due, although MyLab IT's evaluations and unofficial grades will be available in MyLab IT immediately after the assignments are completed. Participation Projects grades will be updated at least once per unit.

Technical Problems and On-Time Completion

Students are responsible for completing and submitting their assignments on-time, regardless of any problems they encounter. Extensions will not be provided because of technical problems. Start your work early.

To reduce the likelihood of problems, students are encouraged to use the CS101 Learning Center or a WVU-maintained computer to complete their work.

If you encounter problems in completing your work, please immediately notify your instructor. You should also contact Pearson Tech Support for MyLab IT issues. Notifying your instructor does not absolve you of the requirement to complete your assignments on-time.

Accessing Assignments

Homeworks and Participation Projects will be posted on each instructor’s website. Instructions for accessing Exams will be provided at the time of the test.

MyLab Lessons and MyLab Extra Credit Projects are available in MyLab IT.

Submitting Assignments

Homeworks, Exams, and Participation Projects are submitted through the Submit Assignments tool. Participation Projects for in-person sections must be submitted from a CS101 lab computer.

MyLab Lessons modules are automatically submitted when the entire module is complete. They can also be manually submitted from within the simulation.

MyLab Extra Credit Projects must be submitted from within MyLab IT. Students have two attempts for each MyLab Extra Credit Project. Credit will be given for the highest scoring attempt.

Assignments must be fully submitted under the correct assignment to receive credit. Students are responsible for ensuring their correct work was successfully submitted. All applicable late penalties will be applied for late submissions or submissions of missing work.

Work Retention

Students must retain copies of all submitted Homeworks and MyLab Extra Credit Projects. Online students must also retain copies of their submitted Participation Projects. Files must be secured so that nobody else is able to access them.

Academic Integrity

The integrity of the classes offered by any academic institution solidifies the foundation of its mission and cannot be sacrificed to expediency, ignorance, or blatant fraud. Therefore, the instructor will enforce rigorous standards of academic integrity in all aspects and assignments of this course.

For all assignments except Participation Projects, students must work independently by themselves. Sharing of files is not permitted for any reason. Unless otherwise instructed, students must start working from a new blank file for each assignment.

For Participation Projects only, instructors may authorize groups of students to work together. Sharing of files is only permitted within the group.

CS101 strongly discourages students from allowing others to use their computers or from using other students' computers to complete their work. There are a number of academic integrity violations each semester where one student took another's files because they were easily accessible. If a student does not have their own computer, we suggest using a computer in the CS101 Learning Center or in the WVU Libraries where security protections are in place to prevent one person from accessing another's work.

Violations

Examples of academic integrity violations include but are not limited to:

• Working with another person on any assignment other than authorized group Participation Projects.
• Sharing or allowing others to access your files, whether done with permission or not. You are responsible for protecting your files to ensure no one else can access them.
• Use or possession of a file created by someone else. Do not reuse even blank files.
• Reusing work from another semester, course, or section.
• Fraudulent submission of work.
• Using unauthorized materials, using unauthorized devices, or communicating with others during Exams.
• Unauthorized use, possession, or access of assignments.
• Use of generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Bard, GitHub Copilot).
• Disregard of exam time limits.
• Submission of a project different than what was assigned for your section.
• Impersonating someone else or having them impersonate you.
• Making fraudulent or dishonest statements regarding your work.
• Soliciting or allowing others to complete work for you.
• Posting course files and resources on study or content sharing websites.
• Plagiarism.

Penalties

A range of penalties is possible for academic integrity violations. The Office of Academic Integrity will be notified of all suspected academic integrity violations, which will be noted in your WVU record. Their office determines penalties, but at a minimum, students can expect to lose all credit for the assignment in question and be assigned additional educational sanctions. Subsequent violations generally result in harsher penalties. Suspension, expulsion, fines, and fees may be levied. Honors College policy to disassociate from honors students who have been found responsible for a violation.

Students with academic integrity violations are not eligible for any extra credit, including the MyLab Extra Credit Projects.

Additional information on WVU’s academic integrity policy is available in the West Virginia University Academic Catalog. If you have any questions about this policy or if an activity is allowed, it is your responsibility to check with your instructor beforehand.

This academic integrity policy continues to be in force even after you complete Computer Science 101. Post-completion penalties may be enforced through modifications to the final grade recorded on your transcript.

Policy Acknowledgment Form

All students must complete the online Policy Acknowledgment Form to receive credit for their work. Credit may not be granted for work due prior to when this form is completed.