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Unit 0.2.5 Grading

Remark 0.2.4.

Some of the comments below regard the MOOC, offered on the edX platform, based on these materials.

How to grade the course was another decision that required compromise. Our fundamental assumption is that you are taking this course because you want to learn the material, and that the homework and other activities are mostly there to help you learn and self-assess. For this reason, for the homework, we

  • Give you an infinite number of chances to get an answer right;

  • Provide you with detailed answers;

  • Allow you to view the answer any time you believe it will help you master the material efficiently;

  • Include some homework that is ungraded to give those who want extra practice an opportunity to do so while allowing others to move on.

In other words, you get to use the homework in whatever way helps you learn best.

Remark 0.2.5.
Don't forget to click on "Check" or you don't get credit for the exercise!

To view your progress while the course is in session, click on "Progress" in the edX navigation bar. If you find out that you missed a homework, scroll down the page and you will be able to identify where to go to fix it. Don't be shy about correcting a missed or incorrect answer. The primary goal is to learn.

Some of you will be disappointed that the course is not more rigorously graded, thereby (to you) diminishing the value of a certificate. The fact is that MOOCs are still evolving. People are experimenting with how to make them serve different audiences. In our case, we decided to focus on quality material first, with the assumption that for most participants the primary goal for taking the course is to learn.

Remark 0.2.6.
Let's focus on what works, and please be patient with what doesn't!