Class 52: In Class Exam 3

Held: Friday, 2 May 2003

Grading

• You should have received grades in the mail.
• I'm returning exams today.
• Here's my grading rubric for class participation. Let me know if you think I've failed to put you in the correct category. ("attended most classes" = "missed no more than five")
  • 95-100: Attended most classes, volunteered suggestions, ideas and questions.
  • 90: Attended most classes, answered when called upon.
  • 85: Attended many but not most classes, volunteered suggestions, ideas, and questions when present.
  • 80: Attended many but not most classes, answered when called upon

Preparing for the Final

• As you know, our final is in class on Friday, December 20th.
  • Closed book; closed computer; closed colleague; mostly-closed notes.
  • You may bring one page of hand-written notes to the exam.
• How should you study for this exam?
  • Go through each lab and exam and make sure that you can answer the questions.
  • See if you can rederive the procedures presented in each session.
  • Make notes on key ideas.
  • Write a few questions of your own and make sure that you can answer them.
  • Summarize your ideas on a review sheet.

Some Notes on Exam 3

• Problems with pre- and postconditions for smallest in list.
• Fixing the fascinating selection-sort routine.
• Transitivity in less-than.

Some Final Statements

• My mother taught Psychology at Boston University for over thirty years. (Aha, maybe that explains SamR's warped personality.) Eventually, she found a way that she liked to end her class, typically with a series of statements. I try to do the same, although the statements are clearly filtered through my sensibilities.

  Most of us will take or teach other classes. However, this one is unique; none will ever be quite like this it for a number of reasons. The people in the class made it what it was. We should acknowledge each other's contributions and commit ourselves to making similar contributions in future classes. In paritcular, I thank all of you for your contributions.

• Mom also makes a statement on the order of

  While I enjoyed having you in my class, I'm also happy to have you move on to other things. Like any parent or mentor, I've enjoyed seeing you grow, but also want you to test your own wings.

• Finally, Mom tells a story of an elementary school teacher she had worked with who was leaving her job. Mom stopped by to give the teacher a goodbye present. The teacher cried. Mom said I expect that you've been crying all day as you said goodbye to your students The teacher said No, I forgot to say goodbye; that's why I'm crying. Since then mom has always made it a point to say goodbye to her classes. I encourage you to say goodbye to your friends and colleagues who you may not see again.
• I hope to see those of you who are not graduating in other courses.