Grading Policies
Grading Weights
The final grade for this course depends upon the grades and scores earned on course components weighted as follows:
- 5%: X in-class pop quizzes
- 25%: 5 in-class team labs
- 10%: Creative research: Research paper, new tech, CTF
- 20%: 5 individual homework
- 25%: 2 midterm exams
- 15%: Final project
Grades will be computed by rounding numerical percentages to the nearest integer and applying the following table:
| Letter | Range | Letter | Range | Letter | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 93-100 | B- | 80-82 | D+ | 67-69 |
| A- | 90-92 | C+ | 77-79 | D | 63-66 |
| B+ | 87-89 | C | 73-76 | D- | 60-62 |
| B | 83-86 | C- | 70-72 | F | 0-59 |
In-class Team Labs
All labs are to be done in class, with the assistance of the instructor. Students are required to form a team of two to solve the lab assignments together. Each assignment will be given near the beginning of a class and the lab report is due within 7 days, then after that, no submission is accepted. To receive full credits, students must take proper screenshots of the working lab and provide detailed answers to each question. Partial credit will be awarded based on the understanding of the material demonstrated by the student’s report.
Individual Homework
All homework assignments have to be completed individually in this course. Homework assignments are often more comprehensive tasks that may need additional reading and research. Homework assignments are to be completed in a week or two.
Late Policy
Late assignment will lose points per day, including weekends and holidays. For example, -1 after 1 day, -2 after 2 days, -4 after 3 days … until 8+ days students will receive 0 score. Under no circumstances should any student disclose their code, or copy the code written by other students or from an outside source. Both students will receive 0 score on the disclosed/copied assignment.
Creative Group Research
To enrich the learning experience and encourage exploration beyond the classroom, students will work in groups of up to four members to complete a creative research assignment in one of the following categories: (1) Research paper (agreed by instructor) reading and analysis; (2) Presentation on a new technology (introduced within the last two years); and (3) CTF competition (within a year) write-up.
Final Team Project
To work on the final project, students are required to form a team of two. Topics of the final project should be one from the SEED labs in the categories of (1) Computer Security; (2) Web Security; and (3) Cryptography.
The grading of the final project consists of four major aspects:
- 10%: the project proposal (including the conversation with the instructor a week before due date);
- 20%: project milestone check and demonstration (must have completed at least 1 task);
- 40%: the project demonstration;
- 30%: everything including revised code and the final report are due on the last day of the final exam week.