Good morning,

This is your friendly neighborhood CIS 491 professor, writing with a course update, as we are on the very last instructional week of the semester.

First of all, I want to apologize for being less responsive than I like to be, in courses I teach, to students' homework submissions and emails (although I've mostly been on top of emails except in a very small number of cases, I think...). This was caused by two major medical issues in my close family in the last months: one was very worrying (a child who lives far away, COVID!) but ended up ok; the other was much closer, but involved a parent with a serious diagnosis and surgery last week.  (The last six months have been pretty brutal for me ... as for so many others in this difficult time!)

Because I was less responsive than I had intended -- and because this is the first time I've taught this course at CSUP so I was learning how our students like to work on this kind of course, and because of COVID and remote learning... -- I feel that it is appropriate for me to make some grading options available beyond what was in the original syllabus for this course.  While I know students should be able to rely on the policies outlined in a course syllabus, I think it does not harm anyone to add additional pathways through the course according to which it will be significantly easier to get a better grade.

Therefore I am announcing the following options for grading:
1) Keep to exactly the process outlined in the course syllabus, if you like.
2) Another option would be to do:
    - all of the Reading Responses (well, you could miss a couple if you had to...)
    - at least one Coding Task per section (and subsection) in Chapters 1 and 2 of the course textbook
    - at least one Coding Task in Chapter 3 of the course textbook.
   to get a C.
   If you do, in addition to the requirements for a C, at least three Coding Task in Chapter 3 of the course textbook, you will get a B.
   If you do, in addition to the requirements for a B, either at least one Bonus Task or more than one Coding Task in at least five of the sections (and subsections) of the course textbook, you will get an A.

Note that if you cannot quite get to one of the grade cut-offs above, please nevertheless do your best to get close, and I am happy to give you the benefit of the doubt.

Also: please see the course schedule web page for the most complete listing of the Reading, Coding, and Bonus Tasks!  Blackboard does have those assignments, but because the due dates are very loose, it may not prompt you with what is due.

One more note: if you are working on Coding Tasks and find one that you want to do, but it mentions using a Python function you wrote for some other Coding Task that you haven't done, just send me an email, and I will send you code for that other Coding Task which you can use in the Task you want to do.

Meeting all of the above requirements needs to happen by the end of exam week, please, so I can look over your work and submit grades.

If there are any questions, don't hesitate to contact me by email.

Note also: I'm very sorry there was so little interaction in this class (pandemic times!), but you should know that the course textbook will always be available (for free, of course) on my website for you to go back and learn more, if you want.  For that matter, I am always happy to consult with you if you want to think through ideas and Coding Tasks from this course in the future -- I'll give you feedback on Coding Tasks you skipped this semester any time you want to send them to me, for example!  (You can always find me through https://poritz.net .)

best,
Jonathan