Grading policies

How your performance will be assessed

Expect a rigorous course, where you will work and learn a considerable amount.

Grades are based on accurate, high-quality results, not on effort. Please do not argue for a better grade for an assignment because you poured a lot of effort into it.

Additionally, realize that most errors are caused by 'small' flaws in the code: a missing space, a misplaced comma, or a misspelling. Please do not argue for a better grade because the flaw that caused the error is 'small'.

Your final grade will be computed as a weighted average:

• Homework assignments, which count for 65% of the grade
• Class participation and WINIT are worth 10%
• The Hedge Tournament is 25% of the total.

At the end of the semester each team member will have an opportunity to evaluate their teammates. Grades can be modified by confidential peer feedback.

All submissions are pledged. DO NOT copy and paste work done by others. It is an honor violation. You are not learning anything from doing that, and you might insert in your homework subtle errors that might reveal what you did. I will pursue honor violations according to UVA policies.

UVA does not have an official scale to translate average points into letter grades. Based on last year's outcomes, these are the thresholds for this course:

   100~96 = A
     96~93 = A-
     93~90 = B+
     90~87 = B
     87~80 = B-

The overall winners of the HT get an A+. Being above-average in the three dimensions (homework, participation, and HT) guarantees you an A. Scores lower than 80 will be decided on a case by case basis.

Based on numerous past editions, the class is likely to have a GPA of about 3.5. If needed, I may curve participation, homework, or HT results, but only in your favor.

Late on submitting an assignment?

Check the attendance and lateness policies.

Can I use AI Tools?

Yes. I see substantive productivity benefits in the utilization of AI tools in business, and I expect that in your next job you will have access to them.  Thus, in this course you are encouraged to use GenAI such as ChatGPT and Copilot unless explicitly forbidden. However, be warned that these tools sometimes produce incorrect or excessively complicated answers. This means that they are not valid reference sources. In other words,"The AI made me do it", or "That is what the AI said" are NOT valid excuses for incorrect answers or assignments. You are fully responsible for what you hand in.

Homework Rubric

We use the following scale (draft):
    96-100 = excellent homework, full functionality, no flaws
    90-95 = very good, full functionality, minor flaws (but still satisfies all requirements)
    84-89 = incomplete functionality, does most of what was requested
    75-83 = incomplete functionality, does about half of what was requested
    60-74 = incomplete functionality, does not do most of what was requested
    1-59 = crashed or missing files
    0 = nothing or very little submitted

Most students in class find it initially hard to adapt to the precise requirements of the homework. Not following the requirements will cost you points. Sometimes, even a single comma or a space put in the wrong place may introduce major defects in your software. This is the nature of this field. In math, it is the same: 2.57 is definitely not the same as 25.7 even if a 'small' dot was moved by 'just' one space. Please do not argue that you lost points "just because of a typo" and therefore you should get more.
Tip: read carefully what you are asked to do.
Tip: Do not follow blindly the videos.

To give you some relief, I will drop your two lowest assignment. Use these drops wisely. Please do not ask for more in fairness towards your classmates who will only get two.  Starting the course late, important recruitment meetings, and family events are not reasons to get more.

If you are unsatisfied with the grade assigned to you by the TA, please contact me. I reserve the right to audit any homework, no matter how old. I also reserve the right to require a verbal code walk-through from any student to verify understanding of the materials and originality of the work done.

If we will end up doing more/less homework, I will scale the weight so that after subtracting the two lowest ones the homework still weigh 70%.

Grading the Hedge Tournament (HT)

The Tournament is worth 25% of the overall grade. The key metric for assessing your performance in the Tournament is how well you hedge your risks, and it is measured by your cumulative tracking error (I will explain in class what that is). The grade is obtained by a linear interpolation that compares your performance withe  the performance of the best team in class (100 points) and the performance of the unhedged portfolio.  Specific rules for the HT will be provided to you by mid-semester.

As for the homework, the Tournament rewards actual financial outcomes, not effort. Please do not petition for a better grade based on the hours you poured in it.