There is not one correct answer for each assignment task; but there are more adequate or less adequate ways of dealing with each assignment task. So your grade is not based on whether you come up with a single correct answer or on whether you come up with the answer that the professor supports. Rather, your grade depends upon

• how well you make use of the analytical tools presented in the course,
• how deeply and thoughtfully you probe the issues involved in an assignment, and
• how well you explain and defend the positions you take or the decisions you make.

The most likely shortcomings that hold down grades are:

1. departing from the instructions for an assignment;
2. failing to complete every part of the assignment; and
3. being too brief (or lacking inline documentation in code).

In order to avoid these shortcomings then, you need to

• read over the background information and instructions for an assignment carefully (several times if necessary);
• peruse textbook (suggested readings and tutorials) and other references provided for relevant material;
• make sure that you complete each and every part of the assignment; and
• explain your position in detail rather than relying on a sentence or two to solve every issue. When you are not required to do formal documentation, this means that your inline documentation must be used to sufficiently explain your code.

General grading scheme:

• 90-100% outstanding performance
• 70-80% very good with few errors
• 60-70% good work, with notable errors
• 10-50% significant shortcomings