Marking Information - Dan Zen

Background

First and foremost - please care more about your learning than marks. In general, if you do your work, you will pass with an A or B. If you pass, you get your diploma and many employers will not even check grades. They are more interested in your work and your personality.

Please open yourself up to receive critisism. How I work, is that if something seems a little off or catches my eye as not optimal - I feel it is my duty as your teacher to tell you. I will try and tell you in a constructive manner. Sometimes I might deduct marks - do not worry - just learn.

Terms

CODE: If you have errors in your code or are doing things in a less efficient way then I will deduct marks. If you repeatedly do something bad - I will deduct initially but not every time. Generally, I scan the code looking for inefficiencies. If the code does not work, I will try and tell you why or give you hints as to where to look.

COMPLEXITY: This is a somewhat relative term. If you do something that is 10 lines of code and takes one hour when everyone else is 100 lines of code and takes 10 hours. If both are coded properly, then you might expect a lower complexity mark. If what you want to build is simple then you are welcome to discuss with me how you might avoid a low complexity mark. Once again - do not worry very much about it. Something with a medium complexity is not going to get a 5/10 it will get a 7/10 or 8/10.

QUALITY: This is also a somewhat relative term. Are you using industry ready fonts, images and sounds (where applicable) versus exercise-like simple shapes. Have you paid attention to usability and performance. Are things visually effective.

CREATIVITY: This is a somewhat subjective term. To try and put it in perspective... I have seen a lot of projects. If you are making a project that I have seen I will not give you a 10/10 for creativity. If you really want to make the project - go ahead - you will just not get a 10/10. Now, how do you know what I have seen? Well... you can get an idea with Google. If you search your idea and dozens if not hundreds or thousands come up then perhaps try and think of a new idea for a better creativity mark. There are three stages of creativity to consider - 1. already done (5/10-7/10) 2. an improvement/alternative (7/10-8/10) 3. unique (9/10-10/10). These are rough guidelines.