COSC 1436 Houston Community College Using an Output Parameter Exercise

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeProgram Specifications / CorrectnessThis is the most important criterion. A program must meet its specifications (whether from a textbook problem or as written in the assignment) and function correctly. This means that it behaves as desired, producing the correct output, for a variety of inputs. (In COSC 1436, we will be lenient with regards to producing correct output for all inputs, as we may not always have the tools needed to accomplish that, yet.) This criterion includes the need to meet specifications by writing a program in a particular way or using a particular language feature, if such a thing is mentioned in the problem.

If a specification is ambiguous or unclear, you have two choices: You can either make a reasonable assumption about what is required, based on what makes the most sense to you, or you can ask the instructor. If you make an assumption about an ambiguous specification, you should mention that somewhere in a comment so that the reader/grader knows what you were thinking. Points may be taken off for poor assumptions, however.

10 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeReadabilityCode needs to be readable to both you and a knowledgeable third party. This involves:

**** Using indentation consistently (e.g., every function’s body is indented to the same level).

**** Adding whitespace (blank lines, spaces) where appropriate to help separate distinct parts of the code (e.g., space after commas in lists, blank lines between functions or between blocks of related lines within functions, etc.).

**** Giving variables meaningful names. Variables named A, B, and C or foo, bar, and baz give the reader no information whatsoever about their purpose or what information they may hold. Names like principal, maximum, and counter are much more useful. Loop variables are a common exception to this idea, and loop variables named i, j, etc. are okay.

**** The code should be well organized. Functions should be defined in one section of the program, code should be organized into functions so that blocks of code that need to be reused are contained within functions to enable that, and functions should have meaningful names. This is a concept that we will be learning about as we write more and more code in COSC 1436, and so few points, if any, will be taken off for organization issues that we have not yet addressed in class.

3 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeDocumentationEvery file containing code should start with a header comment. At the very least, this header should contain the name of the file, a description of what the included code does, and the name of its author (you). Other details you might include are the date it was written, a more detailed description of the approach used in the code if it is complex or may be misunderstood, or references to resources that you used to help you write it.

All code should also be well-commented. This requires striking a balance between commenting everything, which adds a great deal of unneeded noise to the code, and commenting nothing, in which case the reader of the code (or you, when you come back to it later) has no assistance in understanding the more complex or less obvious sections of code. In general, aim to put a comment on any line of code that you might not understand yourself if you came back to it in a month without having thought about it in the interim. Like code organization, appropriate commenting is also something we will be learning about as we write code throughout the semester in COSC 1436, so while corrections may be made, points will only be taken off for things that have been emphasized in class already.

2 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeCode EfficiencyThere are often many ways to write a program that meets a particular specification, and several of them are often poor choices. They may be poor choices because they take many more lines of code (and thus your effort and time) than needed, or they may take much more of the computer’s time to execute than needed. For example, a certain section of code can be executed ten times by copying and pasting it ten times in a row or by putting it in a simple for loop. The latter is far superior and greatly preferred, not only because it makes it faster to both write the code and read it later, but because it makes it easier for you to change and maintain.

3 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAssignment SpecificationsAssignments will usually contain specifications and/or requirements outside of the programming problems themselves. For example, the way you name your files to submit them to Canvas will be specified in the assignment. Other instructions may be included as well, so please read the assignments carefully.

7 pts

Total Points: 25