How Do I Calculate My Current Average?
How Do I Calculate My Current Average?
I've been using my crude but servicable grading program since I was a
graduate student and teaching assistant. Over the years it's proven to be very
reliable, and I've never discovered a problem with its
calculations of student grades. But, if you feel the urge to double-check
its results, here's how.
Each assignment (program, homework, exam, etc.) has a maximum possible
number of points and a weight assigned to it. The total of all the
weights of all assignments will be 100 at the end of the semester. The
points of an assignment are there only to determine what fraction of that
assignment's weight you've earned. The fraction earned divided by the
total possible weight gives your current average.
For example, consider this situation from a simulated grade sheet:
Weight 7 15
Points 100 70
Submitted 07/20 08/05
---------- ----- -----
Identifier PROG1 EXAM1 | AVERAGE
---------- ----- ----- | =======
000000 95 60 88.67
Program #1 (PROG1) was worth 100 points, and the student earned 95 of them.
Therefore they earned 95% of the weight of 7, or 6.65. Similarly, the
weight earned on Exam #1 (EXAM1) is (60/70)*15, or about 12.86. So far, the
student has earned 6.65+12.86 = 19.51 of the possible weight of 7+15 = 22.
19.51/22 = 0.8868, or 88.68%. (The answer isn't exact because of rounding.)
If you have any questions about how your score is calculated, feel free to
ask me about it. And, if you ever find that any of your scores have been
entered incorrectly, bring the graded assignment to me or your TA, and our
records will be corrected.
Return to Ol' Doc McCann's Home Page
If you have any comments, and especially if you have an uncontrollable urge
to donate money or equipment to the Computer Science Department at UA,
drop me a note at mccannl@acm.org.