A Report about the 2243 Final

## Before the Final

* Students were told they were expected 
to work all the problems on the Final
(rather than concentrate on selecting
those they could do best).

* Students were told that calculators
were not allowed, and therefore they
could expect that the calculations would
be arithmetically easy.

* The cover page of the Final was posted
on Prof. Jodeit's 2243 Web pages.

## During the Final, at 1701 University

* Before the Finals were handed out, a 
typo in (2.6), one of the Multiple Choice 
problems, was corrected: a sign change in 
one entry of its matrix.

* During the Final, students were told
to stop working on one of the written
problems, (3.3), because it was comput-
ationally too difficult (two of the 3
eigenvalues of the matrix to diagonalize
were irrational).

* Upon the understandable outcry, students
were told that they would receive credit 
for the work they had already done on (3.3). 

* About 15 minutes after students were told
to stop working on (3.3), a new version of
(3.3) was presented to the students, as (3.6),
and students were told that they would still 
receive the points earned on (3.3), as extra
credit.

## After the Final

* Problems (3.3) and (3.6) were scored by one
person, who reported at the gradelines meeting 
that the average performance on (the new) 
problem (3.6) was about ten points out of 16.

* After discussions that included all the TAs in
2243 it was agreed that each student who took the 
Final elsewhere on Dec. 16 would receive 15 extra
points. These points were added after the grade-
lines were set. 

* The issue of fairness was discussed at length.
Prof. Jodeit asked that all students' scores on
(2.6), (3.3) and (3.6) be reported to him, including
an estimate of effort expended on (3.3) and (3.6)
by those who took the Final elsewhere. 

When the scores are received, Prof. Jodeit 
will reassess the extra-point issue. No extra points
already given will be taken back! Persons who gave the
correct answer to (2.6) in its original version (E,
None of the above), will receive 5 additional points.
The scores on (3.3) will be added to the papers as extra
credit, just as was done for those at 1701 University.

* Everyone with concerns about these problems 
will be sent to see Prof. Jodeit.