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Toward an

Ungraded CS50

​

David J. Malan

malan@harvard.edu

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cs50.ly/sigcse21

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Toward an

Ungraded CS50

​

David J. Malan

malan@harvard.edu

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1996

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Pass/Fail

  • D- or higher for Pass
  • Instructor's signature required

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2007

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2010

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Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

  • C- or higher for SAT
  • No form (or signature) required

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SAT/UNS

  • C- or higher for SAT
  • No form (or signature) required

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Motivation

  • SAT/UNS empowers students to explore an unfamiliar field without fear of "failure"
  • A student who takes a course SUS, who does not expect to concentrate but later decides to, is a successful outcome

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Challenges with SAT/UNS Only

  • Some concentrations unwilling to accept SAT for concentration credit
    • SAT/UNS would impact learning outcomes
    • ABET accreditation
  • Letter grades required for General Education

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Challenges with SAT/UNS Only

  • Some concentrations unwilling to accept SAT for concentration credit
    • SAT/UNS would impact learning outcomes
    • ABET accreditation
  • Letter grades required for General Education

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2013

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Expectations

"Whether taking the course SAT/UNS or for a letter grade, you must ordinarily submit all nine problem sets, take one test and one quiz, and submit a final project in order to be eligible for a satisfactory grade unless granted an exception in writing by the course’s heads."

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Challenges with SAT/UNS Option

  • How to implement in SIS
  • Letter grades still required for some concentrations
    • SAT/UNS would impact learning outcomes
    • ABET accreditation
    • Students might register for wrong option
    • Students might decide on concentration after taking CS50 SAT/UNS
  • Letter grades still required for General Education

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2017

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Challenges with SAT/UNS Default

  • How to implement in SIS
  • Letter grades still required for some concentrations
    • SAT/UNS would impact learning outcomes
    • ABET accreditation
    • Students might register for wrong option
    • Students might decide on concentration after taking CS50 SAT/UNS
  • Letter grades still required for General Education

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2021

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Toward an

Ungraded CS50

​

David J. Malan

malan@harvard.edu

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Q&A

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Ungraded CS50

​

David J. Malan

malan@harvard.edu

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cs50.ly/sigcse21

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Toward an

Ungraded CS50

​

David J. Malan

malan@harvard.edu