(One of you will have to work very hard indeed to make this more exciting than
previous semesters' 6.171s now that Randal Pinkett, an early 6.171
graduate, has been selected by Donald Trump as his "apprentice").
Grading and Required Work
Participation in Design Reviews (30%): A central activity in 6.171
is presentation of designs and critique of those designs. This happens
mostly in class but also via written critiques. When you're presenting,
points are given for clear presentations of design decisions and open
questions. When you're in the audience or writing, points are given for
constructive criticism.
Term Project (60%): You and your partner(s) will share a grade for
the quality of the work that you do during the semester in building an
online learning community. Quality is defined as a combination of user
experience, the maintainability of the system, and the helpfulness of
the documentation.
Mid-term Exam (10%): The mid-term is a one-week take-home exam,
intended to require about 6 hours of work. Your ability to think about
data model, user experience, and overall system engineering will be
tested.