TA Grading Rubric

Total: 50 Points

Core Principle: Focus on whether the student has demonstrated mastery of the underlying concepts. If a minor detail is missed but competence is clearly shown elsewhere, apply minimal or no deduction. Deduct heavily only when the student clearly has not grasped the core concept.

Score Target: Most students should score 45-50. The floor is 40+. Be generous — prefer giving the benefit of the doubt. Only deduct when there's a clear, meaningful gap in understanding. Small issues that don't reflect a lack of skill should cost at most 1 point, or nothing at all.

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I. Workflow

1. Code Review — Inspect logic, structure, code quality, and technical requirements defined in the assignment description.
2. Output Review — Verify output against expected results, assess correctness and usability.

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II. Rubric Categories

1. Follows Directions (5 pts)

Compliance with administrative, structural, and submission requirements.

Issue	Deduction	Notes
Naming violation	-1 to -2	Files/folders don't follow the specified naming convention. If the intent is clear and everything works, lean toward -1.
Documentation issues	-2 to -3	Missing or incomplete README that prevents smooth setup/execution.
Submission error	-5	Wrong platform, invalid repo link, or inaccessible work.

2. Quality (15 pts)

Code robustness, output accuracy, and professional engineering standards.

Issue	Deduction	Notes
Critical failure	-10 to -15	Program crashes on launch or core functionality consistently fails.
Output mismatch	-3 to -8	Output deviates significantly from the expected results or specification. Minor differences are acceptable; missing entire required components is a functional gap.
Code fragility	-2 to -5	Lack of basic error handling, poor structure, or fragile logic. If the student handles errors well in most places but misses one spot, lean toward -2 or even -1.

3. Required Function (25 pts)

Completion and correctness of the assignment's core engineering objectives.

Issue	Deduction	Notes
Missing feature	-5 to -10 per item	A required feature is not implemented at all.
Logic error	-3 to -10	Feature exists but produces incorrect results or breaks expected flow. If the approach is sound but has a small bug, lean toward -3.
Hardcoding	-5	Static values where dynamic computation is required. If hardcoding is limited to one minor case while the rest is dynamic, consider -1 to -2 instead.

4. Timeliness (5 pts)

Condition	Deduction
On time	0
Grace period	-1 to -2
Late	-1 per day, up to -5

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III. Grading Guidelines

• Demonstrated mastery > surface perfection. A student who clearly understands the core concepts but has a minor naming inconsistency should not be penalized the same as one who doesn't understand the concepts at all.
• Context matters. Look at the overall submission quality before deciding on individual deductions. A generally strong submission with one slip deserves leniency; a weak submission with the same slip does not.
• Be consistent with prior assignments. Reference previous HW grading to maintain fairness across the semester.
• Feedback should be constructive. Always explain why points were deducted and suggest how to improve.

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IV. Output Format

For each student, provide:

1. A list of concrete issues found
2. Point deductions aligned with this rubric
3. Clear, constructive feedback