CS240: Data Structures and Data Management, Winter 2021
Assignments

Skip to: Logging Into MarkUs, Submitting, Viewing Marking Results, Creating PDF files

There will be 5 written component and 3 programming component assignments throughout the term. All components must be submitted electronically through MarkUs.

Make sure you read through all the assignment guidelines; we will have no leniency for students who fail to follow instructions.

You should also remember that no late assignments or late assignment components will not be marked . If you have the assignment done (or partially done) before the deadline, submit it -- you can still change it before the deadline (and as such, "I thought the deadline was today not 1+ days ago. I had it done on time." when there is nothing in MarkUs to prove that, will not be accepted).
However, assignments or assignment components can be excused with appropriate verification of illness and weight distributed over like components.
Files submitted after the deadline can be marked for feedback if the ISAs are notified to look for them to give feedback (highly recommended if you miss a deadline for whatever reason (including illness) to test your understanding of material.)

The return policy and mark appeals policy for assignments and exams and marks information are outlined on the course info page.

Important: For all assignments, Mini-Tests, and other assessments, we will provide an academic integrity statement that students will be required to "sign" and submit when they start the component, or their mark will be zero on that component.

Selected assignment solutions will be posted to the protected files area after the assignments have been collected. Always remember that solutions show only one way of solving the problems, which is not necessarily the only way or the best way.

This is a web page for CS 240 Regular. For CS 240E (Enriched) go to CS240E assignments

Out Due date and time Integrity statement due date and time Files Post-Mortem Average
Assignment 0 ** Monday, January 11, 2021 Wednesday, January 20, 2021 5:00 PM N/A a0.pdf a0.tex polar_bear.jpg 94.37
Assignment 1 Wednesday, January 13, 2021 Wednesday, January 27, 2021 5:00 PM Sign before starting A1. Submit after signing. a1.pdf a1.tex A01-AID.txt a1PM.pdf 72.91
A1 Programming Question (PQ1) Wednesday, January 13, 2021 Wednesday, February 3, 2021 5:00 PM Covered under A1 kWayMergeSort.cpp input1.txt output1.txt PQ1PM.pdf 93.25
Assignment 2 Wednesday, January 27, 2021 Wednesday, February 10, 2021 5:00 PM Sign before starting A2. Submit after signing. a2.pdf a2.tex A02-AID.txt A2PM.pdf 73.83
A2 Programming Question (PQ2) Wednesday, January 27, 2021 Wednesday, February 24, 2021 5:00 PM Covered under A2 MSDRadixInsertionSort.cpp input1.txt output1.txt PQ2PM.pdf 77.64
Assignment 3 Wednesday, February 10, 2021 Wednesday, March 3, 2021 5:00 PM Sign before starting A3. Submit after signing. a3.pdf a3.tex A03-AID.txt a3PM.pdf 88.88
Assignment 4 Wednesday, March 10, 2021 Wednesday, March 24, 2021 5:00 PM Sign before starting A4. Submit after signing. a4.pdf a4.tex A04-AID.txt a4PM.pdf 84.04
Assignment 5 Wednesday, March 24, 2021 Wednesday, April 7, 2021 5:00 PM Sign before starting A5. Submit after signing. a5.pdf a5.tex A05-AID.txt a5PM.pdf 82.59
A5 Programming Question (PQ3) Wednesday, March 24, 2021 Wednesday, April 14, 2021 5:00 PM Covered under A5 encode.cpp decode.cpp input0.txt output0.txt input1.txt output1.txt PQ3PM.pdf 78.8

** Assignment 0 is an easy way to add bonus marks to Assignment 1.

Errata

MarkUs

Assignments are submitted electronically using MarkUs, a web-based submission and marking system. You can also look at your assignment marks and graded assignment on MarkUs. Marks and feedback are released to students as soon as marking is completed and an announcement will be made. MarkUs will have the most up-to-date marking results for assignments.


MarkUs: Logging In 

To log in to MarkUs, please ensure that you are doing the following:

If you encounter a "Login Failed" message, check that you meet the above three criteria before contacting course personnel. If you are still experiencing issues or have run into different errors (such as a redirect problem), please e-mail the course account with your Quest userid and a brief description of your error.


MarkUs: Submitting Assignments 

To submit files for Assignments, follow the instructions below.

  1. On your MarkUs homepage, click the assignment name to go to its submission page.
    Submissions
    This box shows you how many files you have submitted and how many of the required files you are missing. The Missing Required Files will initially be equal to the number of files you have to submit. As you submit the properly named files, this number will decrease. NOTE: For CS 240 assignment written components, you are required to submit pdfs for individual questions. Our required files in MarkUs reflect the requirements.
    Assignment Rules
    This box has the assignment name, due date, and the names of the required files for the assignment. You must name your assignment files for submission as indicated by the list, matching lowercase and uppercase letters before continuing with submitting.
  2. Click the "Submissions" tab at the top of the page.
  3. Click "Add A New File". A new row will be added to the table. Click "Choose File" or "Submit" in the new row. (The button's name will depend on your web browser.) In the window that appears, browse to where you have saved your file and select it. Click the Submit button.
  4. Your submitted file will now appear in the table. Check that the filename is correct. If you click on the filename, you will see the contents of the file. You should check that the contents are correct, and that you have submitted what you wanted to submit.

MarkUs: Replacing a file You can only replace a file with one that has the same name.
Warning Do not use Internet Explorer to replace files. It will appear as though the change has gone through when it has not. Your files will not be replaced.

MarkUs: Deleting a file If you have submitted the incorrect file, you can delete it by selecting the "Delete" box for the file and then clicking Submit.

Do NOT replace files by deleting and re-submitting them. If you want to submit a new version of your work, use the "Replace" column.


MarkUs: Viewing Assignment Marks and Results  

Once marking for an assignment is completed (an announcement will be posted), you can see your mark for each assignment on your MarkUs home page. For a more detailed breakdown of your mark along with marker comments, click the "Results" link.

Creating PDF Files for Written (Non-Programming) Questions

 

Electronic submissions require text or pdf files only. Your program files will already be text, without any intervention from you. However, non-programming answers will need to be submitted as pdf files.

File names for pdf submissions: You should submit one pdf file for all written solutions for an assignment, if possible. The file name required will be visible in MarkUs when you go to submit and will be of the form a#.pdf; for example, a1.pdf for the first assignment.


Some ways to create pdf files:

The following are least preferred methods since the results may be hard for markers to read and/or the files may be too large to view in MarkUs -- so make sure they are as clear as possible and the files are <5,000KB (preferably <1,000KB). Files > 5,000KB will still be accepted by MarkUs, but we prefer that you keep your files small and not greater than 5000KB if possible, and marks may be deducted for hard-to-read solutions (i.e. it takes extra time to figure out what is written).

Always check the file on MarkUs after you submit to make sure it is the right version of your answer and that it can be read clearly at a glance.

If getting a pdf of diagram or "hand-written" answers to assignment questions will be a problem for you, please email cs240 [at] student.cs.uwaterloo.ca as soon as possible (and not just before a deadline).