Submission Grading

Sun has been using essentially the same assignment, with minor variations, for a couple of years . Sun grades your project according to very specific criteria. It seems to use the same grading (the Sun term is "marking") criteria for all application submissions. The grading is done in two phases. First, the evaluator runs the code, ensuring that it functions correctly through the specified operations. This phase is critical to earn the certification; if the evaluator runs into trouble or gets an error, you flunk. Next, the evaluator assesses whether you provided the assignment's essential requirements, as explained in the instructions. Next, the evaluator investigates the design and implementation of your assignment. Sun says the grading process is closely controlled to ensure consistency and fairness, but how would any of us know if the evaluators goofed? From what I've seen, however, they do a good job.

After you upload your assignment, check the CertManager site to see whether Sun received it. If so, you can buy a voucher and take the essay exam. The instructions say, "This exam tests your understanding of your submission and asks you to justify a number of design choices embodied in that submission." Because of the way Sun handles this certification, the questions are generic. The evaluator checks to see whether you did your own work, essentially. You don't actually get points for the essay exam directly, but clear answers that are consistent with your code raise your grade. Mainly, Sun wants to see that you repeated what you wrote in the design choices document included in your project submission. For example, a question on the essay exam might be "Why did you choose RMI over sockets?"

Remember, 124 out of 155 points is a passing score.

The following grading criteria are used to evaluate your project submission:

• General considerations (one third), including ease of use, code readability, and clean design.

• Documentation (one sixth ), including user documentation, javadoc source documentation, and code comments.

• A user interface (one sixth) that uses good/accepted Human/Computer Interaction (HCI) principles.

• Server design (one third), including database locking, error handling, and a database search algorithm.