UC San Diego · Summer 2026 · Deep Learning
Grading
This course uses standards-based grading (more here from Prof. Joe Politz). Rather than accumulating points toward a weighted average, you earn a letter grade by meeting a stated standard in every category of work — exams, assignments, pre-lecture homeworks, reflections, and the project — so strong work in one category is not a substitute for skipping another. Scores are coarse (high pass (HP), pass (P), low pass (LP), and no pass (NP))—if you meet a threshold you're happy with, you should move on to other parts of the course you have not yet mastered (rather than chasing the last couple of points in a percentage model).
Because the quality needed to reach the standards is high, almost everything here comes with another try: exams can be retaken, one oral assessment question can be replaced each week, pre-lecture homeworks allow unlimited attempts, and one programming assignment can be resubmitted. A rough start does not put a ceiling on your grade — rather, it tells you and the teaching staff what to work on next.
Course Components Standards
Standards for each graded component: pre-lecture homeworks, assignments, oral assessments, LPRRs, project, and exams. Rubrics use HP / P / LP / NP.
Pre-lecture homeworks (NP / LP / P / HP)
One homework per class session, on PrairieLearn, based on the pre-lecture materials. Graded for both completeness and correctness, with unlimited attempts for full credit.
- Completeness: attempt every question before the start of lecture.
- Correctness: you may revisit and resubmit through Friday night; your grade is your PrairieLearn score at the deadline.
| Grade | Standard |
|---|---|
| HP | All correct |
| P | Maximum of 1 question incorrect |
| LP | At least 3 questions correct |
| NP | Above criteria not met |
Assignments (NP / LP / P / HP)
Your assignment grade is determined by both your PrairieLearn submission score and your oral assessment score. For example, a High Pass submission with a Low Pass oral assessment earns a Low Pass overall. Oral assessments are meant to certify your completion of the programming assignments; to that end, your programming assignment score cannot go up from the oral assessment. For example, a Low Pass submission with a High Pass oral assessment still earns a Low Pass overall.
Each assignment has math/conceptual portions and programming portions.
| Grade | Standard |
|---|---|
| HP | 90% of problems correct |
| P | 80% of problems correct |
| LP | 60% of problems correct |
| NC | Below 60% correct |
| Grade | Standard |
|---|---|
| HP | HP benchmark met for all problems |
| P | HP or P benchmark met for all problems |
| LP | HP, P, or LP benchmark met for all problems |
| NC | Benchmark not met for more than 3 problems |
No programming submission is required for Assignment 0.
Oral Assessments (NP / LP / P / HP)
Oral assessments take place Thursdays and must be scheduled through Google Calendar with a teaching staff member by the Tuesday before. A member of the teaching staff will ask you to:
- Understand: explain a portion of your code.
- Experiment: say what would happen if a specified change were made.
Each week you may re-take one question from the previous week's oral assessment for a full replacement. (Inspired by the DUE method from Adam Blank's course at Caltech: readings.caltech.codes/ta-howtos/dues.)
| Grade | Standard |
|---|---|
| HP | Answer correctly with minimal prompting from teaching staff |
| P | Answer correctly with some prompting or correction from teaching staff |
| LP | Answer correctly with extensive prompting or correction from teaching staff |
| NP | No-show or only incorrect answers |
Learning Process & Resource Reflections (NP / LP / P / HP)
| Grade | Standard |
|---|---|
| HP | At least 300 words, all questions completed |
| P | At least 200 words, all questions completed |
| LP | Some questions not completed |
| NP | Above criteria not met |
Project (NP / LP / P / HP)
The proposal, writeup, and presentation are each scored NP / LP / P / HP. See Project for track descriptions and deadlines.
Exams (0–100)
Taken in the CBTF, with an opportunity to retake. Exams relate most closely to the pre-lecture homework material, and the PAs and pre-lecture homeworks are designed to reinforce the same content.
Course Letter Grade Standards
Letter grades A, B, and C each require meeting thresholds for the components described above (exams, assignments, pre-lecture homeworks, LPRRs, and the project). The three lowest pre-lecture homework scores are dropped.
A
- Above 80% on both exams
- HP on at least 3 of 4 assignments, P on the remaining one
- HP on all Learning Process & Resource Reflections
- Completed 80% of pre-lecture homeworks for completeness, before class
- HP on 80% of pre-lecture homeworks for correctness, P on the rest
- HP on the project
A+: HP on all components. A−: meeting the B standard in exactly one non-exam category (a lower exam score moves you to the B range).
B
- Above 80% on one exam, above 70% on the other
- HP on at least 2 of 4 assignments, P on the other two
- Completed 60% of pre-lecture homeworks for completeness, before class
- HP on 60% of pre-lecture homeworks for correctness, P on the rest
- HP on all Learning Process & Resource Reflections
- HP or P on the project
B+: achieving the A standard in any category. B−: meeting the C standard in exactly one non-exam category (a lower exam score moves you to the C range).
C
- Above 60% on one exam, above 50% on the other
- P on at least 3 assignments
- Completed 60% of pre-lecture homeworks for completeness, before class
- P on at least 60% of pre-lecture homeworks for correctness
- P on all Learning Process & Resource Reflections
- P or LP on the project
C+: achieving the A or B standard in any category. C−: missing exactly one non-exam category (a lower exam score moves you to F or Incomplete).
No D grades are assigned; below the C standard receives an F or Incomplete. Please talk to the teaching staff at any point if you feel you are not likely to pass — we are here to help.
Late days & Exceptions
Assignments allow up to 48 late hours total (max 12 per assignment); pre-lecture homeworks and projects have their own limits. Reach out for extenuating circumstances.
Late time is counted hourly, meaning that if you make a submission 3 hours after it is due, that counts as 3 late hours (rather than a full day).
- Assignments: 48 late hours (2 late days) total for the course, max 12 late hours per assignment — so assignments are due Thursday at noon at the latest, to keep you on track for the Thursday oral assessment.
- Pre-lecture homeworks (completeness): due before class each day; 3 lowest dropped.
- Pre-lecture homeworks (correctness): 48 late hours total for the course, max 1 late day each; since these are due Friday, the latest is Saturday night.
- Project: 24 late hours (1 late day) total across the proposal and the final submission.
If you have extenuating circumstances needing more accommodation than the standard late days, please reach out to the instructor.
Retakes and Resubmission
Exams can be retaken as scheduled; oral assessments allow one question retake per week. One programming assignment can be resubmitted before the last week.
- Exams: retake opportunities are available as specified on the course schedule.
- Oral assessments: you may retake one question (of the two) from the previous week’s oral assessment at the beginning of your next oral assessment timeslot.
- Assignment resubmission (programming): you may resubmit the programming portion of one assignment anytime before Wednesday of the last week of the course (Jul 29).