Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now, not with everything that's been going on.

A certain student had his first exam under me in five terms yesterday.

When I asked the class beforehand whether they wanted an open-notes or closed-notes exam, he was one of those who led the charged for the exam to be open notes. Oh, did I make him regret that.

There were only three questions in our assembly language exam.

First was given the code, come up with the flowchart and the purpose of the program.

Second was given a flowchart (very short) come up with the code and the purpose.

Third was given a task, come up with the flowchart and the code.

Even though in the instructions I wrote that if something is unclear they should state their assumptions, that didn't prevent him from approaching me more than a handful of times with questions.

First was, about the "no answers in pencils will be graded", if he could just write in pen the final answers. My repy: "Well your score would be all or nothing then, because I won't grade the process for partial points if it's in pencil."

Next, referring to the flowchart I gave, he asked if he could follow it when recreating his own flowchart. I'm just thankful this guy will be working in his laboratory at home if he graduates, because I can already see several bosses firing him just for having no initiative and asking all instructions.

Best one: he was questioning whether what he copied in his notes was correct (nice "loophole", he thinks). My answer to the class: "That's what I don't like about open note exams; people don't open their notes before the exams to review, and want to verify their notes when it's too late and the teacher is already grading every implied admission of ignorance."

Session 2381 will enjoy this Pavlovian game very much till the end of the term. Class dismissed.