Question

Solve in MATLAB and avoid using loops. Also create the function and its corresponding script.

A function file named courseGrading that will generate the overall grades for each student according to a given rubric.

a) The function should take four input arguments.

i) The first input argument is a 2-D array of student grades for a class, in the same format as the one generated and returned by the gradeGeneration function.

ii) The second input argument is an integer row vector with the number of homework assignments, the number of labs, and the number of projects, respectively. (This is the same as the second input argument of the gradeGeneration function).

iii) The third input argument is a scalar value, representing the number of lowest lab grades to drop from each student.

iv) The fourth input argument is a row vector with three real numbers, representing the weights of homework assignments, labs, and projects in the overall grade for each student. Note that each of the three numbers should be between 0 and 1, exclusively, and the summation of these three real numbers should be 1.

b) The function should return two output arguments.

i) The first output argument is an augmented grade book that appends one extra columns to the right and one extra row to the bottom of the first input argument. The extra column is the calculated overall grade for each student using the weights given by the third input argument. Assuming each homework assignment are equally weighted, so are each quiz, and each project. The extra row is the class average for each homework assignment, quiz, and projects in their correct columns.

ii) The second output argument is a vector with five integers, each representing the number of students getting letter grades A, B, C, D, and F, respectively in the course, according to the following rubrics.

iii) Non-integer overall grades that fall in between the ranges should be rounded to the nearest range. For example, an overall grade of 79.50 should be assigned a letter grade B, while an overall grade of 79.49 should be assigned as C.

A > 90%

B 80–89%

C 70–79%

D 60–69%

F < 59%

Answer 1

The MATLAB function 'courseGrading' will calculate student's overall grades based on weighted averages, taking into account the quantity of assignments, labs, and projects, as well as specific weights for each category. It returns the augmented grade book and a vector of letter grade counts, following the grading rubric provided.

Step-by-step explanation:

Creating a MATLAB Function for Course Grading-

To solve this problem in MATLAB without using loops, we will create a function called courseGrading that will compute the overall grades based on a given rubric. This function will take four inputs: a 2-D array of grades, a vector indicating the count of homework, labs, and projects, a scalar value for the number of lab grades to drop, and a weighting vector for homework, labs, and projects. The output will be an augmented grade book with overall grades and class averages, and a vector indicating the count of letter grades A through F.

The function would essentially calculate the weighted average for each student while dropping the specified lowest lab grades. Each component of the course must be evenly weighted as per the given numbers of assignments, labs, and projects. This is considered before applying the overall weight for each category to calculate the final grade. Letter grades are then assigned based on the overall percentage, adhering to the provided rubric and rounding rules.

It's noteworthy how the grading system reflects a certain philosophy about competition and success, similar to economic models like capitalism. If a teacher decides to assign a 'C' grade to everyone, likened to a communistic approach where the entire class's performance determines individual grades, it would be a paradigm shift from the individualistic to a collective assessment approach.