Competencies, Evidence, and Remediation
Completion requires correctness, explanation, executable evidence, and transfer. It does not follow from finishing a reading list or obtaining one aggregate score.
| Competency | Independent evidence | Repair path |
|---|---|---|
| C1: records and stable sorting | A1; Lab A; P1–P4 | Concepts 1–6, worked example 1, tagged two-record failure |
| C2: ordered boundaries | A2; Lab B | Concept 8, worked example 2, empty/all-equal/absent inputs |
| C3: selection and randomization | A3; Lab B | Concepts 3 and 9, phase proof, three-way invariant |
| C4: dictionary lifecycle | A4; Lab C | Concept 12, worked example 4, wraparound update/delete sequence |
| C5: honest cost guarantees | A5; Lab C evidence | Concepts 11 and 13, deterministic collision family |
| C6: heap invariants | A6; Lab D | Concepts 14–15, height sum, interleaved operations |
| C7: representation and resources | A7; P13/P15 | Concepts 6–7, I/O worked example, full memory accounting |
| C8: transfer and bounded state | A8; Lab D; capstone | Concept 16, engineering lesson, iterator-consumption test |
Rubric
Score each competency separately from 0 to 3:
- 0: missing or fundamentally incorrect contract/result.
- 1: some correct output, but a material invariant, assumption, or cost is wrong.
- 2: correct core result, proof argument, and stated cost model; minor omissions can be repaired without changing the method.
- 3: level 2 plus handles the changed requirement, identifies a useful counterexample, and explains the practical limits independently.
Initial completion requires at least 2 in every competency, all four lab contracts passing checks, source review for complexity and prohibited delegation, and a completed evidence template. Do not average a missing competency away.
Critical errors block the corresponding competency: losing or reordering stable ties; a nonterminating boundary loop; presenting expected time as worst-case; losing a live key after deletion or leaving duplicate keys after update; claiming constant dictionary time without assumptions; a broken heap invariant; omitting run-generation I/O while claiming total traffic; or eagerly materializing all records while claiming O(K) merge state.
Remediation and delayed transfer
Repair a failed competency with the listed example and a minimal failing input. Explain the repaired invariant aloud or in writing, then solve a fresh instance without viewing the key. Record original score, assistance, repair, fresh task, and reviewer decision.
After 7–14 days, attempt a 45–60 minute transfer task: merge records with a changed tie policy, diagnose a deletion-history bug, or revise an index for a new workload. Require at least level 2 for each competency exercised. A3/A5 should also retain the distinction between expected, worst-case, and amortized reasoning. Repeat failed areas using another task rather than merely memorizing the first answer.
The thresholds and workload are author-designed, not empirically calibrated. Independent reviewers and learner pilots should revise them from observed evidence. No percentile or professional-level certification is implied by passing this module.