Java Academy · Lesson

2D Mini-Project: Gradebook

Mini-project: build a small gradebook using a 2D int matrix. Print aligned tables, compute per-student and per-assignment averages, find best performers, curve scores, and output a summary report.

Lesson 4 of 68 steps

2D Mini-Project: Gradebook is a free Java Academy lesson on CoddyKit. This is lesson 4 of 6. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the Java Academy learning path, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app. The Java Academy course includes 6 lessons in total.

Project Overview

Project goal: Represent a gradebook as a 2D int matrix where each row is a student and each column is a homework/quiz/exam. You will print an aligned table, compute per-student and per-assignment averages, find the top student/assignment, curve scores, and generate a summary report.

Follow the scenes and run each code sample in order. No input is required.

Build & Print

Step 1: Create a small gradebook matrix and print it with aligned columns. We use a helper to compute column widths and a printer that pads each value.

public class Main {
				  // Join helper for one-dimensional arrays (space-separated)
				  static String join(int[] a) {
					String s = "";
					for (int i = 0; i < a.length; i = i + 1) {
					  s = s + a[i] + (i + 1 < a.length ? " " : "");
					}
					return s;
				  }

				  // Compute column widths for aligned printing (jagged-aware)
				  static int[] widths(int[][] m) {
					int maxCols = 0;
					for (int r = 0; r < m.length; r = r + 1) {
					  if (m[r].length > maxCols) maxCols = m[r].length;
					}
					int[] w = new int[maxCols];
					for (int r = 0; r < m.length; r = r + 1) {
					  for (int c = 0; c < m[r].length; c = c + 1) {
						int len = Integer.toString(m[r][c]).length();
						if (len > w[c]) w[c] = len;
					  }
					}
					for (int c = 0; c < w.length; c = c + 1) if (w[c] < 1) w[c] = 1;
					return w;
				  }

				  // Print matrix with aligned columns
				  static void printAligned(int[][] m) {
					int[] w = widths(m);
					for (int r = 0; r < m.length; r = r + 1) {
					  String line = "";
					  for (int c = 0; c < m[r].length; c = c + 1) {
						String s = Integer.toString(m[r][c]);
						while (s.length() < w[c]) s = " " + s;
						line = line + s + (c + 1 < m[r].length ? " " : "");
					  }
					  System.out.println(line);
					}
				  }

				  public static void main(String[] args) {
					// Create a 4x5 gradebook (4 students, 5 assignments)
					int[][] g = {
					  {78, 85, 90, 88, 92},
					  {95, 91, 89, 93, 87},
					  {60, 72, 70, 68, 75},
					  {88, 84, 79, 85, 90}
					};

					System.out.println("Gradebook (rows: students, cols: assignments):");
					printAligned(g);
				  }
				}

Row/Col Averages

Step 2: Compute per-student (row) and per-assignment (column) averages. Column averages must guard each row's length to be jagged-safe.

public class Main {
				  // Average of one row (student r)
				  static double rowAverage(int[][] g, int r) {
					int sum = 0;
					for (int c = 0; c < g[r].length; c = c + 1) sum = sum + g[r][c];
					return (double) sum / g[r].length;
				  }

				  // Average of one column (assignment c)
				  static double colAverage(int[][] g, int c) {
					int sum = 0;
					int count = 0;
					for (int r = 0; r < g.length; r = r + 1) {
					  if (c < g[r].length) { sum = sum + g[r][c]; count = count + 1; }
					}
					return (double) sum / count;
				  }

				  public static void main(String[] args) {
					int[][] g = {
					  {78, 85, 90, 88, 92},
					  {95, 91, 89, 93, 87},
					  {60, 72, 70, 68, 75},
					  {88, 84, 79, 85, 90}
					};

					// Compute per-student averages
					for (int r = 0; r < g.length; r = r + 1) {
					  double avg = rowAverage(g, r);
					  System.out.println("student " + r + " avg = " + String.format("%.2f", avg));
					}

					// Compute per-assignment averages
					int assignments = g[0].length;
					for (int c = 0; c < assignments; c = c + 1) {
					  double avg = colAverage(g, c);
					  System.out.println("assignment " + c + " avg = " + String.format("%.2f", avg));
					}
				  }
				}

Best Student/Assignment

Step 3: Find the top student (highest row average) and the top assignment (highest column average).

public class Main {
				  static double rowAverage(int[][] g, int r) {
					int sum = 0;
					for (int c = 0; c < g[r].length; c = c + 1) sum = sum + g[r][c];
					return (double) sum / g[r].length;
				  }

				  static double colAverage(int[][] g, int c) {
					int sum = 0;
					int count = 0;
					for (int r = 0; r < g.length; r = r + 1) { if (c < g[r].length) { sum = sum + g[r][c]; count = count + 1; } }
					return (double) sum / count;
				  }

				  public static void main(String[] args) {
					int[][] g = {
					  {78, 85, 90, 88, 92},
					  {95, 91, 89, 93, 87},
					  {60, 72, 70, 68, 75},
					  {88, 84, 79, 85, 90}
					};

					// Find top student by average
					int bestStudent = -1;
					double bestAvg = -1.0;
					for (int r = 0; r < g.length; r = r + 1) {
					  double avg = rowAverage(g, r);
					  if (avg > bestAvg) { bestAvg = avg; bestStudent = r; }
					}

					// Find top assignment by average
					int assignments = g[0].length;
					int bestAssign = -1;
					double bestCol = -1.0;
					for (int c = 0; c < assignments; c = c + 1) {
					  double avg = colAverage(g, c);
					  if (avg > bestCol) { bestCol = avg; bestAssign = c; }
					}

					System.out.println("top student = " + bestStudent + " (avg=" + String.format("%.2f", bestAvg) + ")");
					System.out.println("top assignment = " + bestAssign + " (avg=" + String.format("%.2f", bestCol) + ")");
				  }
				}

Curve Scores

Step 4: Apply a flat curve (e.g., +5 points per score, capped at 100) and print the before/after matrices.

public class Main {
				  // Add a flat curve of k points (capped at 100)
				  static void curve(int[][] g, int k) {
					for (int r = 0; r < g.length; r = r + 1) {
					  for (int c = 0; c < g[r].length; c = c + 1) {
						int v = g[r][c] + k;
						if (v > 100) v = 100;
						g[r][c] = v;
					  }
					}
				  }

				  static void print(int[][] g) {
					for (int r = 0; r < g.length; r = r + 1) {
					  for (int c = 0; c < g[r].length; c = c + 1) {
						System.out.print(g[r][c] + (c + 1 < g[r].length ? " " : ""));
					  }
					  System.out.println();
					}
				  }

				  public static void main(String[] args) {
					int[][] g = {
					  {78, 85, 90, 88, 92},
					  {95, 91, 89, 93, 87},
					  {60, 72, 70, 68, 75},
					  {88, 84, 79, 85, 90}
					};

					System.out.println("before curve:");
					print(g);
					curve(g, 5); // +5 points each
					System.out.println("after curve (+5, capped at 100):");
					print(g);
				  }
				}

Summary Report

Step 5: Generate a simple report: per-student averages and overall class average. (You could extend this to letter grades later.)

public class Main {
				  static double rowAverage(int[][] g, int r) {
					int sum = 0;
					for (int c = 0; c < g[r].length; c = c + 1) sum = sum + g[r][c];
					return (double) sum / g[r].length;
				  }

				  static double overallAverage(int[][] g) {
					int sum = 0;
					int count = 0;
					for (int r = 0; r < g.length; r = r + 1) {
					  for (int c = 0; c < g[r].length; c = c + 1) { sum = sum + g[r][c]; count = count + 1; }
					}
					return (double) sum / count;
				  }

				  public static void main(String[] args) {
					int[][] g = {
					  {83, 90, 95, 93, 97},  // assume already curved values
					  {100, 96, 94, 98, 92},
					  {65, 77, 75, 73, 80},
					  {93, 89, 84, 90, 95}
					};

					// Print each student average
					for (int r = 0; r < g.length; r = r + 1) {
					  double avg = rowAverage(g, r);
					  System.out.println("student " + r + " avg = " + String.format("%.2f", avg));
					}

					// Print overall average
					System.out.println("overall avg = " + String.format("%.2f", overallAverage(g)));
				  }
				}

Student Avg Check

Quick check: Which formula computes the average of student r?

Answer it in the interactive lesson

Recap & Next

Recap: You modeled a gradebook with a 2D array, printed aligned tables, computed row/column averages, found top performers, curved scores, and produced a summary report. Next: wrap these utilities into a reusable helper class.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the “2D Mini-Project: Gradebook” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “2D Mini-Project: Gradebook” is free to read here on the web. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the Java Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO. The Java Academy course includes 6 lessons in total.

What will I learn in “2D Mini-Project: Gradebook”?

Mini-project: build a small gradebook using a 2D int matrix. Print aligned tables, compute per-student and per-assignment averages, find best performers, curve scores, and output a summary report. You practise Java Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

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No prior experience is required. Java Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace. This is lesson 4 of 6.

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