Examinations (lecture)
There will be two midterm examinations and a final. Each exam will be worth around 50 points. They exams are not cumulative, but I will naturally expect you to retain concepts covered earlier in the course. This will allow you to better understand/apply more recently presented information. The exams are in multiple choice format, with perhaps some matching for variety.
Tentative Dates for the Exams are as follows:
Midterm 1: Monday, October 15th 2007
Midterm 2: Monday, November 3rd 2007
Final Exam: Wednesday, December 5th 2007 at 3:15 PM, in 123 Pacific Hall.
Quizzes
A quiz may be administered at the instructors discretion and I may do so without advanced warning. They are generally worth 5 to 10 points and scores are added to the total points in the course grade book on Blackboard.
Laboratory Exams
Grading
Everyone wants an A+ in my course. Few reach that goal. The key to success in this course is to learn the material. This is the student's responsibility. Attend lectures and labs, complete the assigned reading material, come to office hours, review the Precasts, Postcasts and Bodcasts (see multimedia section) and ask questions in class and in the Blackboard Discussion section.
After years of experimentation trying to find a fair way of grading performance that is satisfactory to everyone, I have returned to the traditional grading scale base on the total score of all assignments:
Percent of Total
A+ 97-100
A 94-96
A- 90-93
B+ 87-89
B 84-86
B- 80-83
C+ 77-79
C 74-76
C- 70-73
D+ 67-69
D 65-66
F 0-64
There will be no make-up exams or extra credit offered.
Reviewing Exam Questions/Responses
I conduct an item analysis on all lecture exam questions. If the question fails such analysis, I throw it out and change total points accordingly.
I will produce a post-exam podcast reviewing the exam questions and answers. This should be available several days after the exam is graded.
I will NOT discuss the exam results and/or individual appeals of answers in class. It takes up too much time. You may appeal for a reconsideration of your grade, but your rationale should be delivered in writing.