These are questions about the exam structure, grading policy, etc. All of these questions are answered by the syllabus, but I have also included this FAQ since I am often asked these questions about the course.
Q. What is the attendance policy?
A. The course is constructed with the expectation that students will attend class regularly. Attendance is not taken and there is no artificial penalty for missing class. There are, however, natural consequences of missing too many classes. Students who attend regularly normally do very well in the class, and students who miss a lot of classes are unlikely to do well in the class.
Q. How are grades determined for the class?
A. The material in the class is divided into four units. You must take one exam on each unit. Each exam is worth 100 points; so you will have a total of 0 to 400 points for the four exams. The number of points required for each grade is given in the syllabus. For example, you need 360 points for an A.
Q. What is the format for the exams?
A. On the online syllabus, there are links to practice exams or each of the four units. Each exam for each unit will have the same format, that is, the same number and kinds of problems, as the practice exam for that unit. Of course, the individual items for each exam will be different.
Q. Suppose I have 359 points for the four units. That averages to 89.75 points for each unit. Do you round up? Will I get an A for the course?
A. No. The break points for the letter grades are based on the 0-400 point scale. 359 points is a B+, not an A. That is true for all of the other letter grade break points as well.
Q: I understand there is a retake policy for this course. How does that work?
A. Eleven exams will be given during the course. You may take as many or as few as you want, but you are required to take one exam on each of the four units to pass the course. There will be three exams (including one during the final exam period) for each of the first three units. There will be one exam before and one exam during the final exam period for the fourth unit.
Q. I miss the first exam for Unit 1 for a valid reason (illness, death in the family, etc.) How can I make it up?
A. If you miss any exam, you will have another opportunity to take an exam over the same material latter in the course. That is one of the reasons retakes are offered: to allow you to make up any exams you miss.
Q. I missed the first exam for Unit 1 because I overslept (not a valid reason.) May I still take the later exams for Unit 1?
A. Yes, you may take any of the exams regardless of whether you took any of the earlier exams.
Q. I made a 75 on the first exam for Unit 1. I retook the exam for Unit 1 and made a 68. What grade do I now have for this exam?
A. Your grade is the last grade you took for that unit. In this case, your grade at this point for Unit 1 is 68. But you still have an opportunity to retake the exam on this material one last time during the final examination period.
Q. Why don't you give us the best grade we make on a unit, or the average grade, instead of the last grade?
A. There are two reasons. First, the last grade better indicates how well you retained the material. Suppose you take the first exam on Unit 1 in February and make a 78. Then you wait until the final exam to retake the exam on Unit 1. At this time, you make a 65. Apparently, you didn't retain the mastery of this material from the beginning of the course to the end. The second reason we use the last grade is that students were abusing the retake policy for this course. Students would often come in to retake an exam for a unit and then decide they could not do better than they did the first time. So they would hand in an incomplete or very poor exam. It is a lot of work to construct, administer, and grade eleven exams for 300 students. We only want to see your best work. So whenever you hand in an exam, this should represent the best that you can do on this material.
Q. Suppose I do come in to retake an exam on one of the units, but when I look at the exam I decide I cannot do better than I did before. What should I do?
A. Don't turn in the exam. The retake does not replace your previous exam until you turn it in. You get a "free" look, but once the retake is turned in then any previous grade you have for that unit is gone.
Q. How is the final exam structured?
A. The final exam will consist of four separate 100 point exams, one on each of the four units.
Q. Do I have to take the final exam?
A. Not if you have already taken at least one exam for each unit. Suppose you take the first exam offered for each unit and have a total of 335 points. You will receive an B in the course if you do not take the final exam. However, if you take any part of the final exam then your score for that unit may go up or down. Remember: it is the score on the last exam you take for a unit that counts.
Q. If I take the final exam, do I have to take all four parts?
A. No. Suppose you have 92, 89, 70, and 95 on each of the four units for a total of four units for a total of 346 points. If you do not take any part of the final exam, you will make a B. You may take only the part of the final covering Unit 3, the part for which you have a score of 70, if you like. Suppose you take this part of the final exam and make an 86. Now your total is 362 and you will receive an A for the course.B
Q. Suppose an error is made in grading my exam. What do I do?
A. If you think there
has been a error in grading your exam, you should take your exam to the TA who
graded it. Your TA has authority to correct any errors that have been made.
If you think there has been an error but your TA disagrees, then you may bring
your exam to me. If you ask me to review your exam, I will regrade the entire
exam, not just a single item. There is always the chance that I will find mistakes
you made that your TA did not spot. In other words, if I regrade your exam your
grade might go up, go down, or remain the same.
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