Last updated: $Date: 2005/01/27 03:34:04 $
The breakdown of grades in the course is as follows:
| Exams | 45% |
| Project | 25% |
| Assignments | 20% |
| Class participation | 10% |
The midterm and final exams together are worth 45%. The higher-scoring of the two will be weighted more (25%).
There will be a midterm and a final, as indicated in the syllabus; both will be open book and open notes. No Internet access, however, will be allowed. Although you can use the entire three-hour block, the exams are not anticipated to take that long.
The class project will be discussed in class.
All homeworks together will be worth 20% of your final grade. Due dates are on the syllabus. Note that each homework is due at the beginning of the class (Lynne will collect them). Each assignment will be graded on a five-point scale:
| 4 | Demonstrates excellent understanding of the concepts and the details of the specific techniques. |
| 3 | Demonstrates good grasp of the concepts and the details of the specific techniques. This is the grade you would receive if I could tell that you're getting all the topics covered in class, but, for example, you're making mistakes in calculations. |
| 2 | Demonstrate adequate grasp of the concepts and the details of the specific techniques. This is the grade you would receive if I think you were not getting some of the topics covered in class. |
| 1 | Demonstrates inadequate understanding of the concepts and the details of the specific techniques. This is the grade you would receive if I think there were major gaps in your grasp of the topics covered in class. |
| 0 | Failure to hand in homework assignment. |
Each assignment will be deducted one point for every 24 hour period that it is late. Because extensions are relatively easy to obtain in advance, I will not be sympathetic to explanations after the due date.
The textual portion of all assignments will be word processed. If
there is a need to write mathematical equations, plain text is
sufficient. For example, you might write the Pythagorean Theorem as
c^2 = SQRT(a^2 + b^2). Graphs can be hand-drawn, but
must be neat, legible, and clearly labeled (although graphs done with,
for example, Excel, will be appreciated).
You are welcome to collaborate on your homework with others. If you do so, please indicate your collaborators. Note that splitting the homework up into parts, having each person work on a part, and then simply exchanging answers does not count as collaboration. When in doubt, ask!
I expect you to show up to every class, well-prepared to engage in the material. All readings should be completed before class. You are expected to participate in class discussions and ask insightful questions where appropriate. Email me in advance if you anticipate being absent; emergencies aside, I will look upon explanations with skepticism. Here's how the grading will work: in the beginning, everyone starts out with 7/10 points. If I have a favorable impression at the end of the course, this score will be higher (e.g., you engage in good discussions). If I have a unfavorable impression at the end of the course, this score will be lower (e.g., you missed 3 classes). The score will remain the same otherwise, e.g., you come to class but don't really participate.
Note that not all lecture material is covered in the readings. Furthermore, it is not guaranteed that all lecture material will be present in the slides themselves. In particular, many slides simply contain questions for discussion and will not be terribly informative outside the classroom context (i.e., you'll know what the questions are, but you won't know what the answers are unless you're there). Therefore, it is in your best interest to attend every class meeting.
Last updated: $Date: 2005/01/27 03:34:04 $