Estimating Your Projected Course Grade:
As explained in the Syllabus, your course grade is composed of four parts: Hour Exams, Quizzes, Homework, and Participation , which count respectively for 60%, 15%, 15%, and 10% of the semester grade. To estimate your expected course grade, carry out the following calculation.
1. Exam Total: If you have taken only two full-class period exams so far, add the two scores. If you are doing this estimate after you have taken three exams, add your scores and divide by 1.5. In either case, the resulting number should be between 0 and 60.
2. Quiz Total: Add together the best 5 quiz scores (which are on a scale of 0 - 6) and divide by 2. If you have taken fewer than 5 quizzes, you must average in a 0 for each missed quiz that would count towards the 5 best. The resulting number should be between 0 and 15.
3. Homework Total: Add together the best 5 quiz scores (which are on a scale of 0 - 12) and divide by 4. If you turned in fewer than 5 homeworks, you must average in a 0 for each missed HW that would count towards the 5 best. Again, the total should be between 0 and 15.
4. Participation Total: The participation total includes in-class index cards; the background survey given on the first class day and the re-take of this survey on Wednesday, May 2; up to 2 documented Star Parties; and write-ups from Public Lectures. There is a column on Blackboard called PTOTAL, which includes all participation credits up to the present. If the number is greater than 10, it will be rounded down to a value of 10, since only the first 10 participation points count towards your grade.
5. Course Total: Add together the 4 partial totals above. The resulting number should be between 0 and 100. The course letter grades will be assigned according to the following table of equivalences, which was first established after the class had taken Exam 1. We WILL NOT ROUND UP the numerical course totals to the next higher integer number.
6. If you are not happy with your projected course grade, you may take the optional comprehensive final exam. If your score on the final is higher than on any of the previous exams, the new score replaces the old one. The optional final exam will be given on Friday, May 11, 9 AM – noon, in Welch 3.502 (our regular classroom). It will cover the whole semester, but it will be the same length as the earlier hour exams (30 multiple-choice questions). You must arrive by 9:15 AM to take the exam for credit; we will not wait 3 full hours if all students present have finished taking the exam.
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