Grading Policy

Here is the short version of how your grade will be calculated:

20% - Quizzes
15% - Midterm
30% - Final
20% - WeBWork
15% - Written homework and class participation

Let me elaborate a little on these:

Quizzes - A quiz will be given every Thursday at the beginning of class (except the Thursdays when there is the midterm or the final--see the schedule). It will emphasize the material from that week, but may draw upon anything we've covered in the course up to that point. No calculators are allowed during the quiz, but the problems will of course be written bearing that in mind.

Midterm - Scheduled for June 18, and will cover all material up to that point.

Final - Scheduled for July 16, and will cover all material from the course.

WeBWork - The link for WeBWork is here. See the main page for further explanation.

Written homework and class participation - Most days I will assign a few problems to be handed in, usually the next class period. The goal is to give you a reason to think about what we're covering in class every day and to help keep you from falling behind. It also lets me know how effectively I am teaching. Grading for these sets will not be too strict, and you are welcome to work on them together if you choose. Often, though, the problems will be fairly simple and you should use the homework as a sort of test of your handle on the material before you look in the book or ask a friend. Being right is less important than learning from the assignment!

Class participation is meant to be easy points, but I really do want to give an incentive for people to speak up either with questions or answers. If you are shy, I do not mean for this to penalize you, so please let me know and I will take that into consideration.



An important note about make-up work: In general, late homework will not be accepted and make-up quizzes and exams will not be given without prior arrangement. This is of course excepting well documented emergencies (like hospitalization, etc.). I will drop a few of the lowest homework scores and the lowest quiz grade, so don't worry too much about missing one day of class. Late WeBWork will also not be accepted--yet another reason to begin early! Please see me if you have any questions about this.