Grades in this class arise from a mix of many different ways to judge your work, NOT solely from your performance on exams. Be sure you understand the components! Here is the breakdown.
| Component activity | Total points (scaled if needed) |
Percent |
| Homework | 300 | 23% |
| Midterm exams (100 pts each) | 200 | 15% |
| Final exam | 200 | 15% |
| Lab Reports | 165 | 13% |
| Quizzes | 100 | 8% |
| Readings and Pre-Lab Questions | 100 | 8% |
| Lab/Recitation Participation | 75 | 6% |
| Lecture Participation (clickers) | 160 | 12% |
| Total | 1300 | 100% |
These divisions are not guaranteed. We may adjust due to unforeseen circumstances that cancel classes or HW - snow, tornadoes, etc.
Component grades
Each of the components will be assigned grading patterns. On exams and quizzes, scores above 75% are considered to be A, above 60% a B, and above 45% a C. On other components there are other grade assignments. Since we expect you to attend all classes, recitations, and labs, an A on participation might require 95%, a B 90%, and a C 80%. Homework grade assignments depend on how the class responds to the particular problems assigned, but in some previous years, an A has required about 85% and a B about 75%. Lab report grades are assigned at the end of the term, since the specific assignment may depend on the way individual TA's grade. Lab grading may be adjusted for differences among the patterns of individual TAs.
Overall grades
The overall grade
boundaries are created by adding the grade boundaries for each
component. Since it's only the total points that matters, if you
are a few points below a grade boundary in one component, you can
make it up by being above the grade boundary in another component
by that number of points.
This means that good scores in some categories can compensate somewhat for weaker scores in others. But there are two things to note:
- Some categories have higher grade boundaries than others. To get an A in an exam requires 75%, but to get an A in lecture participation may require 95%.
- Though one category can compensate for another, being WAY below a boundary in any category can be very hard to overcome. Missing a lot of classes or not doing a lot of homework assignments can be very hard to overcome.
It's hard to know exactly where the final grade cutoffs
will lie at the end of the semester, since some of the boundaries
depend on how the class performs during the term. But in the
past, the boundary for an A typically falls somewhere between
80-85% of the total points, a B typically falls somewhere between
70--75%, a C in the 60-65% range, and passing, about 50%. NOTE:
THIS MEANS THAT AT THE END OF THIS CLASS A BOUNDARY WILL BE
SET THAT IS LIKELY TO FALL IN THESE RANGES, NOT THAT IF
YOU FALL ANYWHERE IN THOSE RANGES YOU WILL GET THAT GRADE!
What about my grade as shown on ELMS?
We try to have our total points on ELMS (and the resultant percentage that ELMS calculates) give some indication of how you are doing, but it CANNOT be taken as a guarantee of a particular grade. If you are concerned about your grade or cumulative points, please do not hesitate to talk to your lecturer in person.