Section 6 Assement and grading
I don’t expect you to get everything right on your first attempt. Instead, most work that you submit will be initially graded for feedback only. If your work for a problem doesn’t meet the standard for successful completion, you will be allowed to revise it and resubmit.
In fact, other than the online homework (which assigns scores automatically), I do not intend to provide numerical scores for your work throughout the semester. The course will be, in a sense, ungraded.
There are two primary components to your assessment: quizzes, and homework.
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Quizzes.A quiz will take place each week in tutorial. You will write individually for 45 minutes, and use the remainder of the tutorial to discuss the quiz problems.Each quiz problem will tied to one of 25 learning outcomes: see Section 9. You will receive feedback, and a “grade” according to the following rubric:
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M (meets expectations): your work demonstrates that you understand the problem, and are capable of doing the necessary calculations. Your work isn’t necessarily perfect, but any mistakes are minor.
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R (revision needed): your work demonstrates partial understanding and/or ability, but contains significant errors that need to be corrected to meet expectations.
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N (not yet): you either have not yet attempted a problem for this outcome, or you did not demonstrate sufficient understanding to require revisions.
If you receive an R grade on a problem, you can upgrade your score to M by submitting a revision. Your revision should identify the mistake that you made, say something about what misunderstanding led to the mistake and how you fixed it, and include a corrected solution. Multiple revisions are permitted.If you receive an N grade on a problem, you can request a new problem by visiting my office during student hours (or by appointment). You can expect to spend a bit of time going over the material with me before getting a new problem.If you miss a quiz, you can also complete the outcomes you missed in my office, or wait for one of the two make-up quizzes (Oct. 22 and Dec. 9). -
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Homework.Every week, online homework will be assigned via our WeBWorK platform. Most questions will allow unlimited attempts, and you will receive full credit once you get a question correct.Homework due dates will be flexible. If you need more time, you can ask for it. Note that repeated extension requests may lead to a discussion about time management.
The basic premise of an ungraded course is that you will assess your own effort and performance in the course, and assign yourself a grade. You will meet with me once during the term to discuss your progress in the course, and again during the final exam period, to discuss your overall performance in the course, and to agree on the grade you have earned.
The following table provides a rough guide to determining a letter grade. While I will respect reasonable grade requests, I reserve the right to change any grade requests that are too high (or too low).
| Grade | Outcomes | Homework |
| A | 22/25 | 90% |
| B | 19/25 | 80% |
| C | 16/25 | 70% |
| D | 13/25 | 60% |
A grade of F will be assigned if you complete 12 or fewer learning outcomes, or if you complete 15 or fewer outcomes, and less than 50% of the homework, unless you can do a very good job of convincing me that you still deserve to pass.
To argue for a grade of A+, you will want to exceed the expectations for an A, and make some other outstanding contribution to the class. This could take the form of being an especially active participant in classroom discussions, or some small extra credit assignment that looks into some theory or application of calculus not covered in class.
Other “decorated” letter grades, like A- or B+, will likely be the result of being just below one of the above thresholds (for a minus grade) or meeting one and exceeding the other (for a plus grade).
Grade meetings.
You will be required to meet with me twice during the semester to discuss your progress in the course. The first meeting will be during the week after Thanksgiving: October 15–18. During this meeting, we will discuss how things are going so far, whether you are satisfied with your progress, and whether there are areas for improvement.
We will also determine what learning outcomes (if any) should be included on the “custom quiz” the following week. (This will be a catch-all make-up quiz.)
The second meeting will take place during exam week. I will, of course, know your homework grade, and how many learning outcomes you completed, so I will have a good idea of what grade you are going to request. Nonetheless, you should arrive with a grade in mind, and be prepared to convince me why you deserve that grade.
