Grading

Grading

Grade definitions Grading system Cheating Missing or late work

What is an A? a B? a C?

Grades are not based on effort. Instead, they are based on actual performance. (When you choose a doctor or an auto mechanic, you don't care if they tried hard when they were in school. You care whether they know what they are doing.)

A	A grade of "A" means that the work is judged to be of exceptionally high quality, going well beyond what is needed to be minimally acceptable. "A" level work shows originality, depth of thought, factual accuracy, good logic.
B	A grade of "B" means that the work is judged to be of high quality, going well beyond what is needed to be minimally acceptable. "B" level work shows some of the same good qualities as "A" level work, but not as consistently, or to the same extent. (Maybe lacks originality, and is less deep, although accurate and logical as far as it goes, for example.)
C	A grade of "C" means that the work is acceptable--that is, it meets the basic standard of college level work in terms of relevance, factual accuracy, and logic. "C-" work is at the the minimum acceptable level.
D	A grade of "D" means that the work does not meet the standards for acceptable college level work, but it does exhibit some positive qualities that indicate that it deserves some credit for having been done.
F	A grade of "F" means that the work is so weak that it does not earn college level credit, or the work was not completed at all.

General description of the grading system

The overall course grade is based on the combination of four grades. These four grades will be based on evaluation of four different sorts of written work students will be expected to complete in this course:

Essays -- three of these will be assigned, each about six or seven pages in length.
Essay examinations written outside of class -- there will be two of these, a midterm and a final.
Written answers to study questions. These will occur frequently and will often be used as a basis for what goes on in class.

The difference between an examination and an essay is that in an essay students launch out more on their own, to produce an original analysis or argument, while the examinations are more a matter of summarizing, synthesizing, and analyzing the readings and class discussions.

Study questions will be graded as satisfactory or not, except for cases in which extra credit is given to an outstanding job, or partial credit is given for a particularly weak response. Students can help or hurt their grades in this course quite significantly by doing well or poorly on these small items, even though no one such item counts for much. The point is to keep up with the daily class work and come prepared.

The overall final course grade will be determined as follows:

Each essay will count for 20 points; so there will be 60 points possible altogether.
Each examination will count for 20 points; so there will be 40 points possible altogether.
The study questions will in combination count for 15 points.

Total points possible then = 115. It is not possible to predict exactly how many items there will be in category 3. So, each one will be awarded temporary points individually based on quality of performance. For example, each study question set that is turned in will normally be worth one temporary point. The resulting number of temporary points possible on all these items by the end of the term will probably not equal 20, but will probably be more than 12. The temporary points will be converted into real points by prorating at the end of the term. For example, if there are 19 temporary points possible on all study questions, then each temporary point turns out to be worth 15/19th's of a real point, so that 19 temporary points will be converted into 15 real points.

Final grades will be based on the total points earned, using a scale no higher than this one:

A	101 points
B	80.5 points
C	60 points
D	45 points

This may look like a very lenient scale, thought of in terms of percentages, since there are 115 points possible. Only 70% needed for a B! But the scale actually is not lenient, because it will be easy to not earn all the points on the essays and exams. Don't think in terms of percentages when you think about this grading system. Instead, think in terms of numbers of points. As individual essays and exams are returned, there will be an explanation given for how the point scores were determined.

A better sense of what it takes for a high grade can be obtained by reading the grade definitions above.

Before the first two essays are graded, there will be a required procedure that involves meeting with the instructor to discuss the essays.

Cheating

Plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty can nullify the entire grading system described above, for students involved. Such cases will be dealt with in accord with university policy, and can easily result in a student's failing the entire course, or even being dismissed from the university.

Policies about missing or late course work

Written assignments each come with a deadline, posted on the Assignments page. After the deadline they are not routinely accepted for credit. (Written assignments are intended to support student learning as the class progresses. It makes no sense to try to make them up three weeks late. In the event of a serious need for a student to be absent for an extended period, special arrangements will have to be worked out, if possible.)

Unless a student obtains permission to turn in the work late, items will not be accepted after the due date. To get permission to be late, the student needs to have a reasonable excuse, and to make definite arrangements with the instructor.

If you have a documentable disability that requires a special accommodation in this course, contact the Disability Concerns office right away to make arrangements through them.