A. There will be four mid-semester examinations spaced at approximately three week intervals, with the first midsemester occurring at the end of the fourth full week of class. Exam coverage will be from the previous exam to that work most recently covered in discussion. The exams will be a combination of problem solving and interpretative (conceptual) components. Maximum score will be 100 points on each exam. There will be no make-ups for any of the mid-semester exams. At the end of the semester the lowest score of the four mid-semester exams you take will be dropped. This means that the mid-semester portion of your final course grade will be based on the three highest mid-semester scores. This dropped exam may be your poorest mid-semester performance, one you missed because you were ill, out of town, simply overslept, or one you spaced. The mid-semester exam dropped will be based on that score in all the mid-semesters exams you took that represented the worst performance relative to the class mean score for that exam. This is a bit subtle and will be explained carefully late in the semester.
REMINDER: THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP EXAMS!!!
EXAM SECURITY:
You must bring a picture ID,
either your University ID or a driver's license with you to every
mid-semester
exam as well as the final exam. These ID's may
be checked during the exams.
B. To repeat: the lowest score earned in the four mid-semester
exams will be dropped. In other words, one of your exams is a
freebie. The mid-semester exam part of the final grade will then
be derived from the highest three mid-semester exam scores. Incidentally,
the lowest score that will be dropped is more difficult to determine
than you may think. It is not necessarily the absolute lowest
score of the four mid-semester exams. It is that score which
represents the worst performance relative to the mean test score
for the entire class on that test. So, when worrying about
how well or how poorly you did on an exam, remember to examine
your score relative to the class mean before making unwise judgements.
You will find your instructor is generally unwilling to assign
letter grade values to the performance on any one exam. He does
not begin to think in those terms until the end of the semester
when a cumulative course point total is generated. However, since it
is impossible for students to hold off thinking about such items
until late in the semester, the following is offered. This course
is graded somewhat on a curve. The mean grade in Physics 2010
will probably be a B-, certainly no lower than that, and typically close to the B cutoff. You now have the information
to form an approximate idea of where you stand on any particular exam by examining your
exam grade relative to the mean for that exam.
C. There will be a comprehensive Final Exam covering all the chapters of the semester's work. Maximum score for the final exam is 200 points. Unlike the mid-semester exams the final exam will not be returned to you. The purpose of the final is strictly for assessment, unlike the mid-semester exams, which are for both assessment and instruction. In other words, the final exam is for the instructor to help determine course grade. Of course, you will be allowed to examine your final during the first weeks of the Physics 2020 semester in the instructor's office (210A South Physics).
D. Exam Schedule:
| Exam | Date | Time | Place |
|
|
Friday, September 19 Friday, October 10 Friday, November 7 Friday, December 5 Friday, December 19 |
Lecture Time Lecture Time Lecture Time Lecture Time 3:30-5:30 pm |
Sec. 1 JFB 101, ASB 220 Sec. 2 JFB 101, ASB 220 Sec. 1 JFB 101, ASB 220 Sec. 2 JFB 101, ASB 220 Sec. 1 JFB 101, ASB 220 Sec. 2 JFB 101, ASB 220 Sec. 1 JFB 101, ASB 220 Sec. 2 JFB 101, ASB 220 Sec. 1 and 2: JFB 101, JFB 102, JFB 103, ASB 220 (tentative) |
G. Regrading: It is understood that there will be times when you receive a graded exam and you do not understand why certain points have been taken off, how the point deductions were made, an actual grading error was made, or you think the grader missed something. If you have a problem with the exam grading, use the following procedure:
All mid-semesters will be taken on Friday. The final is scheduled for the Friday of "Finals Week". The final exam was scheduled by the University, not the department. There will not be a rescheduling of this time to accommodate anyone's plane or any other travel reservations despite how unpleasant the time is. The scheduling of the extra rooms in the Physics building (JFB) and the Aline Skaggs building (ASB) was done to allow plenty of room for exam-taking.
REMINDER: Only the "best" three mid-semester exam scores, final exam score, and homework score (See below.) will count toward your final grade.
E. Discussion/Homework: 100 points maximum will be applied to your point total based on your work in the on-line homework system, WebAssign. Homework grading is described on the Homework Policy document. The purpose of the discussion section is to allow you to get all the assistance you need to help you submit finished and correct homeworks. Homework is submitted within the WebAssign environment. Do not disregard the importance of the discussion part of the course. It has the same value as a mid-semester exam, and you cannot drop the discussion grade. The dates of the homework assignments are available in a couple of places at the WebAssign site. The actual assignments are accessed individually by each student when they enter the WebAssign website. As of the writing of the syllabus all 28 of the homework assignments are viewable and ready to go in WebAssign. However, it is recommended that you print off only a few weeks of assignments at a time as I expect some changes to be made on items in later assignments. For some of you completing course work on-line will be a rather novel experience; and for others you have been involved in this kind of activity for some time as more and more curricula you encounter have on-line components. As you develop your own approach to this homework system, here are some suggestions. First, print off the assignment. Work on the homework problems and questions away from the computer. Make sure you develop a thorough approach for working out each homework item with paper and pencil and calculator. You should really establish a thorough and effective procedure for solving a problem. Drawing a careful picture, showing a coordinate system when appropriate, explicitly writing the data set on the paper, working out a solution algebraically first and then inserting numbers and units and then solving, and finally checking the answers for unit consistency and value plausibility are all just as impostant in an on-line system as they are in a paper hand-in system. Depending on your access to a internet connected computer, you should then start entering answers. You can enter answers to a single item at a time or even parts of a whole problem at a time and submitting; or even entering multiple items at a time and then submitting. The items are then graded almost instantly so that within moments you will know what items are correct and what items are incorrect. Since you will always have 5 submission opportunities for getting the most credit possible, all is not lost when the result of the submission is the incorrect indicator, the big ugly. At this point you will have develop your own techniques for handling items that were graded incorrect. By the way guessing at the correct answer is the worst possible way of dealing with errors. Here is where multiple course resources come in to play to help you deal with incorrect items. Available to you are the discussion sections, the course help area (JFB 325), the WebAssign Communications Fora, study groups, your section TA's, etc. One final item here: your objective in getting the help you seek to correct errors is to learn and understand the material, not just to get the right answer to secure the high homework grade. If all your efforts are aimed at getting the high homework grades without really understanding the material you are working on, it is very likely you will be looking at dismal exam results. And a poor physics exam score can really ruin your day. During the early days of the course you will need to be thinking of what is the most effective way for you to get the most you can in terms of understanding the physics and being able to successfully use the physics you are working on in new situations, especially new situations you might encounter in exams. Homework is the means to get repeated practice opportunities to acquire deep understanding and a high problem-solving skill level.
Resources Within Homework Problems
In numerous homework problems and a few questions you will see as links one of the following: ssm, Concept Simulation #.#, Interactive Learning Ware #.#, Interactive Solutions #.#. These links take you to the Wiley (the publisher of your text) Student Companion WebSite, in particular to the item at the website referenced by the "#.#" identifier. These items are placed in the homework text to offer you assistance for the problem at hand. In the case of the ssm link you will be taken to the worked out solution to the problem using the data given in the text version of the problem. The purpose of such a homework item is to get you to go carefully over a worked out example. Often the point value for this type of homework item is one point rather than the typical two points.
F. Grading:
1. Exams 300 points total
2. Final Exam 200 points total
3. Discussion 100 points total
Total points 600 points
The final course grade will be determined by how many total points out of the maximum of 600 points you earn. As of the present moment, no course mean has been set a priori; but you should anticipate a course mean in the B- range.
1. Make a notation on the exam on the problem you wish the grader to recheck. Be specific about the error. At the end of the discussion section in which the exam was handed back, resubmit the exam to your TA. Your TA will make sure the exam is directed to the appropriate grader for re-evaluation.
2. You must resubmit the exam for regrading no later than the end of the discussion period in which the exam was returned to you. We will not regrade any exams resubmitted after this "end-of-the-class" deadline.
3. If, after the regrading activity you are still not satisfied with your treatment, see the Professor. He will be the final arbiter in case you and the grader cannot agree on how the item in question was graded. However, you must go through this regrading routine before your course instructor will exercise final judgement on the merits of your complaint. The bottom line is, "Your score should be the proper number of points earned."
H. Adding, Dropping, and Withdrawing:
Most of the information concerning adding, dropping, or withdrawing from Physics 2010 can be found at the Registration site.
I. Disabled Students
The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services and activities for people with disabilities. If you will need accommodations in the class, reasonable prior notice needs to be given to the Center for Disability Services, 162 Union Building, 581-5020 (V/TDD). CDS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. All written information in this course can be made available in alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability Services. Consult Disability Services for additional information.
A final reminder:
Many of you will find your experience in Physics a challenging,
thoroughly enjoyable experience. Success in problem solving and
glimpsing at the inner workings of natural phenomena are pursuits
you will relish. Some of you, however, will find this experience
difficult and frustrating. The dreaded "story problems"
will seem relentless and unrewarding. I do want you to feel your
experience in this sequence was worthwhile and enriching. The
understanding of basic physics has much to say about the basic
workings of nature and offers enormous insight into the career pursuits
most of you are aiming toward. If you begin to have problems
with the class please come to my office so that we can talk about
it. I can make suggestions on how to approach this subject, i.e.
how to approach problem solving, how to organize your study efforts,
and how to study for an exam. Often they work. There are techniques
I can offer that could improve your chances of success. Let's
face it; the better you do in the course, the more you will like
the subject. So please, at the first sign of trouble come on
in!!! The instructor, the Physics Department, and the University
are making available to you a collection of resources to help
you succeed, e.g. communal office hourse, tutoring from departmental
and University sources. It is, however, up to you to take advantage
of any or all of the resources.