Grading System

Grades in this class will be assigned based on a weighted average of your performance in these categories:

• 30% Labs -- performing experiments, keeping a journal, writing formal reports, preparing presentations
• 10% Homework -- completion and mastery of extra practice and reflection assignments
• 30% Participation -- Asking and answering questions in class, contributions to group projects
• 30% Course Skills -- See below

The course skills are the most complicated part of the grade, so they merit the most explanation. The course skills is a lst of facts, concepts, and practical skills that together make up what it means to "think like a scientist". Your mastery of these items is assessed though you demonstrating to the teacher and to other students what you know and what you can do. This often takes the form of quizzes and tests, but can be through classroom conversation, presentations, work on labs and lab reports, etc. -- the main point is that you produce something that demonstrates mastery. Every time you attempt an assessment on a particular skill, you will receive feedback in the form of comments and a score. The comments will be aimed to help you improve, and the score will be combined with future assessment attempts to show your history in that particular skill -- it takes time and effort to learn something difficult, so you will get as many opportunities as you need to continue improving.

You will receive a weekly grade report via email showing your most recent overall grade as well as all work you have done that contributed to the grade. If you wish to improve your overall grade at any time, you should study this weekly email carefully to understand where there is room for improvement, and then contact me to arrange a chance to talk through it and then to try a new assessment.

There are a few rules for re-assessments:

1. Only one attempt per day
2. You must contact me, and tell me which skill you want to improve your score on, what you have done to improve your understanding, and propose a new way to demonstrate the skill
3. If I help you with a given skill, you must wait at least one day before you try a re-assessment