GRADING POLICIES

Final letter grades are determined by cumulative points, including both the 350 points possible on the exams plus the 25 possible extra-credit points discussed in the following section. Letter grades will be based on the following grade scale:

A = 315 pts or higher (90+%)

B = 280-314 pts (80-89%)

C = 228-279 pts (66-79%)

D = 175-227 pts (50-65%)

F = 174 pts or fewer (<50%)

In addition to the scheduled exams, there are 25 points of potential extra-credit offered in this class. Your extra-credit points will be added to your cumulative exam grades to determine the final letter grade. For example, if you score more than 90% on the exams you will receive an 'A' regardless of extra-credit. But if you have a cumulative score of 295 out of 350 pts on the exams, 20 or more points of extra-credit would raise you up to the 315 points required for an 'A'.

There are two ways in which you can obtain extra-credit in this class. First, you can take part in our use of the wireless CLASSTALK system. This electronic system will record your attendance and participation in the class, and I will award 10 points of extra-credit to students who participate via CLASSTALK in all of the scheduled lectures. These points will be prorated for students who participate in a fraction of the lectures, e.g. if CLASSTALK records your participation in 20 of the 25 lectures, you will receive (20/25) X 10 = 8 extra-credit points.

The remaining 15 extra-credit points will be awarded for performance on three quizzes given during discussion section. The grading of the quizzes is discussed under the Exam policies link.

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