How is My Grade Determined?

Grades in this class arise from a mix of many different ways to judge your work, NOT solely from your performance on exams. Be sure you understand the components! Here is the breakdown.

These divisions are not guaranteed. We may adjust due to unforeseen circumstances that cancel classes or HW - snow, tornadoes, etc.

Component grades

Each of the components will be assigned grading patterns. On exams and quizzes, scores above 80% are considered to be A, above 70% a B, and above 60% a C. On other components there are other grade assignments. Since we expect you to attend all classes, recitations, and labs, an A on participation might require 95%, a B 90%, and a C 80%. Homework grade assignments depend on how the class responds to the particular problems assigned, but in some previous years, an A has required about 85% and a B about 75%. Lab report grades are assigned at the end of the term, since the specific assignment may depend on the way individual TA's grade. Lab grading may be adjusted for differences among the patterns of individual TAs.

Overall grades

The overall grade boundaries are created by adding the grade boundaries for each component. Since it's only the total points that matters, if you are a few points below a grade boundary in one component, you can make it up by being above the grade boundary in another component by that number of points.

This means that good scores in some categories can compensate somewhat for weaker scores in others. But there are two things to note:

• Some categories have higher grade boundaries than others. To get an A in an exam requires 80%, but to get an A in lecture participation may require 95%.
• Though one category can compensate for another, being WAY below a boundary in any category can be very hard to overcome. Missing a lot of classes or not doing a lot of homework assignments can be very hard to overcome.

It's hard to know exactly where the final grade cutoffs will lie at the end of the semester, since some of the boundaries depend on how the class performs during the term. But in the past, the boundary for an A typically falls somewhere between 80-85% of the total points, a B typically falls somewhere between 70--75%, a C in the 60-65% range, and passing, about 50%. NOTE: THIS MEANS THAT AT THE END OF THIS CLASS A BOUNDARY WILL BE SET THAT IS LIKELY TO FALL IN THESE RANGES, NOT THAT IF YOU FALL ANYWHERE IN THOSE RANGES YOU WILL GET THAT GRADE!

What about my grade as shown on ELMS?

We try to have our total points on ELMS (and the resultant percentage that ELMS calculates) give some indication of how you are doing, but it CANNOT be taken as a guarantee of a particular grade. If you are concerned about your grade or cumulative points, please do not hesitate to talk to your lecturer in person.