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Math 121 - Calculus for Biology I
Spring Semester, 2012

Grading Policy for Math 121

This page will provide you with information on how the course will be graded. This class is graded on a curve, which depends on your performance relative to the others in this class and on our experience with teaching the class for many years, using some variation of the policy that will be described in some detail below. At some point early in the semester, you will receive a confidential code name, which will be used to give information about how you are doing in class. About the time of the first exam, a complete listing of scores and your grade at that time, referenced by this code name, will be posted on my website.

The class consists of two lectures and one computer lab (2 hours) each week. Thus, the grading of the class is weighted 2/3 on homework and exams from the lecture, and 1/3 from the lab and lab exams. (You will discover that there is a strong relationship between the material in the lecture and the material in the lab.)

Homework: The homework will be done with WeBWorK . This homework is worth 20% of the lecture grade (13% of total grade). This is an electronic homework system that is graded automatically on the due date. This system has been extremely successful with only a few glitches. Each student works similar problems, but the random number generator means that you are likely to have slightly different numbers in your problems. WeBWorK requires fairly high precision with most answers needing 0.1% relative error, which implies you usually need 4-5 significant figures. The grades of students taking the course are highly correlated with the scores on the WeBWorK homework assignments, so it is very important that you take this homework seriously. Experience shows that the WeBWorK score helps most students improve their grade percentage. Homework should be done with only the tools you have for an Exam, brief notes and a scientifc calculator. (Use of computer programs, such as Wolfram Alpha and Maple, should only be use to check answers. Reliance on these programs will hurt your performance on Exams.)

The majority of your grade is determined by hour long exams and the final (53% of your grade). There will be three exams (100 pts) during the course of the semester and a final (200 pts). No exam scores will be dropped. Should you have an illness or other reasonable excuse for missing an exam, then you should notify me immediately so that arrangements can be made for a make-up. Contact me at either 594-3743 or by email mahaffy@math.sdsu.edu. To have the opportunity to make-up an exam, you must have some written documentation (doctor's note, obituary, marriage announcement). The instructor considers the comprehensive final exam especially important in deciding the final grade, as this exam reflects what a student has learned in the course. Anyone receiving a score less than 50% on the Final will not obtain a grade higher than a C-.

Exams: Three times during the semester, there will be a Lecture Exam and a Lab Exam given during one of the Lab periods. Each Lecture Exam accounts for about 16% of your lecture grade, while the Final accounts for about 32% of your lecture grade. No Lecture Exam score will be dropped. Should you have an illness or other reasonable excuse for missing an exam, then you should notify your instructor immediately so that arrangements can be made for a make-up. You must provide documentation for any missed exam.

Lab and Lab Exams: The computer labs will provide practical applications of Calculus to Biology and will constitute 34% of your grade. The Lab grade includes 9-11 Computer labs and 3 Lab Exams. The Lab Exams are worth twice a normal Lab. Lab Exams must be taken at the specified time in the Computer Lab unless written documentation is provided. Each Lab is divided into two parts: 1. WeBWorK portion (60%), where you answer the appropriate questions asked for the Lab, 2. Written document in Word(40%) turned in with a partner that includes graphs and some paragraphs about the Lab. The written part of the Lab will usually be due in the Math 121 box in GMCS 425 by 9 PM on the Thursdsay following your Friday Lab. The WeBWorK portion of the lab will usually be due by Friday morning at 4 AM. The exceptions to this rule will be when we have an exam the next week or when holidays interfere.The labs will be worked in pairs and attendance is mandatory (unless you receive an excused absence). Unless otherwise specified in class, the computer lab write-ups will be on Thursday following the computer lab. Failure to attend lab without an excused absence will result in you having to work the lab alone. The lab instructor has the option of deducting 20% for any unexcused absences. If labs are not turned in by 5 pm on the Thursday, then you will receive no credit for the lab (unless special permission is given in advance by your lab instructor). You will drop your lowest lab grade for the semester. Three times during the semester there will be Lab Exams (in the same week as the Lecture Exams), which will test your ability on the computers from the previous labs during the semester.