GRADING POLICY

Final Score Determination

• 12 weekly homework assignments and 12 follow-up discussion session quizzes: up to 40 points combined
• three exams: up to 20 points each, 60 points total
• HITT-based quizzes: up to 5 BONUS points
• homework No.13: up to 1 BONUS points

Homework

• The schedule of weekly homework assignments is given at Course Schedule.
  
  
• You must click the Submit Answer button for the system to record your response. The HW system will provide you with instant feedback on whether or not your answer is correct, and you will be permitted five tries (until the due date/time) to get the answer right, and receive credit. To be accepted, your answer should be within ±2% from the correct one. Do not round off numbers in the intermediate calculations to avoid the loss of the precision.
  
  
• The due date and time are on Sundays at 6:00 pm. You will not be able to submit your homework past the deadline, regardless of the reason (participation in various events, sickness, computer system freeze, loss of internet connection, etc.). No make-ups for the missed homework assignments are possible.
  
  
• The final score for the first 12 homework assignments is tied up with your performance on the corresponding 12 follow-up quizzes---see below.


• Homework No.13, if completed at 100%, will give you 1 bonus point.

Discussion section quizzes

• The schedule of quizzes is given at Course Schedule.
  
  
• Make-ups for the missed quizzes are possible only if you have a legitimate and documented excuse. The decision on whether the excuse is acceptable or not will be taken by one of the lecturers. Make-ups must be arranged with your TA no later than within one week after the missed quiz and the make-up quiz should be taken no later than within three weeks, if circumstances allow for it. No make-ups will be allowed after that. Students can make up no more than 2 quizzes.
  
  
• The final score for the quizzes is tied up to your homework---see below.

Combined score for the first 12 homework assignments and 12 follow-up quizzes

Your performance on each of the first 12 homework assignments and follow-up quizzes are combined to form a Weekly Score:

[Weekly Score] = [ (f_H + f_Q)² ] / 4

where f_H = (HW points) / (max HW points)
and f_Q = (Quiz points) / (max Quiz points)

If f_Q ≥ 0.9, then we will take f_H = 1. In other words, if you demonstrate mastery of the homework content by scoring in the top 10% of your quiz score, it doesn't matter what your homework score was that week. But do keep in mind that to do well on the quizzes and the exams, you should understand how to solve the homework problems!

To provide some (10%) forgiveness for illnesses and other challenges that life may throw at you, this total score will be divided by 0.9 at the end of the semester. (If the score exceeds 40, it will be truncated at 40.)

[Final HW+Quiz Score] = [ Sum of 12 Weekly Scores ] / ( 0.9 x 12 ) x 40.

Why do we combine the homework and quiz scores in this way? We want to encourage you to do the homework and understand it. The subsequent quiz in your discussion section will test you on one of those homework questions. If you understood the material, you should do well on both the homework and the quiz, and your combined Weekly Score will be high, i.e. close to 1. If you completed the homework with some help, legit or not, without investing your personal effort in understanding the material, you are not likely to perform well on the follow-up quiz and your Weekly Score will be very low (0.25 for zero points on the quiz).

Exams

HITT quick quizzes

Letter Grade

Total minimal scores (out of 100 points) ensuring a particular letter-grade are shown below. None of the scores will be rounded. The scale is absolute and will not be adjusted to a curve; hence, there is no competition between students.