Grading & Policies

Course Grading

Your grade for the course will be based on your performance on exams, WeBWorK, and participation in the recitation/workshop. Instead of allowing part of the final to replace a midterm grade, your final grade will be calculated based on the better of your performance with respect to one of the following two weighting schemes:

  • Midterm 1 - 20%
  • Midterm 2 - 20%
  • WeBWorK - 20%
  • Recitation - 10%
  • Final Exam - 30%

Or:

  • Best midterm - 30%
  • WeBWorK - 20%
  • Recitation - 10%
  • Final Exam - 40%

Exams

There will be two midterm exams and a comprehensive final exam.

  • Final exam is on Sunday, May 5, 12:30-3:30pm.

Final exam location:

  • For students in Adam’s, Chaves’, Kuzgun’s and Lubkin’s sections: Hutchison 141, Hubbell Auditorium
  • For students in Hozoori’s sections: Lander Auditorium

We use the Thursday 8:00 - 9:20 am exam time for the midterms.

  • Midterm 1 is February 22nd.
  • Midterm 2 is April 4th.

Midterm location (for both midterms):

  • For students in Chaves’, Kuzgun’s and Lubkin’s sections: Hutchison 141, Hubbell Auditorium
  • For students in Adam’s and Hozoori’s sections: Hoyt 104 - Auditorium

The final exam time and location will be determined by the registrar.

For students taking the exam under the Office of Disability Resources, the exams location and time will be directly scheduled by the Office.

There are no make-up exams, and if you miss the final exam you will be given an incomplete.

As a result, if you miss one midterm, the second grading option will likely be your best choice (i.e. only the midterm you don’t miss will be counted). If you miss both midterms, a make-up could be considered at the discretion of the course coordinator.

You will NOT be permitted calculators or other electronic devices (smart phones, smart watches, etc) on any exams. You will NOT be permitted books, notes, or any other outside materials on the exam.

Homework

This course uses the same WeBWorK system as Math 161. WeBWorK problems are completed online.

You are encouraged to discuss problems with other students, however WeBWorK problems are individualized for each student, so you must do your own assignment. WeBWorK problems count for 20% of the total grade. There will be weekly WeBWorK assignments.

WeBWorK assignments are due Sunday nights at 11:59pm

The lowest WeBWorK score will be dropped. There will be approximately 11 WeBWorK sets. If you require an extension due to exceptional circumstances, please contact your instructor.

A “WeBWorK TA” will be available to answer questions about Webwork problems. They can be emailed directly from WeBWorK using the button within the problem. Consider the following guidelines when contacting the Webwork TA

  • The TA won’t provide final answers. Their job is not to check your entered answer either, but to give directions or help when you get stuck.
  • Be descriptive on the steps or the methods that you have tried on the problem. The more information you give, the better help you will get.
  • Avoid general questions like “I do not know how to do this problem”, “why is my answer incorrect”, “help me how to get started”, etc. These questions will be usually dismissed or replied also with general comments.
  • Be respectful when addressing the TA. Recall that there is a person behind the other screen.
  • If your answer is correct but the system still grades it as incorrect, let your instructor know to fix the technical issues.
  • Any other bug or technical issue must be addressed with the instructor. Email them or let them know in class or during office hours.

To access WeBWorK click the WeBWorK link on our BlackBoard site.

Recitation

Recitation will meet once a week, starting the first week of classes. One problem will be graded from every recitation; attendance is expected. These will account for 10% of your final grade.

These will involve worksheets related to material covered each week in lecture. Workshop attendance and participation accounts for 10% of your final grade. There will be a written quiz on each session. Workshop starts Thursday, January 18th and follows a Thursday-Wednesday cycle (in other word, the workshop topic changes on Thursdays).

The grading will be based on the following 0-2 point scale:

  • 0 if the student was absent.
  • 1 participation but very flawed attempt.
  • 2 correct answer or good attempt.

You are allowed two absences from workshop, and showing up very late will be considered an absence. There is no need to reach out to your instructor or recitation leader when missing at most two sessions. If missing a third session due to exceptional circumstances, reach out to both your instructor and teaching assistant.

Avoid switching recitations without prior consultation and approval of your instructor. You will need to attend the oficial recitation you enrolled on Workday. Attending other recitation may not count towards grade

Disability Support

The University of Rochester respects and welcomes students of all backgrounds and abilities.

In the event you encounter any barrier(s) to full participation in this course due to the impact of disability, please contact the Office of Disability Resources. The access coordinators in the Office of Disability Resources can meet with you to discuss the barriers you are experiencing and explain the eligibility process for establishing academic accommodations. You can reach the Office of Disability Resources at: (585) 275-3424; Taylor Hall. Or, visit Disability Resources.

Please note that to be granted alternate testing accommodations, you (the student) must fill out forms with Disability Resources at least seven days before each and every exam. These forms are not sent automatically. Instructors are not responsible for requesting alternative testing accommodations at CETL or making accommodations on their own.

Academic Integrity Statement

All assignments and activities associated with this course must be performed in accordance with the University of Rochester’s Academic Honesty Policy. More information is available at: www.rochester.edu/college/honesty.

Math Dept policy on unauthorized online resources: Any usage whatsoever of online solution sets or paid online resources (chegg.com or similar) is considered an academic honesty violation and will be reported to the Board on Academic Honesty. In particular, any assignment found to contain content which originated from such sources is subject to a minimum penalty of zero on the assignment and a full letter grade reduction at the end of the semester (e.g. a B would be reduced to a C). Depending on the circumstances, this may apply even if the unauthorized content was obtained through indirect means (through a friend for instance) and/or the student is seemingly unaware that the content originated from such sources. If you have any questions about whether resources are acceptable, please check with your instructor.

College Credit-Hour Policy

This course follows the College credit hour policy for four-credit courses. This course meets 3 academic hours per week. The course also includes recitations/workshops for 1.5 academic hours per week.