MAE 334 Grading Policy

There will be a midterm and a cumulative final examination covering material from the lectures and the laboratories. Exams will be closed book, mostly multiple choice questions with a few short answer calculations. See the Course Notes Page for examination dates and material to be covered.

Grading:

Midterm Examination (and pop quizzes) - 15%
Final Examination (and pop quizzes)- 25%
Laboratory Reports and Presentations - 60%

There will be 10 unannounced in-class quizzes. Quiz points earned prior to the midterm exam will be added to your midterm exam grade. Those earned after the midterm will be added to your final exam grade.

Your lab grade will be curved based on the grades of those students graded by a particular TA, not the entire class. If the other students in your lab section are receiving lower grades on average than you are then you can assume your final lab grade will be above a "C+" (of course the opposite scenario is also true.)

Your final numeric average will be based on the above ratios and then curved based on the class statistics. The class median will correspond to about a C+ and one standard deviation above the median will be approximately a B+ and one standard deviation below will be approximately a D+.

Average = (Midterm+Quizzes)*15% + (Final+Quizzes)*25% + (Curved Lab Average)*60%

Both the midterm and final exams will be worth 100 points the quizzes will be worth 40 points (1/2 of 40=20 for the midterm and the other half added to the final exam). This means there is a possibility of scoring above 100% on the midterm or final exam portion of your weighted average.

Remember because this class is curved based on the performance of your classmates not attendinng class and taking the quizzes will reduce your grade compaired to those students who do take the quizzes.

"If you have any condition, such as a physical, learning or mental disability which will make it difficult for you to carry out the course work as outlined or require extended time on examinations, please notify me during the first two weeks of the course so we may discuss appropriate arrangements and/or reasonable accommodations."

Valid Excuses

The Following are examples of a VALID Written Excuse:

1. A note from a physician stating illness and inability to perform school duties
2. A note from the hospital emergency room stating reason time etc.
3. A police accident report with the name of the student specifically stated in the report

While there are too many INVALID excuses to list, here are some of the most popular ones.

For lab attendance

1. I felt ill but did not go to the doctor because I do not have health insurance
2. I felt ill just before the lab this morning, but by noon I felt better so I did not have a reason to go see a physician
3. I went to see my gym/yoga/martial-art instructor instead of the physician.

For lab reports

4. I had a power failure at home and my lab report that was just about ready got lost.
5. My disk crashed and my two weeks worth lab report work got lost.
6. I have it on this disk but for what ever reason I cannot read the disk.
7. My computer was infected by a virus and I need more time, lost my report, etc.
8. The library was closed and I do not have a computer or access to one.

Generic:

9. We had a lot of pressure last week at school/work and I did not have time to complete the work.
10. My boss sent me out of town last month.

Examinations:

Grading:

Valid Excuses