Now we get down to the basics of the types of assignments you'll be doing and how you'll be evaluated on them.

Evaluation Categories

Note:  The letter codes given below correspond to those used in assignment descriptions and in the WebAssign gradebook.

Online Exercises (coded E):  You'll typically have a daily assignment that covers reading assignments and video demonstrations or provides practice in problem-solving methods. Even if you're doing your best, you'll make some mistakes on these assignments. Rather than taking such mistakes to be failures on your part, you should consider them to be part of the learning process (as long you learn from your mistakes, of course!). Thus, the next category provides a boost to students who show commitment to their work.

Commitment (coded C):  This score is based on your preparation for class, your dedication to doing your assignments faithfully and completely, in planning ahead to complete them well in advance of deadlines, in learning from the feedback provided by the instructor, correcting your work, participating in problem-solving sessions and forums, and in solving extra problems for practice.  The instructor assigns this score at the end of each grading period, but you may request that the instructor provide you with an estimate of your Commitment score at any time. The maximum you can earn on Commitment is the same as for the Online Exercises:  10 percentage points. Here are examples of commitment scores for hypothetical students.

Student A submits all the assignments on time, starts early enough to ask questions to help in understanding, answers questions thoroughly, checks the feedback (after the assignments are scored) to find out what was missed and why, corrects his/her test papers, is visible on the problem-solving forum, participates in problem-solving sessions, and regularly solves extra problems for practice. This student would receive all 10 Commitment points.

Student B frequently neglects to come to lab prepared, habitually submits assignments at or near the deadlines (showing poor time management), neglects to submit some of the assignments at all, makes the same kinds of mistakes over and over again (showing little or no attention to assignment feedback), doesn't correct his/her test papers, rarely posts to the problem-solving forum, rarely participates in problem-solving sessions, and doesn't do extra practice problems. This student would receive at most 5 Commitment points.

Formal Problems (coded P):  During most weeks, you'll write several problem solutions in a formal style according to the course problem-solving guidelines.  Writing problem solutions completely is one way that you demonstrate critical thinking and communication skills in physics. You'll be expected to show your work in similar ways on the free response portion of the AP exam. Some of the multimedia assignments described below will be counted in the Formal Problems category. There may also be short quizzes that will count as formal problem assignments.

Multimedia Assignments (L/M or P/M):  These assignments involve the use of simulations and/or video clips in solving problems. Data must be obtained from a simulation or video clip to use in problem solutions. Some of these assignments take the form of lab or pre-lab activities. In such cases, they count for evaluation in the Lab category (see table below). Otherwise, they count for evaluation in the Formal Problems category.

Lab Assignments (coded L):  Some assignments involve taking and analyzing data and reporting on the results.  You can do some of these in your room.  Others will require standard physics equipment.  For that purpose, we'll meet as a class on lab days.  While you may be working with other students in taking data, you'll analyze your data and write reports on your own.  There will be approximately 6 labs requiring reports per trimester.  In addition to grades on these lab reports, you'll receive an overall grade on your lab notebook based on organization and completeness.

Quizzes and Tests (coded T): Quizzes will be given to evaluate your problem-solving skills in a particular content area. Such quizzes are generally announced a week in advance and cover 1 or 2 chapters.  The quiz questions are typically multiple choice, numeric response, and other objective question types in addition to a few free response questions.

There is one mid-trimester test each trimester.  These tests cover approximately 4 chapters each. All tests are administered on paper. There are three important things to realize about tests:  1) They require you to solve problems, 2) they require you to show your work, and 3) they require you to apply the methods taught for solving problems.  Therefore, in order to be successful on tests, you must know how to solve the various problem types for the chapters that the test covers, be able to show your work clearly using standard methods as presented in the text or by the teacher, and have done the problem assignments thoroughly.  Practice, of course, is key to being a good problem solver; therefore, the more problems you can solve for practice leading up to the test, the better. The schedule for the cumulative tests can be found in the Course Outline. If the schedule requires adjustment, the teacher will notify you at least a week in advance of the test date.

Final Exam (coded Exam):  There will be a final exam each trimester. The structure of the final exam is similar to that of a cumulative test.  However, the final typically covers all the material of the trimester.

Weighting.  Your averages in the above areas are weighted as follows.

You'll receive a final grade for the year.  This is the average of the three trimester grades.

Grading.  The grading scale for the course is given below.  The scale reflects the fact that the assignments are challenging, and you're evaluated on showing your work in detail. 

Return to the Weekly Schedule and continue with the listed assignments.