Some common questions for CS/IT285 students…
1. When will I get my ______ grade?
Discussion Memos: I do my best to update discussion grades in Canvas within 24 hours of the discussion itself. This timeline does not apply at the beginning of the semester, when the flux of the add/drop period precludes me from having accurate enrollment documentation. Finalized grades for days 2 and 3 may be delayed up to 10 days; you can verbally check with me if you need to know these grades sooner.
Quizzes: Usually posted on Canvas within 4 days of the quiz.
Midterm: I usually submit midterm grades within 4 days of the exam.
Projects: The grade for your project presentation will be visible to you in Canvas after class on the same day you present.
Final: Usually within 3 days of the final.
2. Why do I have a zero?
There are 2 possible reasons.
a) You did not do the assignment within the correct time frame,
b) You plagiarized
3. I want to officially request a grade change for my assignment.
If you feel a grader has made a mistake or that the grade they assigned was unfair or inaccurate in any way, please contact the professor within 3 days of the grade submission.
If I graded the assignment, provide in your email:
A. Your section time and the assignment title.
B. A screenshot of the rubric as I filled it out.
C. A paragraph in which you explain why you believe that score was inaccurate. Make sure to reference the rubric requirements that you fully met but didn’t get full credit for and the relevant portion of the instructions.
4. What grade do I have to get on [assignment] in order to [goal]? (aka If I get a [grade] on [this assignment], what will my overall average be? or Should I take the final even if I have above an 80 on Day 23?)
You can calculate grades in various hypothetical situations by using the “what if” feature in Canvas. Here’s a tutorial. Please do not schedule office hours for this type of discussion as students are expected to do these calculations themselves.
5. Can retake a quiz?
No. The quiz policy is in the syllabus and does not change throughout the semester.
But I had an emergency! There was traffic/the shuttle was late/I couldn’t find our classroom…
In class (and in life) it is your responsibility to plan things in a time frame that allows for some events outside of your control.
If you plan to take a train, you should get to the station early. Showing up to the station 30 seconds before the train leaves SHOULD work, but in reality, you might be delayed by a slow traveler in front of you, a glitching ticket reader, bad weather… in that case, you may well miss the train. The train schedule does not change for such events, so you will be stuck waiting for the next train and perhaps buying a new ticket. A little extra planning gets you where you’re going.
If you don’t get on a shuttle until 11:55am and you have class at noon, you won’t get here on time. In accordance with course policy, you’ll get a deduction for that discussion or a zero for that quiz. The course policy doesn’t change for inconveniences or glitches, even if you didn’t cause them. If there is a serious societal or university event that affects our class, of course, I will communicate with the class about changed expectations.
6. What if I miss all or part of a presentation/lecture on a day on which my Quiz or Discussion Memo already took place?
As mentioned in the syllabus, students are expected to be present and participate in the entirety of the class (discussion + lecture + student project presentation, if applicable). Being tardy, leaving early, or not fully engaging during the discussion (using phone, etc.) will result in deductions as the professor deems appropriate. If you know in advance that you can only attend for part of a class, please inform the professor at your soonest convenience as a courtesy. In emergencies, you can let the professor know what happened (and why you had to leave early) up to 1 hour after class concludes. If a deduction is earned on a day on which there is no Discussion Memo, the appropriate deduction will be taken from a general attendance grade. This grade will be considered to be in the same category as Discussion Memos, and if it’s the lowest grade you have this semester, it will be dropped in accordance with the DM low-grade drop policy.
7. What does it mean that the Final Exam is optional?
It means you don’t have to take it if you meet the criteria stated in the syllabus. I will drop the lowest quiz score and the lowest DM score sometime around/before Day 23. I do this late in the semester so you don’t have a false sense of security with grades that could be drastically affected by a future poor score. That means your average up until Day 23 is probably quite a bit lower than it will ultimately. It is still possible for there to be big changes after Day 23, so please keep that in mind (i.e. your lowest DM score might have been a 50 and that was dropped, but you later get a zero and then the 50 will be counted and the zero dropped).
If you have an 80 or above on Day 23 and you still want to take the final, please email me by Day 24 at 6pm at the latest to notify me of your intention to take the exam.
If your overall average is below an 80 on Day 23, you are obligated to take the Final Exam. Please check Wiser for time and location of the exam for your section.
If you are taking the final, it must be on the assigned date and time. No makeup exams are provided under any circumstances.