Each week, the assignments will be worth a total of 30 points. The smallest assignments will be worth 1 or 2 points, while the larger assignments might be worth as many as 9 or 10 points. Over the fifteen weeks of the semester, there will be a total of 420 points. (Since the first week is a partial week, there will be no points assigned for January 20-22.)

Final grades will be awarded as follows, based on the total number of points earned during the semester:

• A – 378+
• B – 336-377
• C – 294-335
• D – 252-293

In addition to the assigned 30 points each week, the instructor may at times offer extra-credit activities: these will typically be worth 1 or 2 points. Students can use these activities to make up for previous missed assignments or to work ahead.

Gradebook Declarations

Grades will be recorded in eLearning as quizzes called Gradebook Declarations. A Gradebook Declaration is not a quiz to test your knowledge. Instead, a Gradebook Declaration is a simple true-false declaration of the work you have completed for class. When you answer “true” to a Declaration, that means you are telling me that you have finished an assignment: the points for that assignment will then be recorded for you in the Gradebook.

Make sure you read the Declaration carefully. I strongly recommend that you read the Gradebook Declaration out loud (really, I mean out loud, word by word) before you answer “true” to the statements. When you answer “true,” you are taking personal responsibility for your statement. If you have made a false statement — even by accident – the consequences are serious. I audit the Gradebook Declarations to make sure that your Declarations are accurate. Making an inaccurate Declaration is a violation of the Honor Code for this class. If you make an inaccurate Declaration, the consequences can be extremely serious. The integrity of this class depends on your making sure that each Declaration you make of your work is accurate and honest.

You must completely finish the assignment before doing the Declaration. Do not complete the Declaration until after you have completely finished the assignment. If you have a question, problem or doubt about the Declaration, send me an email explaining the situation. If you realize after reading the Declaration that you have not completed the assignment, do NOT make the Declaration: simply shut the browser window and come back to do the Declaration after you have finished the assignment. There are no circumstances of any kind that justify completing a Declaration before you are done with the assignment. Give yourself plenty of time to finish the work and do the Declaration before the deadline — but if for some reason you don’t get the Declaration done in time, use the available extra credit to make up for it.