ling104

Linguistics 104

Language and Conceptualization
Winter quarter 2004

Syllabus Originally said:
Homework 30%, Midterm 30%, Final 30%

The following change was announced early in the quarter:
Homeworks will not directly figure into course grade, instead, course grade will be based on exam grade and
homework performance will influence course grade in the following way:

Check = 0, check-plus = 1, check-minus = -1
Missing homework = -1
Homework grade = sum of 3 homework grades
If homework grade ≥ 2, course grade increased 1/3
If homework grade ≤ -2, course grade decreased 1/3

Example: base grade (based on exams) = A
Homework scenario 1:
Homework 1 = check = 0
Homework 2 = check = 0
Homework 3 = check-plus = 1
Homework grade = 0 + 0 + 1 = 1
-2 < 1 < 2, course grade stays A

Homework scenario 2:
Homework 1 = check = 0
Homework 2 = check plus = 1
Homework 3 = check plus = 1
Homework grade = 0 + 1 + 1 = 2
HG ≥ 2, course grade increases to A+

Problem: weighting of midterm and final
Original formulation on syllabus was homework 30%, midterm 30%, final 30%
According to syllabus, MT & final equally weighted

What I said in class Friday:
Syllabus contained a typo: should have been homework 30%, midterm 30%, final 40% which would make final weighted 1.33 times heavier than midterm.   I made decision to weight final 60%, MT 40% (final 1.5 times heavier than MT)

Proposed resolution:
I will use whichever weighting is most advantageous to you (50:50, or 60:40)

How course grade will be computed
1. Final exam will be scored, curving applied, letter grade assigned
2. MT and Final letter grades will be converted to numeric value (see chart)
3. Composite exam grade will be calculated using either 50:50 or 60:40 weighting.
4. Higher number of two will be chosen and converted back to a letter grade. This will be the base grade.
5. Homework adjustments will be applied as explained above

Sample scores
    MT grade = A
    Final grade = B
    hw 1 check      0
    hw 2 check      0
    hw 3 check+      1

Letter grade to point assignment
    A+ = 10, A = 9, A- = 8, B+ = 7, B = 6,
    B- = 5, C+ = 4, C = 3, C- = 2, D = 1, F = 0

Base grade (based on exams)
    50:50 composite score (9 + 6)/2 = 7.5
    60:40 composite score (9 * 0.4) + (6 * 0.6) = 7.2Sample scores
    MT grade = A
    Final grade = B
    hw 1 check      0
    hw 2 check      0
    hw 3 check+      1

Letter grade to point assignment
    A+ = 10, A = 9, A- = 8, B+ = 7, B = 6,
    B- = 5, C+ = 4, C = 3, C- = 2, D = 1, F = 0

Base grade (based on exams)
    50:50 composite score (9 + 6)/2 = 7.5
    60:40 composite score (9 * 0.4) + (6 * 0.6) = 7.2

Point to letter grade assignment
    A+  9.5, A  8.5, A-  7.5, B+  6.5, B  5.5
    B-  4.5, C+  3.5, C  2.5, C-  1.5, D  0.5, F < 0.5

In example above
50:50 computation  7.5  A-
60:40 computation  7.2  B+
Base grade will be A-

HW adjustment: 0 + 0 + 1 = 1, no adjustment to base
Final course grade will be A-

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