Psy131 Spring 2005 Grading Scale

The total number of points you obtain in the class will determine your grade. The grades are assigned on a scale where you need 90% or more of the total points to receive an “A”, 80% or more to receive a “B”, 70% or more to receive a “C”, and 60% or more to receive a “D”; less than 60% of the total points and you will fail the course. More detailed information on point breakdowns by assignments is shown below.

Grades WILL NOT be assigned on a curve. It is possible for everyone or no one to receive an “A”. It depends on how much you learn.

The course material is divided into 4 sections. There is an exam associated with each of the 4 sections. The exams will use a multiple-choice format. The fourth exam will be given during the final exam week at our scheduled final exam time (see schedule), and has some cumulative material on it as well as material from the 4 th section of class.

Everyone must take the 4 th (final) exam. However, you are allowed to drop your score on ONE of the first 3 exams (Exams 1-3). You may either drop your lowest score of Exams 1-3 or you may choose to miss any of Exams 1-3 for any reason (e.g., you are satisfied with scores on Exams 1 and 2 and choose to miss Exam 3; you are sick and choose not to attend Exam 2, etc.) There is no need to notify me regarding which of Exams 1-3 you will choose to drop/miss. Remember, you may not drop/miss Exam 4, which is scheduled during our final exam time!

The exams will cover material presented in lecture and in your readings for the course, as well as material in the book that we don’t have time to cover in lecture. In order to do well in this class, you will need to attend class regularly and take careful notes. I will present additional material and show video clips that are not discussed in your book but may appear on exams. In addition, some of your writing assignments will be based on these videos shown in class, so it is important that you attend to be able to write these papers.

As noted above, everyone MUST take Exam 4 (scheduled during our final exam time). There will be no make-up or conflict exams given for any exam unless there is a documented medical reason for you to miss the exam. If you miss an exam for non-medical reasons or cannot document a medical absence, you will receive 0 points for the exam – NO EXCEPTIONS! If you miss an exam for medical reasons, you must bring me documentation and arrange a make-up essay exam with me. You should make all attempts to notify me in advance of medical problems that may prevent you from taking the exam and then provide follow-up documentation. Remember that you can choose to miss ONE exam from among Exams 1-3 for any reason. If you are sick and cannot attend any of Exams 1-3, that will simply be the exam you drop. The exam dates are shown below. Plan for them now and include them on your calendar so there are no conflicts.

You will be assigned 8 writing assignments throughout the semester and you need to complete 4 of them (you are allowed to drop/not complete 4). There will be no make-up writing assignments – the assignments are due IN CLASS on the due date. I will not be able to accept late assignments. If you know in advance that you cannot make it to class when an assignment is due, either give it to a classmate (whom you trust!) to turn it in for you during class, or leave it with the secretary on the 4 th floor of DeGarmo Hall before classtime. Ask that the time be recorded on your paper so that I know it is not late and I can accept it. Papers turned in after class has finished will not be accepted. Do not send me papers by email – they will not be accepted.

The papers will be graded as acceptable/not acceptable. Papers that are late, less than 100 words, not typed and double-spaced, commit unnatural acts against the English language, or show a lack of understanding of the subject, will be judged ‘not acceptable’. I will post a class list according to social security number upon which the grading of each assignment is indicated. Acceptable papers will not be returned (unacceptable papers are available for you to see our feedback), so make a copy for yourself if you wish to keep one.

The following grading scale will be used to translate paper grades into points. There will be 8 papers assigned during the semester. You only need to complete 4 acceptable papers. If you complete 4 acceptable papers, you will receive 40 points. If you turn in fewer than 4 acceptable papers for any reason, there will be a penalty:

4 ‘acceptable’ papers = 40 points (max possible)
3 ‘acceptable’ papers = 30 points
2 ‘acceptable’ papers = 20 points
1 ‘acceptable’ papers = 10 points

Note that more than 4 acceptable papers will not gain you additional points.

Bonus Points:

You may earn up to 9 bonus/extra credit points (2/22: increased from 6 stated at beginning of semester!) to improve your final grade by participating in experiments/surveys offered by the instructor. Some portion of these bonus points will come from class attendance, while the remaining points will come from participating in research, either via completion of a survey in class or participating in Psychology experiments by signing up in the basement of DeGarmo. For those of you who object to participating in research, you may earn up to 6 bonus points by writing a typed double-spaced 5-6 page paper (see me for the topic & more details). All bonus experiment participation or papers must by turned in by Thursday, May 5th.

Grading and Exam Policies