THE COMPONENTS OF YOUR FINAL GRADE

Your final grade will be based on the following components weighted as indicated.

• Examinations: 50%
• Assignments: 25%
• Final Examination: 25%

Notes:

• Subject to the restrictions described below, if your final examination grade is higher than any of your semester examination grades, the final examination grade will be used in its place in computing your final average. Your final examination grade will also be used as the grade for any missed semester examinations.

  Restrictions. Note that a grade of zero, given on an examination as a penalty for academic dishonesty, will not be replaced by a higher final examination grade. In fact, any instance of academic dishonesty, whether on an examination or an assignment, will prohibit your final examination grade from replacing a lower semester examination grade. Any violation of the cell phone policy will also prohibit your final examination grade from replacing a lower semester examination grade. If you have 4 or more unexcused absences, 4 or more unexcused latenesses, you've been caught using a cell phone in class, or you've exited and entered the class while the class was in session an excessive number of times (as determined by the professor), your final examination grade will not be used to replace lower semester examination grades. In those cases, your final examination could only be used to replace a missed semester examination, if the missed semester examination is excused with a note from the University Nurse, Dean of Arts and Sciences, Provost, or the Dean of Students. Such a note must agree in time and date with the missed examination and must only state that you missed the examination for a valid reason.

• Points may be subtracted from your final average for excessive absences and/or latenesses, and for academic misconduct such as habitually interrupting class by entering and exiting the room during class session.
• Points will be subtracted from your final average for ANY instance of cell phone use in class as follows: two (2) points will be subtracted from your final average for the first instance, three (3) additional points will be subtracted from your final average for the second instance, and five (5) additional points will be subtracted from your final average for each subsequent instance (3rd instance and above) of cell phone use in class. For more details see the Cell Phone Use item under MISCELLANEOUS COURSE POLICIES, below.

EXAMINATION POLICIES

There will be full-period examinations, and a comprehensive final examination.

• Is the lowest examination grade dropped? No. However, if your final examination grade is higher than any of your semester examination grades, then the final examination grade will be used in its place in computing your final average, subject to restrictions noted earlier. Your final examination grade will also be used as the grade for any missed semester examinations, also subject to restrictions noted earlier.
• Will there be any opportunities for "extra credit" or "extra work" to help bring up a low grade? No. Such "extra credit" or "extra work" is more appropriately termed "instead-of work." Subject to the restriction noted earlier, the final examination already serves the purpose of a "second chance" or "instead of" opportunity.
• Is the final examination comprehensive? Yes. This is the primary justification for replacing low (or missed) semester examination grades with a high final examination grade.
• When will the final examination be given? See the Exams page.

  You MUST take all examinations with YOUR section. Failure to do so will result in a grade of 0 on the examination.

• Can a low final examination grade hurt your final grade? Yes. However, it will not hurt more than 30% worth of your final grade. It will only count more if it helps your final grade, in accordance with the policies outlined above.
• Lateness or Absence If you come late to an examination and at least one student has already taken the examination and left the room, you will not be permitted to take the examination. If you miss a semester examination for any reason, the final examination grade will be used in its place.
• What happens if you miss the final examination due to absence or lateness? You must inform me as soon as possible (either by voice mail or email) that due to unforeseen circumstances beyond your control you will not be able to take the final examination at the scheduled time. (Such circumstances typically involve sudden illness, death in the family, serious accident, etc. Oversleeping due to faulty alarm-clocks, room-mates who had failed to wake you up, forgetting when the final was scheduled, improperly re-scheduling an exam in another class so that it conflicts with the exam in this class, an early family vacation, are some examples of invalid reasons for missing the final examination.) If you miss the final examination, a note from the University Nurse, Dean of Academics, Provost, or the Dean of Students, which agrees in time and date with the missed examination and must state only that you missed the final examination for a valid reason. After you've provided such a note, you may apply for an "Incomplete" within two days of the missed final examination. Incomplete Request Forms are available at the Registrar's office. If the Incomplete is approved, I will schedule a time for the make-up final in cooperation with all students involved, the Dean of Academics and/or Office of the Registrar. The Incomplete is temporary and will be replaced with a real grade after the scheduled time of the make-up examination has passed. If a make-up final examination is scheduled and you do not show up for it at the scheduled time, you will receive a grade of 0 for the final examination. If you miss the final examination and do not obtain a note as described earlier, or if you fail to apply for an Incomplete, or if your request for an Incomplete is denied, you will receive a grade of 0 on the final examination.
• Leaving the room after an examination has been handed out. If you leave the room after an examination has been handed out, you will not be permitted to return to complete unfinished portions of the examination.
• Interaction among students during an examination. No form of this is allowed. Thus, for example, sharing of calculators is forbidden.
• If the use of a calculator will be allowed on examinations, only TI-83, TI-83Plus or TI-84Plus models will be permitted. Other calculator models, iPods, cell phones, electronic dictionaries, iPhones, Apple Watches, and similar devices will never be allowed on examinations. If a calculator will be allowed will for a particular examination, the calculator will be reset and inspected before the examination is handed out. If your calculator cannot be reset, you will not be permitted to use it on the examination.
• What must you bring to examinations? Three number-2 pencils with erasers, an authorized calculator with spare batteries (if calculator use is permitted for that particular examination), and your university ID card. You may not be allowed to take the examination without showing your valid Salve Regina University ID card.
• Request for re-grading. A request for re-grading of an examination must be made in writing or via email from your university email address. Include in your request a detailed description of what you believe was graded incorrectly. Also, note that if there is a need to re-grade an examination or assignment, it will be re-graded in its entirety. Thus, the grade may go up or down after re-grading. Also, note that submitting an altered examination or assignment or making a false claim about an answer on an examination or assignment for the purpose of regrading is a form of academic dishonesty and will at minimum result in a grade of zero on the given examination, and may result in a grade of F in the course. Note that a grade of zero, assigned as a result of any form of academic misconduct will not be replaced by a higher final examination grade.

GRADED ASSIGNMENT POLICIES

There will be graded assignments during the semester. Many of these will be group projects.

• For the group projects, Dr. Rothman will approve groups of 2 students.
• You may not seek help from anyone outside of your group, other than Dr. Rothman. Doing so will be considered academic misconduct and will be dealt with accordingly.
• Exactly what to hand in will be discussed in class.
• There may be questions on examinations pertaining to group projects..
• Each member of a group is expected to be a productive member of his or her group.
• Projects may occasionally be started in class, but it is expected that they will be completed outside of class.
• Detailed directions will be included with each project, but in general, projects will be graded on the following criteria:
  • Correctness. Are questions answered correctly and supported by valid arguments with sufficient detail? A list of answers, which are not supported by valid and rigorous mathematical arguments will receive no credit. Remember that what is required is a concise and valid mathematical argument and/or computation, not a long repetitive explanation filled with incorrect terminology, improper use of symbols, and mere intuition. (You may use computer algebra software such as MATLAB and its Symbolic Toolkit, only where explicitly permitted.)
  • Completeness. Are all questions answered and are all answers justified with valid arguments and computations.
  • Clarity. Is the report well-organized? The problem solutions should appear in order in your report and should be clearly labeled.
• You must submit your assignment by email, as an attachment either as an MS Word document, an Open Document Format, or a single PDF file that was generated by LaTeX or some other word processing or text-formatting software. (It should not be comprised of more than one file that was put into one .zip file.)
• Points will be deducted for errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Points will be deducted for improper use of terminology and symbols.
• Points will be deducted for sloppiness.
• Points will be deducted for poorly organized assignments.
• No reports will be accepted late.
• If your group is having difficulty completing a project, you should see me long before the assignment is due.

CLASS ATTENDANCE AND LATENESS

• This class requires your attendance and punctuality at all classes.
• How do absences (or latenesses) effect your grade? Students who miss classes generally do poorly on examinations. The university's policies on attendance and habitual non-attendance can be viewed in the University Catalog, and will be strictly enforced. Habitual absences and latenesses, and habitually leaving the room after class has started are considered to be forms of academic misconduct and will be reported to the appropriate administrator, who may decide to take disciplinary action. Additionally, your instructor reserves the right to deduct points from your final average for such academic misconduct. (Also, see Restrictions under THE COMPONENTS OF YOUR FINAL GRADE, above.)
• Your responsibility when you are absent or late. If you miss class (for any reason), you will be responsible for the material that was covered. Class notes, which were not already email to the class, may not be provided by your professor. Please obtain the class notes from another student.

MISCELLANEOUS COURSE POLICIES

Policies outlined in this section are designed to ensure a safe and professional working environment for students. These policies are consistent with the University policies described in the Undergraduate Catalog, under Academic Policies. Points may be deducted from your final average for the types of unprofessional and disruptive behavior described below.

• Cell Phone Use. All use of cell phones (and similar devices like an Apple Watch) is strictly prohibited during class. For the purpose of this policy, the term "cell phone" will include all cell phones and other electronic devices such as laptops, iPods, iPads, and wearable devices like the Apple Watch. If you have a cell phone (as just defined), you MUST turn if off before class and put it away in your book bag or purse. It may not be kept on your lap, wrist, or on your desk. If your cell phone rings, or its alarm clock feature sounds, or it is observed on your desk or on your lap (or wrist, if it's an Apple Watch), or you are observed using it in ANY way during class, you will be asked to leave immediately and points will be deduced from your final average as follows: two (2) points will be subtracted from your final average for the first infraction, three (3) additional points will be subtracted from your final average for the second infraction, and five (5) additional points will be subtracted from y our final average for each subsequent infraction (3rd infraction and above).

  Though students may not use their cell phones for ANY reason during class, your instructor will keep his cell phone on so that the class may receive any emergency notifications through the University's ENS-Alert service.

• Though there may (or may not) be opportunities to use laptops during certain class sessions, unauthorized use of laptops or any other unauthorized electronic device during class is strictly prohibited. Infractions of this policy will carry the same penalties as infractions of the cell phone policy.
• Reading material not related to this course, doing assignments for other classes, and engaging in similar activites during class are strictly prohibited. If you are caught engaging in such activities during class, you may be asked to leave and points may be deducted from your final average.
• Napping, loud yawning, excessive chattering, interrupting class by entering and exiting the room during the class session, and other forms of disruptive and disrespectful behavior during class are strictly prohibited. If you are caught engaging in such activities during class, you may be asked to leave and marked absent for that class, and points may be deducted from your final average. Each such incident will be reported to the appropriate administrator who may decide to impose additional sanctions, including withdrawal from the class, suspension or dismissal from the university.

ACADEMIC HONOR CODE

In accordance with University policies (See Undergraduate Catalog):

All students are expected to accept and abide by the values of honesty, integrity, and truthfulness in their academic pursuits. Sanctions for violations of academic honesty, such as plagiarism or cheating, are imposed by the course instructor and range from failure for the work involved to failure in the course. A record of violations and sanctions is maintained in the student's file. Repeated violations can result in dismissal from the university. Appeal is to the provost or the provost's designee.

DISABILITIES ACCOMMODATIONS

In accordance with University policy:

The university is committed to providing equal access for students with disabilities to all of its programs and services in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. If you have a disability that entitles you to instructional accommodations and/or modifications, you must register with the Office of Disability Services at the ACE and arrange to provide them with documentation of your disability, if not already submitted. The ACE office is located on the second floor of the university library and is open Monday - Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm. They can be reached by phone or via email, both provided in the official course syllabus. The Disability Services Office will provide you with letters of accommodation for your professors as appropriate. You should then arrange to speak with your professors as soon as possible (ideally within the first week of class) to discuss arrangements for implementing your accommodations. Accommodations are never applied retroactively therefore it is critical that you make your accommodation arrangements before you actually need them.

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Last modified: 9/5/2019