121 Policies - Fall 2021

A. General
     The course during this Semester commences on FRI Aug 20 and concludes on MON Dec 6 (at the Final Exam).

     Class meetings are on MWF from 8:00 until 8:50 either in person in PSF101 or else in Dr. Adams' Zoom meeting room (https://asu.zoom.us/j/8349628496). Minimal preparation for each class meeting is to do the reading assignment for that day. To more fully prepare for each class meeting, also take an advance look at the homework problems which will be assigned for that day (at Mastering Physics). A number of multiple choice questions will be asked during each class meeting. These may cover the reading assignment, or may check your comprehension of some topic that has been covered earlier in the class. You are expected to record your response to these questions by logging in to your Mastering Physics account with your phone or laptop and using Learning Catalytics. You must enter your ASU Posting ID within Learning Catalytics in order for your responses to be saved and graded.

     RECITATION will meet weekly either on TUE from 1:30 to 2:20 PM, or on THU from 1:30 to 2:20 PM. Recitation sessions meet either in PSF-123 or in your recitation TA's Zoom meeting room. For recitation meetings at which testing is scheduled, in-person attendance is required unless you are in quarantine. Seven of this semester's recitations will consist of exercises which will be completed with the help of your recitation instructor and your Learning Assistant (LA). These exercises will usually provide additional practice for concepts which will have already been introduced in the reading and lectures. On other occasions, the exercise will consist of building a numerical simulation of a physical situation which will be discussed later in the course. For recitations with exercises, a subsequent lecture will begin with a WebAssign MiniQuiz which will be directly related to the material covered in the exercise. Look for MQ within our Topic and Reading Schedule to see the dates of our MQ's. The six Tests are also given during the recitation period; on those six days, the recitation period is entirely occupied with taking the Test (see the Recitation Schedule for these test dates).

     An E-MAIL account is available for every student enrolled at ASU. Instructions for obtaining an e-mail account can be obtained at the ASU Computer Commons. Important class information may be disseminated through e-mail. The student will be responsible for receiving it. If you currently have an ASU e-mail account, then you need do nothing. If you have not recently used your ASU email account, then you should double-check to make sure that your email is properly being redirected to your favorite email address.

B. Learning Catalytics and Classwork
     You will use Learning Catalytics to answer Multiple Choice questions during the class meetings. For the first three class meetings, Learning Catalytics questions will be considered practice questions, as we learn to use the system. Beginning FRI Aug 27, at least some Learning Catalytics questions will be graded. A correct answer will be counted as 3 points, an incorrect answer will be counted as 2 points, and no answer will be counted as zero points; so the penalty for an incorrect answer is very small. There are expected to be about 170 graded LC questions over the course of the semester, so about 510 LC points will be possible. However, about 430 LC points (or about 85% of all possible LC points should there be more or less than 170 questions) are all that are required to receive an overall LC grade of 100%. Since only 85% of all possible Learning Catalytics points are required for a perfect Learning Catalytics score, no opportunity is provided to make up missed Learning Catalytics questions. It is your responsibility to make sure that your Learning Catalytics account is set up properly, and that you are therefore getting credit for your responses. See our Learning Catalytics information page for more details.

          There will be seven MiniQuizzes (on WebAssign) given during the semester. The first MiniQuiz (MQ0 on FRI Aug 27th) will be just for practice. All MiniQuizzes will begin promptly at 8:00 and last for 6-7 minutes.

C. Lecture Review and Homework
     There is one Lecture Review (LR) for each of the 25 topics listed in our Topic and Reading Schedule; all Lecture Reviews can be found only at Mastering Physics (MP). The final question on every LR is an opportunity for you to ask a question on something specific that you have not understood in the lectures or the reading for that particular topic. The Lecture Reviews will count 6% of your overall class grade.

     There is one assigned Homework (HW) for each of the 25 topics listed in our Topic and Reading Schedule; all Homeworks can be found only at MP. Due dates for each HW are available on the MP Assignment list. While the due dates for our MP homeworks are set liberally, it is strongly recommended that you finish each MP homework within three days of the class meeting at which discussion of the relevant topic was completed. Please take a look at the Tips for Using MP.

     Using online HW-answer services (such as Chegg.com) to find answers for our Lecture Reviews or HW problems is not allowed. Any students found using such services for one of our HW's or LR's will automatically receive a ZERO for that HW or LR. Repeated incidents will result in an E as an overall letter grade for our course.

     A total of approximately 1875 HW points will be possible. The final homework grade will be determined as a percentage out of 1685 points (or ∼90% of all possible points should the number of total HW points change.) Your maximum homework grade is 100%, i.e. more than 1685 points will not be counted as extra credit. There may be HW extra credit opportunities throughout the semester to help you obtain the necessary 1685 points. Your HW percentage will count 10% of your overall class grade.

850 HOMEWORK POINTS ARE REQUIRED FOR A PASSING GRADE IN THE COURSE.

D. Recitation Exercises and MiniQuizzes
     Seven of the 13 recitation meetings will include an exercise which will be completed by working with your assigned LA and/or your recitation TA. For recitations with exercises, a subsequent lecture will begin with a WebAssign MiniQuiz which will be directly related to the material covered in the exercise. Look for MQ within our Topic and Reading Schedule to see the dates of our MQ's. The first MQ will be just for practice; your best five of the six counting MiniQuiz scores will count as 6% of your Overall grade for our class.

E. Examinations
     The six tests will cover material indicated in the schedule by topic numbers. The tests will be given during scheduled recitation meetings. For each test, one recitation section will take a Free Response version of the test, and the other recitation section will take a Numerical version of the test. Each student will take three Free Response tests and three numerical tests; for each type of test only the best two scores will be counted toward your final grade.

     The Free Response tests will consist of two free response questions, each worth 25 points. These tests will be given on paper in PSF123; in-person attendance is required unless you are going to be in quarantine on the scheduled test day. If you are going to be in quarantine, then send an email containing your quarantine information to gary.adams@asu.edu by 5:00 PM on the day before the scheduled Free Response test; cc your TA (jcdale1@asu.edu) AND your LA (wmcinnes@asu.edu) on that email. Students in quarantine will then be given permission to access the free response questions, and submit them in pdf form, through WebAssign.

     The Numerical tests will consist of 10 numerical questions, and will be given through WebAssign during a recitation period. We hope to find a way to give the Numerical tests in person, but as of 9/12/21, we have not been able to do so. As a result, at least the first two Numerical tests will be given remotely. We still hope to find a room with computers that can be used to administer the final four Numerical tests in person.

     For the Numerical tests at WebAssign, the WebAssign Lockdown browser will be required. Also, you are required to join the Zoom meeting for the recitation at which the test is given either through your phone or other second device; anyone taking the test at WebAssign without joining the Zoom meeting (with video) will automatically receive a zero. The online tests have a 50-minute time limit. You will have six tries to answer each numerical question, but you will lose 10% of the available credit for each wrong submission. The main topics for each test are given in the schedule; however, any test may also include questions which cover previous topics from earlier in the semester.

     The final exam is scheduled for MON Dec 06 from 7:30-9:20 AM; the method of delivery for the final exam is unknown as of 9/12/21, but it will be comprehensive.

Tests are governed by the following policies:

In figuring your test average, the lowest of the three Free Response test scores and the lowest of the three Numerical test scores will automatically be dropped.

The use of hand calculators is permitted. However, YOUR CALCULATOR MAY NOT CONTAIN STORED PHYSICS EQUATIONS. Also, you may not use your cell-phone calculator.

Academic dishonesty on an examination will result automatically in a failing grade for the course and referral to the Dean for further sanctions. Cheating in any form will not be tolerated! It is always possible that you may be asked to defend your numerical answers.

A full set of test rules is available at the course web site.

If a student believes there to have been an error in grading their free response test, the complaint should be PUT IN WRITING and given, together with the original test (the student should keep a copy for theirself), to Dr. Adams within TWO SCHOOL DAYS of receiving the graded test. Please place the complaint on one end of the front row table in PSF101, and be sure that Dr. Adams is aware that you have done so. The complaint will be discussed with the individual who graded it originally, and that person will then write a reply to the student and return the processed complaint to the student at the next recitation meeting. If the student is not satisfied with the grader's response to the complaint, they may appeal directly to Dr. Adams. In this event, Dr. Adams reserves the prerogative to regrade the entire examination. Simple errors, such as point addition, can be corrected by contacting the student's recitation section TA.

F. Final Grades.
The final course grades will be determined with the following weights:

Learning Catalytics: 8%
Lecture Review: 6%
Homework (total points out of 1685): 10%
MiniQuiz Average (drop 1 of 6): 6%
Free Response Tests (drop 1): 26%
Numerical Tests (drop 1): 26%
Final Examination: 18%

A MINIMUM OF 850 HOMEWORK POINTS IS REQUIRED FOR A PASSING GRADE IN THE COURSE.
The scale for final letter grades will ultimately be determined by the overall class performance. However, any student who earns 80% of all possible points can expect to receive an A of some type (A-, A, or A+); students who earn 65-80% of all possible points can expect to receive some type of B, and students who earn 50-65% of all possible points can expect to receive a C or C+. Don't depend solely on your instructors to figure your grade correctly. For a more detailed explanation see HOW TO FIGURE YOUR FINAL GRADE (usually posted later in the semester).

G. Withdrawal
Withdrawal policies are established by the University (see the ASU Calendar.) The deadline for course withdrawal is Nov 3.

H. Appendices
     Additional, University-required information on commercial note-taking, accommodations, classroom behavior, Title IX, and withdrawal details can be found in the Online Appendices.


Topic and Reading Schedule