121 Policies
A. General
The course during this Semester commences on MON Jan 9 and
concludes on FRI Apr 28.
Class meetings are on
MW from 3:05 until 4:20 in PSH-356.
THERE IS NO LECTURING at these class meetings. Instead, class time
is spent on collaborative activities in small, assigned groups. You
will, at times, be required to report your group's findings to the
entire class (see Active Learning).
Minimal preparation for each class meeting is to do the
reading assignment for that
day, and to answer the Reading Quiz questions (at Mastering Physics)
for that reading assignment. 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 small
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 in the small-group
activities. You are expected to record your response to these
questions by logging in to your Turning Point account or by using
your Turning Point transmitter. You must
register your Turning Point
transmitter in order for your responses to be saved and graded.
YOU MUST USE ONLY THE TRANSMITTER THAT YOU REGISTER AND NO OTHER.
Use of another student's transmitter is a case of academic dishonesty,
just exactly like cheating on a test. Any and all students involved
in any such incidents will automatically receive an E for the course,
and may be referred to the Dean for further sanctions.
RECITATION will
meet weekly on FRI from 2:00 to 2:50 PM in PSH-356. Most recitations
will consist of small-group exercises which will be completed in teams
of two or three students; the teams will be assigned by your instructor.
These exercises will usually provide an introduction to the concepts and
problem-solving strategies which will then be explored in detail in the
following week's readings, classroom exercises, and homeworks; however,
in some cases, the concepts will have already been introduced in the
reading and the exercises will provide additional practice. While the
exercises will be a group activity, each student must write up his or
her own solutions, which will be collected at the end of recitation
by your TA. There will be nine graded exercises over the course of the
semester, and your lowest score of the nine will be dropped; there are no
make-up exercises for any reason. There may also be one or two take-home
graded exercises; these take-home exercises will be worth two in-class
graded exercises and cannot be dropped. The recitation exercises will
count as 3% of your overall grade for the course. Quiz 1 will be given
at the beginning of the fourth recitation meeting, on FRI Feb 10.
Recitations are canceled on our five test days; see the Schedule
for these test dates.
HELP-STUDY Sessions are for the students' benefit, but participation
is optional. Beginning TUE Jan 17, the Physics Success Center (PSF-462) will
be staffed by volunteer faculty and Teaching Assistants several hours each
day between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Teaching and Learning Assistants associated
with this course, and your instructor, will keep some of their office hours
in the Success Center.
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. Turning Point and Classwork
You will use your Turning Point transmitter or software to answer Multiple
Choice questions during the class meetings. For the first two class meetings,
Turning Point questions will be considered practice questions, as you learn
to use your Turning Point transmitters. Beginning WED Jan 18, at least
some Turning Point questions will be graded. You are always encouraged to
discuss Turning Point questions with your team and with others at your table,
but when answering, always think for yourself. 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 115 graded TP questions
over the course of the semester, so about 345 TP points will be possible.
However, about 310 TP points (or about 90% of all possible TP points should
there be more or less than 115 questions) are all that are required to receive
an overall TP grade of 100%. Your TP percentage will count a significant
fraction (70% - 90%) of your overall Classwork grade for our class. Since only 90% of all possible Turning Point points
are required for a perfect Turning Point score, no opportunity is provided
to make up missed Turning Point questions. USING SOMEOME ELSE'S TRANSMITTER,
OR ALLOWING SOMEONE TO USE YOUR TRANSMITTER, WILL RESULT IN AN AUTOMATIC
FAILING GRADE FOR THE COURSE. It is your responsibility to make sure that
your Turning Point transmitter is in working order, and that your response
is recorded. See our Turning Point information page
for more details.
Classwork will consist of small-group exercises which are usually related
directly to the assigned homeworks. Your team will complete each exercise
on a portable whiteboard at your table location. Several times during the
semester, someone from your team will be selected to report your team's
results to the entire class; all team members who are present on that day
will receive a satisfactory or unsatisfactory grade based on the quality
of that report. The teams will be rearranged several times during the
course of the semester. Your Classwork grade will include your TP grade
plus your Teamwork grade as assigned by your Learning Assistants, and will
count 5% of your overall grade for our class.
C. Reading Quizzes and Homework
There is one Reading Quiz (RQ) for each of the 25 topics listed in our
Topic and Reading Schedule;
all Reading Quizzes can be found only at Mastering Physics (MP). Each RQ
is due at 3:05 PM on the day before the topic for that RQ is covered
in our classroom. The final question on every RQ
is an opportunity for you to ask for an in-class discussion of topics
which you may have found confusing in the reading, or in the previous
class. The Reading Quizzes 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. In general, assignments for topics discussed in
class on MON are due by 11:59 PM the following MON and assignments for
topics discussed on WED are due by 11:59 PM the following WED, but the
official due dates are always the ones found at MP. Please take a look at the Tips for Using MP.
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. Graded Group Exercises
Nine of the ten recitation meetings will consist of a graded group
exercise which will be distributed at the beginning of recitation and
completed within your assigned small group. Exercises will be the same
for all groups in a given recitation. Exercises will be solved as a
group, but each student will write up his or her own solution; solutions
will be graded individually and returned the following week. Your lowest
graded group exercise score will be dropped. There may also be one or
two take-home graded exercises; these take-home exercises will be worth
two in-class graded exercises and cannot be dropped. THERE ARE NO
MAKE-UP GROUP EXERCISES FOR ANY REASON. The recitation exercises will
count as 3% of your overall grade for the course.
E. Quizzes
As posted in the schedule,
the four quizzes will occur on FRI Feb 10 (at recitation),
WED Mar 1 (in class before the review session for Test 3),
WED Apr 5 (in class before the review session for Test 4),
and WED Apr 26 (in class before the review session for Test 5).
Each quiz will consist of a multi-part HW-style problem for
which you will be required to show your work in detail.
Quizzes may cover any topics introduced or explored during
recitations or classes which have met before the quiz is
given. TA's will grade the quizzes out of 25 points; partial
credit will be given. The lowest of your four quiz scores
will automatically be dropped when averaged; therefore,
there are no make-up quizzes for any reason.
Your quiz average will count as 15% of your overall class
grade.
F. Examinations
The five tests will cover material indicated in the schedule by
topic numbers. Each of the five tests will consist of about
10 multiple choice questions, and will be given online, through
WebAssign, on computers provided by the physics department in the
Physics Testing Center (PSH-563), under the supervision of recitation
TA's or LA's. The online tests have a 50-minute time limit and the
testing center will be open from 9:40 AM - 6:00 PM on
the test days.
On those days, recitation will be cancelled. You will be required to
sign up for a 65-minute period in which to take the online test; the
sign-up form will be online. The final exam, on FRI May 5
from 2:30-4:20 PM, will consist of 40 MC questions; it
will be comprehensive, and it will be given in PSH-356 with assigned
seating.
Examinations are governed by the following policies:
In figuring your test average, the lowest of the five MC test scores
will automatically be dropped.
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! You will be required to sign a statement of academic
integrity for each test.
A full set of test rules is
available at the course web site.
The use of hand calculators is permitted. However, YOUR
CALCULATOR MAY NOT CONTAIN STORED PHYSICS EQUATIONS.
Test paper (including scratch paper) will be provided. Bring
only your pencils and calculators.
Your equation sheet will include any necessary constants and
a few equations; before the test, a copy of the equation sheet
will be available on the class website.
In the event of a
fire alarm occuring during an examination,
students will be asked to gather their belongings and leave the
testing room as expeditiously as possible. Those students whose
testing was interrupted by the alarm will then be given the
appropriate amount of extra time to finish their tests, or else
given an entirely new test, once the exam is able to resume.
G. Final Grades.
The final course grades will be determined with the following weights:
Turning Point and other Classwork: 5%
Reading Quizzes: 6%
Homework (total points out of 1685): 10%
Recitation Exercises (drop 1): 3%
Quizzes (drop 1): 15%
MC Tests (drop 1): 44%
Final Examination: 17%
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).
H. Withdrawal
Withdrawal policies are established by the University (see the
ASU Calendar.)
The deadline for course
withdrawal is Apr 2.
Topic and Reading Schedule