121 Policies - Fall 2020
A. General
The course during this Semester commences on THU Aug 20 and
concludes on THU Dec 3.
Class meetings are on
MW from 3:05 until 4:20 in Dr. Adams' Zoom meeting room
(https://asu.zoom.us/j/8349628496).
THERE IS NO LECTURING at these class meetings. Instead, class time
is spent on collaborative activities in small, assigned groups. (see Active Learning, and
the Active Learning Supplement for Fall 2020).
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
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 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 on THU from 3:00 to 3:50 PM in your
recitation TA's Zoom meeting room (NOTE: The first recitation, on
THU Aug 20, meets in Dr. Adams' meeting room.) Nine of this semester's recitations
will include small-group exercises which will be completed within Zoom
breakout rooms; 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. At the beginning
of the next class meeting which occurs after each recitation
with an exercise, a MiniQuiz will be given on WebAssign which will test
your understanding of the recitation exercise of the previous THU. The
six Quizzes will each be given at the beginning of a recitation meeting,
according to the Recitation Schedule; each Quiz is followed
by a recitation exercise. The six Tests are 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 two class meetings,
Learning Catalytics questions will be considered practice questions, as we learn
to use the system. Beginning MON Aug 31, at least
some Learning Catalytics questions will be graded. You are always encouraged to
discuss Learning Catalytics questions with your Slack teammates,
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 140 graded LC questions
over the course of the semester, so about 420 LC points will be possible.
However, about 360 LC points (or about 85% of all possible LC points should
there be more or less than 140 questions) are all that are required to receive
an overall LC grade of 100%. Your LC percentage will count a significant
fraction (70% - 90%) of your overall Classwork grade for our class. 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 your response
is recorded. See our Learning Catalytics information page
for more details.
Classwork will consist mostly of collaborative
work on the most difficult of our Mastering Physics homework problems,
with many Learning Catalytics questions. You will use Slack to
communicate with other students (your Slack teammates) during classes,
and you will use Zoom to communicate with our LA or with Dr. Adams.
Other classwork activities will include discussion, usually with
accompanying demonstrations and related Learning Catalytics questions,
of the more subtle aspects of the topics covered by the reading for that
day's class.
There will be nine MiniQuizzes (on WebAssign) given during the semester. There will be a MiniQuiz at the first class
meeting to occur after any recitation which includes a recitation
exercise. The first MiniQuiz (on MON Aug 24th) will be just for
practice. All MiniQuizzes will begin promptly at 3:05 and last
for six minutes. MiniQuizzes are expected to count 10% - 20% of your
Classwork grade. Your Classwork grade will include your LC grade
plus your MiniQuiz grade, and will count 6% 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 1:00 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. 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 relevant
class meeting. Please take a look at the Tips for Using MP.
Using online HW-answer services (such as Chegg.com) to find answers for
our Reading Quizzes or HW problems is not allowed. Any students found
using such services for one of our HW's or RQ's will automatically
receive a ZERO for that HW or RQ. 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.
800 HOMEWORK POINTS ARE REQUIRED FOR
A PASSING GRADE IN THE COURSE.
D. Recitation Exercises and MiniQuizzes
Nine of the 15 recitation meetings will include a team
exercise which will be completed by working in your assigned Zoom breakout
reooms for that day. Exercises will be the same for all breakout rooms
in a given recitation.
The next lecture class meeting after each recitation with
an exercise will begin with a MiniQuiz (at WebAssign) which
will cover some aspect of the recitation exercise from the
previous THU. Your MiniQuiz scores will count as some part
(10-30%) of your Classwork grade for our class (see Part B above).
E. Quizzes
As posted in the schedule,
the six quizzes will occur at the recitation meetings of
Aug 27, Sep 3, Sep 24, Oct 8, Oct 22, and Nov 12.
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 two lowest of your six quiz scores
will automatically be dropped when averaged; therefore,
there are no make-up quizzes for any reason.
Your quiz average will count as 16% of your overall class
grade.
F. Examinations
The six tests will cover material indicated in the schedule by
topic numbers. Each of the six tests will consist of about
10 numerical questions, and will be given online, through
WebAssign during a recitation period.
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 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 three
tries to answer each numerical question, but you will lose 33%
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, on FRI Dec 11
from 2:30-4:20 PM, will consist of 30 numerical questions; it
will be comprehensive, and it will be given during a Zoom meeting and
within the WebAssign Lockdown Browser.
Tests are governed by the following policies:
In figuring your test average, the two lowest of the six WebAssign test scores
will automatically be dropped. There are no make-up tests for any reason.
If you miss a test for any reason, then that missed test must be one of your
two dropped tests for the semester.
The use of hand calculators is permitted. However, YOUR
CALCULATOR MAY NOT CONTAIN STORED PHYSICS EQUATIONS.
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.
G. Final Grades.
The final course grades will be determined with the following weights:
Learning Catalytics and other Classwork: 6%
Reading Quizzes: 6%
Homework (total points out of 1685): 10%
Quizzes (drop 2): 16%
WebAssign Tests (drop 2): 44%
Final Examination: 18%
A MINIMUM OF 800 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 Nov 4.
I. 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