In this classroom model learning is about active and engaged participation in the many activities of the class. This is how learning happens. If you are interested in my rationale for this grading model you can read about it here.

Grade Contract:

Everyone who joins the class will be given a target grade of a A. If you participate in, and complete, every activity, throughout the term you will retain that grade. For most activities a very modest level of performance will be acceptable. What activities will be required will vary according to circumstances and the phase of the moon and will typically be announced in class. What I am asking of you is your honest engagement with the various learning activities. You don’t have to be right or even all the way done to be successful and learn something.

What happens if I miss an activity?

For each activity not completed your grade will be reduced by a full letter grade. More than two missing activities will keep you from passing the course (see human realities below). Missed activities can NOT be made up.

Human Realities (Gone Fishin'):

Because we are all human beings with rich and complex lives it would be hard to expect any of us to be certain of completing every single activity in a term. For this reason each of you may use two (2) “Gone Fishing” coupons. If you are not present for, or do not adequately complete, an assessment activity you will be excused if a physical Gone Fishing coupon with your name, the date, and the incomplete activity on it appears on my door. You may use a third “Gone Fishing” coupon if you can talk a fellow classmate out of one of theirs. Such a third coupon must have both your name as well as the donor’s name on it. “Gone Fishing” coupons may not be used on the comprehensive assessment (Final). After the three coupons are used only medical emergencies in the immediate family of the student will exempt the student from participation. Medical emergencies must be supported with doctor’s name and number and suitable release forms so that I may verify the medical emergency.

Cosmic Gone Fishin' coupons are sometimes awarded for various performances during the course and may be used as an extra personal resource.

In the Gradebook:

There are often questions about what the gradebook looks like and what it means. Here is the "secret code": A 3 means you have completed the activity at an acceptable level (this is NOT 3 points). A 2 means you turned the activity in but it was NOT completed at an acceptable level. You may rework any such assignment until you meet my expectations. A 1 in the gradebook means you went fishing -- this is my way of tracking the "Gone Fishing" coupons. Some activities may require a minimum score to be acceptable and you will be told what that is.

The Math:

We meet 19 times this term (over 10 weeks) for class and 8 ish times for lab. For a summer class this is sometimes 4 times a week for class and 2 times a week for lab for 5 weeks. This means roughly 25-30 opportunities for activities during the term exclusive of the comprehensive assessment (final). Since you can excuse 2 or 3 of these activities with “Gone Fishing” coupons you will probably need to complete about 25 activities to get your A. Some of these activities will take place in class, some through Bb, and some at home so be conscious of the probable amount of time involved on your part.

As we will discuss in class the normal expectation is that you spend about 2+ hours outside of class for every hour in class (including lab). That would mean that you should expect to spend 4-5 hours writing up your labs and 6-8 hours doing homework and any quizes or test like experiences. Collectively this class will probably take around 15 hrs a week to complete all the work. This doesn't count getting to class.

Benefits - Why do I do this?:

So what are the benefits I hope to bring to you the student in this model? It’s really pretty simple – I have some evidence from Physics Education Research papers that you will learn more and better under this model and that’s what I’m here to do. Here are some reasons why I think this happens some of which are supported by research about student learning and others are based on student feedback and observations.

It’s about your engagement with your learning. You always have been responsible for your learning but this will hopefully make the connection more direct.

Because what you need to do to earn your grade is simple and non threatening you can focus on learning. It’s less about how much you learn and more about how well you learn

Because there is no grade penalty in this class (as long as you do everything) I hope you will spend more time thinking and observing HOW you learn instead of merely stuffing facts. This process is called metacognition and is a tremendous tool for improving your long term learning.

I hope that this will allow you to engage your curiosity about learning instead of your fight or flight response (because of grade fear). See where your thoughts take you. Enjoy asking ever more complex questions and try to figure out what it would take to answer them.

Past experience suggests that you will take more risks with your learning in this model and get more out of this class then if you are always sweating traditional graded activities.

Because it is easier to meet grade expectations I can ask more of you and push you harder in various directions without feeling guilty. I want to take each of you as far as you can go with the material we are studying. How far that is will be different for each of you.