Philosophy:

In this classroom model, learning is about participation in the many activities of the class. This is how learning happens.

I am working to develop a new grading model that reflects a commitment to broad competency, standards based grading, and multiple pathways to success. There are a number of activities that take place during this course and your grade in the course will depend on all of them in some way. These activities are homework, labs, skills assessments, and scientific abilities. What follows below is my initial cut at working out a grading model to include all of these factors.

Be aware that my basic orientation is that grades in the traditional sense are a poor indicator of skill or potential for success. Whatever model I develop will certainly permit you to pass this class if you are in class every day, do all the work I ask of you, and make the effort to rework any activities that don't meet modest expectations of competence until they do.

Labs: 30% [based on 8ish lab experiences over the 10 weeks]

Labs are an opportunity to experience doing activities which have a close resemblance to science. You will need to design processes, make measurements, organize and evaluate data, draw appropriate conclusions, and communicate various aspects of your experience clearly and effectively. In this 3rd term of the physics sequence you will be asked to be more self directed about your acitivities in lab. In particular we will be exploring the modeling of physics settings using typical tools for an industrial physicist or engineer. These include coding in python and using markdown languges (like LaTeX) to communicate and document your work.

Your lab report will provide the basis for my assessment of your understanding of the physics embedded in the lab as well as your current skills with regard to the scientific abilities.

Scientific Abilities: 20% [based on most recent demonstration of a given ability]

This is an aspirational part of my grading scheme. It is time for me to acknowledge that I am far from happy with my current efforts to track your abilities. It is possible that if you show up and actively engage with classroom activities you will receive all of these 'points'. That is not a guarrantee but it is a possible outcome.

Homework Problems: 20% [based on 9ish homework sets across the term, these also impact Scientific Abilities]

Homework is an opportunity to practice the tools and skills you are hopefully learning in this class (and others). It is also an opportunity to put in the effortful practice that Malcom Gladwell has described as necessary to the development of expertise in a discipline. While some of the classes will be using Mastering Physics to complete their homework we will be doing homework in a more traditional paper mode which will allow me more insight and flexibility in understanding your growing skills and approaches. Homework expectations will doubtless be an evolving discussion during this term so your feedback will be welcome as we progress through the term. Which problems and how many problems I will assess critically is under development.

As you might imagine homework is a tool for developing and exploring your understanding of the concepts and processes I hope you master during the course. As with any skill practice is required to develop your abilities. You are right to expect that I don't give you irrelevant material to practice but be aware that our perceptions of what is relevant may differ. I hope that what I ask you to do takes 5 or 6 hours every week (of the 10-15 hrs you might appropriately expect every week) to complete.

Quizzes: 30% [based on 7-8 in class problems in a timed environment that are intended to stretch your understanding of each unit]

Tests, quizzes, and other timed evaluations of your physics understanding contribute to your growth and understanding in mysterious ways. It is certainly true that exams have a demonstrated tendency to focus the mind and force students to get 'caught up' and get some control over the material. On the other hand the sort of problems you can attempt in a short time frame tend to be relatively simple and predictable tempting students into unwise study strategies. It is my intention to use a variety of context rich and complex problems as quiz settings that will hopefully push your understanding, both conceptual and process based, hard.

The effort to develop real competency based evaluations of your skills is ongoing and each year I explore new ideas and settings to help you more effectively assess the state of your skills relative to the expectations of the course. Thank you for your flexibility as I develop these tools.

Journals: 5% Bonus [based on 4-5 reading and written self reflection submissions]

Self reflection and self examination are central elements in our learning process and throughout the term I always cross paths with blog articles or research work that seem valuable for my own understanding of learning. It seems plausible that they would be valuable to you and I can assist that process by giving you a little bonus credit for engaging with these articles. They are not always posted in a steady and sequential way so remember to ask in class if you don't notice them on the web.

Competence Requirement:

I place high value on broadly developed minimal competence. With this in mind I will not award a grade higher than a C if your score in any of the four categories is below 70% regardless of your average score. Two categories below 70% will permit me to deny you a passing grade. While this may seem harsh I will always provide you with opportunities to improve your score or demonstate the required minimum compentence if time permits.