Grading
First, a note on grading. We do not grade on a curve, so we hope that each of you will do your best to help your fellow students: if they benefit, it does you no harm. In fact, one of the best ways to learn something is to explain it to someone else, so talk to your classmates (see Studying Biology in the "Policies" section).
We're going to be using the point system for this course, so you don't have to worry about calculating percentages for individual components. We'll try to keep an up-to-date total here on the website, so you can always determine your grade so far by comparing what you've earned with the max possible. Given the grading scale, you can therefore calculate your own grade in the course at any time.
We've laid out the course components and their point values separately, but to summarize:
| Participation | 120 points |
| 3 Hour Exams | 300 points total |
| Assignments | 100–200 points |
| Final Exam | 200 points |
| Laboratory Reports | 500 points |
| Anticipated Total | 1220–1320 points |
We reserve the right to tweak these distributions as we see fit: if for example no one appears to be doing the reading, we may institute short, sporadic quizzes. These will in all likelihood be given in the first few minutes of class, and no make-ups will be given. In order for them to be taken seriously, we will have to shoehorn them into the grading scheme outlined above.
Here is the grading scale for this class:
| numeric grade | letter grade |
|---|---|
| 93.3 - 100 | A |
| 90.0 - 93.2 | A- |
| 86.7 - 89.9 | B+ |
| 83.3 - 86.6 | B |
| 80.0 - 83.2 | B- |
| 76.7 - 79.9 | C+ |
| 73.3 - 76.6 | C |
| 70.0 - 73.2 | C- |
| 66.7 - 69.9 | D+ |
| 63.3 - 66.6 | D |
| 60.0 - 63.2 | D- |
Just to review, this is what the Student Handbook has to say about grades:
- A and A-
- These grades are given for achievement of the highest caliber. They reflect independent work, original thinking, and the ability to acquire and effectively use knowledge.
- B+, B, and B-
- These grades are given for higher than average achievement. Evidence of independent work and original thinking is expected.
- C+, C, and C-
- These grades are given when the student has devoted a reasonable amount of time, effort, and attention to the work of the course and has satisfied the following criteria: familiarity with the content of the course, familiarity with the methods of study of the course, and active participation in the work of the class.
- D+, D, and D-
- These grades are given for unsatisfactory work, below the standard expected by the College. They indicate work which in one or more important aspects falls below the average expected of students for graduation. The work is, however, sufficient to be credited for graduation, if balanced by superior work in other courses.
For reasons that are not entirely clear to me, Moravian College considers this to be a personal page. Therefore it is incumbent on me to point out that "The views expressed on this page are the responsibility of the author, Christopher Jones (cjones-at-moravian-dot-edu) and do not necessarily reflect Moravian College or Moravian Theological Seminary policies or official positions."