MAE 124/ESYS 103: Grading and Course Policy
Spring 2006


Course Components


Papers     40%
Participation     10%
Mid-term
20%
Final
30%

Important points that you must remember:

  • Homework assignments and announcements will be posted on the Web.
  • Supplementary notes and links will only be available on the Web.
  • You are encouraged to work together on the homework and learn from each other. Discussion on how to approach an assignment is an important part of the learning process. Each of you must individually submit the assignment. It is very important that you actually do the work yourself. Simply copying homework will do you no good. Specifically, any direct evidence of plagiarism in the homework will be grounds for receiving an F in the entire course. We will also report you to your college for administrative penalties. Furthermore, any evidence of cheating on either the final or the midterm will be grounds for receiving an F in the entire course. Exams will emphasize understanding and synthesis rather than regurgitation of material.

    Homework Evaluation

  • Assigned homework:

  • Each homework assignment will require you to research and write a report on some aspect of engineering and the environment.
  • Papers will be submitted through turnitin.com, which time-stamps the submissions and checks for plagiarism. See here for instructions.
  • No late homework, under any excuse.
  • All assignments must be typed and should be submitted electronically.
  • Brevity and clarity are critical attributes of good reports.
  • Participation

  • Participation will be evaluated in three ways:
  • Examinations

  • Midterm date: Thursday, May 11th (during lecture: 09:30-10:50).
  • Final: Thursday June 15th 08:00-11:00..
  • Both the midterm and the final examination will be open note. You may bring in any handwritten notes you wish. If you have typed your notes, we will ask you to turn them in with your midterm so that we can ensure that you are not all working from identical typed notes. You may not use the text book or any other bound books.
  • There is a very useful guide to the general and also campus specific issues involved in academic honesty at the Engineering Student Services web site. Follow the link to "Academic Conduct".
  • The midterm will discuss work covered up to, and including the previous Tuesday.
  • The final will cover the entire course.
  • You will be supplied with a blue book for the exam.
  • Each exam will always cover materials discussed in class, or assigned in the weekly announcement on the Web.
  • Just like no late homework, there are absolutely no make-up exams. No excuses.
  • When you are asked to stop writing at the end of each exam, the only writing should be the addition of your name to the front page. Anyone caught cheating on either the midterm or final exam will be considered to have committed a sufficiently serious offence to fail the entire course.
  • The midterm will be a review of all the material you have already encountered. There will be no choice on the exam.
  • The final will contain 5 questions.
  • The first (compulsory) question on the final, worth 50% of the total marks for the final, will involve relatively short answers to demonstrate understanding of the entirety of the content of the course.
  • There will be 4 long questions on the final, requiring extended in depth discussion of a particular part of the course. For example, without committing myself in any way, it is possible that:
  • Your best two answers to these questions will each be worth 25% of the total marks for the final.

    Grading

  • Grading is a crucial part of the course, of course!
  • Here is an approximate explanation of the guidelines used to determine grades: