MAE 124/ESYS 103: Grading and Course Policy
Spring 2010


Course Components


Papers     45%
Participation, weekly assignments, attendance in discussion     15%
Mid-term
15%
Final
25%

Important points that you must remember:

  • Term paper assignments and announcements will be posted on the Web.
  • Supplementary notes and links will only be available on the Web.
  • You may discuss the term paper assignments with each other, but the work that you submit must be your own. Discussion 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. 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.

    Term Paper Evaluation

  • Assigned papers:

  • Each paper will require you to research and write about some aspect of engineering, planning, design, 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 without prior arrangements for an extension.
  • Papers must be typed and submitted electronically.
  • Brevity and clarity are critical attributes of good reports.
  • Participation

  • Participation will be evaluated in three ways:
  • Examinations

  • Midterm: Friday, April 30 (10:00-10:50 pm).
  • Final: Monday June 7th 8:00-10:59.
  • Both the midterm and the final examination will be at least partially open note. You may not use the text book or any other bound books.
  • This course will adhere to the standard UCSD policy on academic integrity: ``Students are expected to do their own work, as outlined in the UCSD Policty on Integrity of Scholarship. Cheating will not be tolerated, and any student who engages in forbidden conduct will be subjected to the disciplinary process. Cheaters will receive a failing grade on the assignment or the exam and/or in the entire course. They may also be suspended from UCSD.'' See http://www-senate.ucsd.edu/manual/Appendices/app2.htm for details.
  • The midterm will discuss work covered up to, and including the previous Wednesday.
  • The final will cover the entire course.
  • Each exam will always cover materials discussed in class, or assigned in the weekly reading announcements on the Web.
  • 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.
  • The final will contain several long questions, and will offer you the opportunity to synthesize the material that we discuss in this course.
  • Grading

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