The distribution among these rooms is by discussion section, as follows:
Note on the final exam time. I realize that the timing is highly unfortunate, and I warned everyone about it early in the semester and said to make travel plans accordingly. Whether we like it or not, this happens to be the University assigned time slot, and there is nothing I can do about it. All of us (students, TAs, prof) are in the same boat and have to stick around on campus longer that we might wish. The University is very strict in enforcing the final exam time slots. Only in very exceptional cases are students permitted to take the final at a different time, and such decisions cannot be made by the instructor, but require approval at the highest level. A recent departmental memo on final exam policies reinforces this point, saying that students wishing to take the final at a different date/time need to seek approvals first by the Associate Chair of the Mathematics Department and then by the Office of the Provost, and that such approvals are granted only in very special cases.
Three finals in 24 hours.
If you have three finals within the same 24 hour period, you are
entitled to a conflict exam in one of the three classes involved.
Since our final is at the last possible time slot, the other two
finals would have to be on the same day, at the 8-11 and 1:30-4:30
timeslots.
The University has specific guidelines as to how such a
conflict exam should be prioritized. The official rules can be found at
Article 3, Part 2 of the Student Code. In particular, if one of
the classes involved in the conflict
has an officially scheduled conflict exam (ours does
not), you have to take that conflict exam. Also, if one of the
classes involved has their final at an irregular time slot (i.e., not
the officially designated one), that class must provide conflict
dates.
If you believe you
are in a conflict situation and none of the above apply (i.e.,
if none of the other classes involved offers a scheduled conflict exam
and none has the final at an irregular time slot),
contact me (email ajh@uiuc.edu) as soon as possible, but no later
than Thursday, December 7, with your complete final schedule
(classes plus final exam times).
Final Exam score and course grade. The Final Exam accounts for 30 percent of the course grade. Your course grade will be the grade that is shown in the Score Reports once the Final Exam scores have been entered. Since each grade component has been curved individually, there will be no additional curving on this average.
About the course grades. The computer grades shown in the Score Reports once the Final scores have been entered are the official course grades that will be submitted. These grades final and non-negotiable. With a class of this size, this is the only fair and equitable way to assign grades. Everyone is subject to the same rules, and making exceptions in individual cases would be highly unfair to the rest of the class. I simply cannot grant requests for bumping up a grade for reasons such as good attendance or having studied hard for an exam, nor can I allow a students to earn extra credit and improve their score by doing extra work. As much as I sympathize with individual situations, it would be a gross violation of basic rules of fairness if I were to grant such requests in individual cases without providing everyone of the 220+ students in this class the same opportunity to plead and make the case for a better grade.
Also, being close to a higher grade is no reason to get bumped up to the higher grade. For example, an average of 79 is a C+, even though it is only one point from a B-. After all, the same argument could be made for one third of all scores: 83 (= B-) is only 1 point from a B, 86 (= B) is 1 point away from a B+, etc. And one could make a similar case for rounding in the other direction: Since an 84 (= B) is only 1 point away from a B-, by the same reasoning one ought to bump that score down to an 83.
Course grade predictions. The pre-final grade and final grade account, respectively, for 70 and 30 percent of the course grade. You can use this to estimate the score you need on the final in order to earn a particular grade: For example, if your pre-final average is 88/100, and your final score, after curving, is 92/100, the overall average is (0.7 x 88 + 0.3 x 92)/100 = 89/100, which is a still a B+; on the other hand, a final score of 96/100 would result in an overall average of 90/100, and thus bump up your grade to an A-.
If your current average is below 60/100, then you are currently at a failing grade. If it is significantly below that level, you are in serious risk of failing this course and you have your work cut out for you: for example, a pre-final average of 50/100 would have to be offset by a (curved) score of 85/100 on the final in order to end up with a passing grade.
Class schedule. The final week of class (12/4 - 12/7) will be a very light week. Sections 13.8 and 13.9, which were covered last week (13.8 was covered in Thursday's discussion section), are the final sections on the syllabus. In Monday's lecture I will cover (though only very lightly) some more theoretical material which I had skipped over earlier (see the lecture summaries for details). In Tuesday's discussion section the exam will be returned. For Wednesday I have nothing specific planned (feel free to skip that hour), but I will be available in the lecture room for questions. I'll leave up to the TA's on what to do with the Thursday discussion sections (possibly canceling the class or turning it into an office hour or review session).
Office hours before the Final. I intend to hold office hours MWF, 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm, during the final two weeks, in my office, 241 Illini Hall.
Grading of Final Exam. I hope to have the final graded by the end of Monday, 12/18, and the scores online by Tuesday, 12/19. If you are dying to see your final, stop by my office (241 Illini Hall) some time Tuesday (12/19) afternoon.
The Final Exam will be cumulative and cover the material of Exams 1 - 3, each given approximately equal weight, as well as Sections 13.8 and 13.9, which weren't included in the midterm exams, and the small amount of theoretical material covered on Monday, 12/4. See the review sheets for Exam 1, Exam 2, and Exam 3, for a detailed syllabus of these exams, and links to practice exams. From the post-Exam 3 material you need to know the following: