Homework:
Assignments from the text will be given each lecture hour; these will not be
turned in for grading, but the best way to prepare for the quizzes, midterms, and
final is to do all the homework.
Additional homework assignments, that will be turned in for grading,
will be given roughly
once per week.
Late homework assignments will not be accepted.
Each student will be permitted to "drop" her or his single lowest homework score.
In the case of serious illness, grave personal emergency, or religious observance,
the excused absence policy described below will apply to homework as well:
if such a situation arises,
contact Professor Nevins as soon as possible.
Quizzes:
There will be two quizzes given during the regular class meeting time.
The dates for
the quizzes are: Tuesday, February 10
and Thursday, April 2.
Midterm Exams:
There will be two midterm exams given during the regular meeting
time.
The dates for these exams are:
Thursday, March 5
and Tuesday, April 21.
If you miss a quiz or midterm because of an excused absence it will not hurt your grade; see below.
Final Exam:
The Final Exam will have a length roughly equivalent to 2 midterm exams,
and will be cumulative. It will take place
Wednesday, May 13, 1:30-4:30 p.m., the slot assigned for
this class according to the
Spring 2009 Final Exam schedule.
There is no scheduled conflict exam for this course. If you have a situation
covered by
Section 3-201(a)(4) of the Student Code, you should contact me as far in
advance of the exam as possible to determine a makeup exam.
If you have any questions, contact me as early as possible.
Make sure to plan your travel at the end of the semester accordingly.
University regulations are very strict about taking
the Final at the assigned slot; in particular, you cannot take the
final at an earlier date in order to accommodate travel plans.
Policy on missed quizzes and midterm exams:
With a valid, documented excuse for a missed midterm exam
(such as a personal emergency, confining illness, or religious observance,
see
Section
1-501 of the Student Code for a discussion),
a student will either receive an "excused absence" or take a make-up exam, to be
determined by circumstances.
With a valid, documented excuse for a missed quiz (see above), a student will
receive an excused absence (no make-up quizzes will be given).
In the case of an excused absence,
your final grade will be determined by appropriate weighting
of other components of the course so as to make your final
grade fairly reflect your
performance.
For a missed quiz or hour exam with a valid excuse,
get in touch with Professor Nevins as soon as possible (but certainly
within one week).
The
Office of the Dean of Students can
verify the validity of your excuse and provide Professor Nevins with
documentation.
If you miss a quiz or midterm without a valid excuse, you will receive
a zero for that quiz or midterm.
Calculator policy:
Calculators are not allowed in exams or quizzes.
Exam and quiz problems will be
written such that they do not require a calculator; calculators would be
a hindrance and distraction, and in most cases completely useless.
You do not need to bring a calculator to
class. (I don't carry a calculator with me either.)
Occasionally, you may need a calculator to do a homework problem,
though the majority of
homework problems will be of the no-calculator variety. For the
calculator problems, a basic calculator is sufficient; you do not need
graphing or programmable calculators.
Main course page.