exam dates and policies, Fall 2008 (Geology 101, Donovan)

QUIZZES: Six to eight unannounced, 10-minute quizzes are scheduled at random through the semester. They might occur at the beginning, middle, or end of class periods and normally consist of two short answer questions, based on material from EITHER assigned reading OR the prior 1-2 lectures OR the current lecture. Quizzes count as extra credit on your final average. 

EXAMS and EXAM POLICY Mid term exams (4) will be held in a 3-hour block Wednesday or Friday once each month from September to December. The exams will be computer-based and are administered in the Brooks Hall Computer Testing Center (Brooks 415 and 416), which are one level below the Woodburn (upper campus) entrance to Brooks. See schedule above. The tests are run from within Ecampus and are TIMED -- they must be completed in no more than one hour!!!!   Exams make up 100% of your grade

ABSENTEE POLICY FOR QUIZZES AND EXAMS

• mid-term exams: no excuse for absence, one make-up exam (only) will be administered. If you miss a mid-term, then take the make-up exam (evening of last day of class). DO NOT MISS MORE THAN ONE MID TERM EXAM! You can only make one up. In this case, you should almost certainly drop the course to not risk a poor grade.
• quizzes: absence will be excused for official reasons only.  acceptable excuses include (a) documented official University-related activities -- travel for sports, clubs, etc -- (b) medically-dictated absence (documented in some fashion) (c) absence for official university days of special concern for their faith (e.g., Rosh Hashanah, etc).  in all cases I must have your written excuse and date(s) in writing from an appropriate University official documenting your absence. I cannot personally validate your absence. For excused quizzes, you will receive no grade for the quiz you missed but the number of quizzes your average is calculated on will be reduced -- so no penalty for absence.   Note that excused quizes will not immediately be credited to your final average and won't show up on grade sheets until after the final exam.

EXAM COMPOSITION Exams consist of a mixture of multiple choice (about 75% of exam) and graphical problems (about 25%). There are tyically 20 MC questions and 1-2 graphical problems. The questions are randomly sampled from a much larger database so no two students will get more than a couple identical questions, and all answers are scrambled. Attempts at plagiarism are futile. Nonetheless, any student found by proctors poring over another students screen, talking, or using a cell phone will be removed from the exam immediately. Cheating doesn't work in this environment, and you are just risking an unforgiveable F for no reason. So don't.

ON MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS The multiple choice questions have multiple potential answers; this is so partial credit can be awarded. check all the answers you think are true, and leave unchecked those that are false. These can really be viewed as multiple "true-false" responses to single questions. Partial credit will be administered for questions for which student "overanswer" or "underanswer". The highest on each question is 4; the lowest is zero. The four points are split among the correct answers. "Over answers" (incorrect answers that you check)  each cause a 1-point deduction. The purpose is (a) to minimize guessing, (b) to give partial credit rather than "all or nothing". Experience has shown that "Partial Credit" questions are more helpful to student's grades than "all or nothing" single-answer ones.

EXAM RULES:

• You may start the exam in one of three groups, starting at times scheduled above. Signup for the groups will be done before the first exam. you can arrive up to 15 minutes late or (in groups 2 and 3) up to 15 minutes early (spread out so so the check-in lines aren't so bad).  Your exam time starts counting when you actually start. You will have up to 60 minutes to do the exam, at which time the exam will shut down
• Student ID is required for admission. 
  
• KNOW YOUR ID (700) NUMBER AND ENTER IT CORRECTLY DURING THE EXAM! It is the only way your exam grade will be recorded. Incorrect ID = no grade.  If you by mistake make an error in entry, come tell me after the exam what number you used. 
  
• In the Brooks lab, log onto Ecampus in the browser and execute the exam by double-clicking on the icon. Exams will be found during the scheduled times only on Ecampus, in a folder called "Exams".  After taking the exam, don't forget to FINISH THE EXAM TO THE END and LOG OFF YOUR ECAMPUS ACCOUNT (otherwise you'll not get your grade)
  
• EACH EXAM WILL ONLY EXECUTE ONCE!! If you close the exam without finishing, you will receive zero credit, and be unable to take the exam again. 
• EXAMS ARE CLOSED BOOK AND CLOSED NOTES. No writing materials, paper, cell phones (TURN THEM OFF!!), PDAs, etc allowed, in or out. Turn the cell phone off and leave it in your bookbag, by the side wall of the lab. Students flashing a cell phone or PDA will be immediately removed from the exam. YOU CANNOT TAKE ANY NOTES OR DOCUMENTS INTO OR OUT OF THE COMPUTER WORKSTATION WITH YOU. There will be a place to leave your bag.
•  Each exam MUST be taken in the Brooks Hall Testing Center ONLY!!! If you take your exam from outside Brooks (which they tell me is not possible anyway), you will receive zero credit for it and you will not have any opportunity to make up that exam grade!  Your IP address will be logged and so we will know exactly where it was taken from.

STUDY AID #1 once a week, I will make available a PDF file (in folder "lecture slide PDFs") with all the in-class slides presented to date in class.  THIS IS NOT A SET OF NOTES, AND IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR ATTENDING CLASS AND TAKING NOTES!! But it allows you to download and review the graphics I used in class and will supplement your own notes.  There will <not> be any distribution of my overhead notes -- these are to help guide your own notetaking and should be entered directly into your notes in class.  DO NOT PRINT OUT THESE FILES -- all slides are in color and will dry up someone's printer.

STUDY AID #2 right before each exam, I will drop a Powerpoint file (in folder "lecture outline PPTs") which has JUST the lecture outlines (the first slide I show each day) presented for that segment of the semester.  These will be in black and white and can be printed out/added to your notes

STUDY AID #3 REVIEW SESSIONS (voluntary) will be held the Monday before each exam (Wednesday before the final) at 4:30-7:00 PM in B-E 458 (the room next to the lecture room)

MAKE-UP EXAM There will also be a single comprehensive make-up exam, in hard copy form, during Finals Week at immediately after the last class in B-E 459. It may be used to make up any one of exams #1, #2, or #3 (not #4). There are no make-ups for individual exams -- just the single comprehensive makeup. YOU CAN ONLY MAKE UP ONE EXAM. BONUS -- If you attended all four exams, and want to try to pull the lowest of the four up, you can do so by taking the makeup, even if you didn't miss an exam. If the makeup is higher than your lowest exam, it will be substituted for that exam's grade. There is no risk -- if the make-up is lower than the mid-term grades, it will not be counted. Those who miss more than one mid-term exams are out of luck on the second or third absence, and I suggest to such students that you consider dropping the course, as one can only make-up one exam. I REPEAT: The make up is comprehensive.

The exams are designed to favor students who show up to class, collect good notes, prepare for the exams, and work hard. They will be very very difficult indeed for students who don't attend class routinely -- even if you "borrow" notes from others! If you plan on not attending class, showing up for the exam, and doing the best you can -- be prepared to be disappointed with your grade. It doesn't work.

The best things you can do to improve exam performance and grades are (A) come to class/pay attention and (B) take careful organized notes.

GOOD LUCK!