Course Grades
Your course grade will be weighted and calculated as follows:
| Assessment | Weight |
| Midterm 1 | 20% |
| Midterm 2 | 20% |
| Final Exam | 25% |
| Weekly Quizzes | 10% |
| Written HW | 15% |
| WebAssign | 10% |
This score will be converted to a letter grade using the values below as cutoffs. These cutoffs might be adjusted at the end of the semester (the so-called “curve”), but only in the downward direction (to make letter grades higher).
- 93% – 100%: A
- 90% – 92.99%: A-
- 87% – 89.99%: B+
- 83% – 86.99%: B
- 80% – 82.99%: B-
- 75% – 79.99%: C+
- 65% – 74.99%: C
- 50% – 64.99%: D
Exams
During the semester there will be two midterm exams and one cumulative final exam.
For the ONLINE sections the two midterm exams will be administered in person with no exceptions. The final exam will also be administered in person.
- The dates for the midterm exams are listed on the course schedule.
- The common Final Exam will take place on Tuesday December 19th 10:00 – 11:50 am
Exams will contain a mixture of computational and conceptual problems. Some of them will resemble homework problems, while some will be brand new to you. The final exam is likely to be a mixture of multiple choice and free response problems.
Out-of-sequence exams:
An excused absence for an exam requires notification to the instructor BEFORE the exam starts, followed by valid documentation. Otherwise, you will receive a “0” for any missed exams.
We may approve out-of-sequence exams in the following cases:
- A documented medical excuse.
- A University sponsored event such as an athletic tournament, a play, or a musical performance. Athletic practices and rehearsals do not fall into this category. Please have your coach, conductor, or other faculty advisor contact your instructor.
- A religious holiday.
- Extreme hardship such as a family emergency.
Makeups must occur within one week of the regularly scheduled exam, otherwise a zero score will be given.
Note: We will not be able to accommodate out-of-sequence exams for purposes of more convenient travel, including already purchased tickets.
Quizzes
Weekly quizzes will be administered during the recitation sessions. The two lowest quiz scores will be dropped. With very rare exceptions, missed quizzes may not be made up. Think of the “two dropped quizzes” as your free spins.
Homework
There are two types of homework in this class: “WebAssign” and “Written HW”.
WebAssign
There will be assignments administered through WebAssign (please see the WebAssign link to find out how to buy WebAssign). WebAssign problems are computational in nature and assess the mathematical techniques introduced in class. You will get immediate feedback on your progress and will get several chances to ensure it. WebAssign will be available directly through the course’s Brightspace site. You will have up to five submissions (except for T/F questions and multiple choice questions) for each problem and receive immediate feedback on their inputs.
In fairness to fellow students, WebAssign assignments will generally not be extended for individual students. Your five lowest WebAssign scores will be dropped.
Written HW
There will also be weekly written assignments to master the mathematical concepts. These assignments will require more than just procedure, might connect two or more things together, and will more closely resemble the harder exam problems. Written homework assignments will be posted to the course’s Brightspace site and must be submitted via Gradescope. All written assignments are equally weighted.
Graders will grade the written homework promptly, and solutions will be discussed in recitation. Graders will be expecting you to express your ideas clearly, legibly, and completely, often several steps of mathematical expressions. This means you could lose points for unexplained answers.
One of the goals of this course is for you to learn how to think and communicate mathematically. This means that your homework problems should be written up with justification and explanations of your steps. See the examples in the textbook for examples of how to write up solutions to a problem well. Each problem will specify its point value. Graders will grade each part according to the following rubric (e.g. if the problem was worth 5 points):
- 5/5: Work is completely accurate and essentially perfect. Work is thoroughly developed, neat, and easy to read. Complete sentences are used.
- 3/5: Work is good, but incompletely developed, hard to read, unexplained, or jumbled. Answers which are not explained, even if correct, will generally receive 2 points. Work contains “right idea” but is flawed.
- 2/5: Work is sketchy. There is some correct work, but most of work is incorrect.
- 1/5 or 0/5: Work minimal or non-existent. Solution is completely incorrect.
If you have a question about how a problem is scored, please check the rubric above to see which line best describes your work. If you are still unsure, contact your instructor. The instructor may confer with the grader about the score.
In fairness to fellow students and to graders, NO late homework will be accepted.
The two lowest homework assignment scores will be dropped.
By all means, you may work in groups on the homework assignments. Collaboration is a big part of learning and of scholarship in general. However, each student must turn in his or her own write-up of the solutions.
If you need help outside of the classroom ULC provides tutors who can help you specifically with this class. Take advantage of this resource and check ULC website.
A complete list of all tutoring resources at NYU can be found on this page.
The Calculator Question
A graphing calculator is allowed to use in class discussion and on homework, but not allowed for exams. No specific calculator is endorsed, so do not buy a new one. If you have one already, continue to use that one. Online problem solvers are strictly prohibited in any HW, Quiz or Exam.
A Note on “W” and “I” Grades
You may drop the course in the first two weeks without it appearing on your transcript (Deadline: September 18th, 2023) . After that, and through the fourteenth week, you may withdraw and receive a grade of “W” (Withdrew Officially) on your transcript. No withdrawals are granted after the deadline (December 4th, 2023).
A grade of “I” (Incomplete) is granted only in the rare circumstances that an emergency prevents a student in good standing from finishing the course in its last few weeks. As per the CAS Bulletin: “Students who are ill or have a serious personal problem should see, call, or write to an adviser in the College Advising Center, College of Arts and Science, New York University, Silver Center, 100 Washington Square East, Room 905, New York, NY 10003-6688; 212-998-8130.”