Course Grade
Your course score will be calculated as a weighted average, incorporating homework, quizzes, WebAssign assignments, two midterm exams, and a final exam.
We will convert this score to a letter grade beginning with these values as cutoffs:
| Cutoff | Letter Grade |
| 93% | A |
| 90% | A- |
| 87% | B+ |
| 83% | B |
| 80% | B- |
| 75% | C+ |
| 65% | C |
| 50% | D |
Grades below 50% will earn an F.
These cutoffs might be adjusted, but only in the downward direction (to make letter grades higher).
WebAssign
There will be a WebAssign assignment for each textbook section covered in this course. The problems in these assignments will be computational in nature and will assess the techniques introduced in class. You will get immediate feedback on your progress and will get several chances to ensure it.
Your 5 lowest WebAssign scores will be dropped. The remaining WebAssign scores make up 5% of your final course grade
Written Homework
Weekly Written Assignments will be given and submitted through the Gradescope platform. The purpose of these assignments is to give you a chance to practice questions harder than the ones that appear in class and for you to receive feedback on how well you write up a solution, thus helping you prepare for the exam.
Written homework assignments will be graded on both correctness and clarity. Your solutions should include sufficient explanation for a classmate unfamiliar with the problem to understand your answer. While you are encouraged to form study groups and collaborate on homework outside of class, each homework write-up must be completed individually.
Your 2 lowest homework scores will be dropped. The remainder of the written HW assignments make up 15% of your final course grade.
Quizzes
Weekly quizzes will typically be administered during your recitations, with the format determined by your professor. These quizzes are designed to provide practice with timed assessments in preparation for exams and to serve as a knowledge check, helping you gauge your understanding and ensure you are keeping up with the material.
Your 3 lowest quiz scores will be dropped. The remainder of the quizzes will make up 15% of your final course grade.
Exams
There will be three exams in this course: two midterm exams and one final exam. The exams will be administered in person and will be closed book. The questions will be a mix of multiple choice and free response. Sample exams will be provided in the Content tool on Brightspace to help students study.
Each midterm exam will cover a different third of the course material and will contribute 20% to the course grade. The final exam will cover the material from the entire course and will contribute 25% to the course grade.