Grading and Other Policies

Grading Policy

The grade for this course will be computed as indicated below, then turned into a letter grade from A to D (or F).

      • Attendance & Participation – 10%
      • WebAssign – 10%
      • Homework – 20%
      • Quizzes –  20%
      • Midterm – 15%
      • Final – 25%

Attendance & Participation (10%)

Attendance is expected and required during class and recitation. In lecture, this will be assessed sporadically via real-time polls, short-answer questions or mini quizzes. Those will be graded mostly on effort and completion, and also on correctness wherever applicable. More information will be provided in lecture on the first day, but you cannot get the grade for those unless you are present and active at the time when they are administered. However, there will be plenty of opportunities to earn full points on this, even if you have to skip class when one is administered. In case of an impending health problems, personal issues or religious observances, you may skip class. You do not need to message me every time you skip class, but if you miss more than three attendance and participation opportunities, please reach out as soon as you can.

WebAssign (10%)

There will be WebAssign questions each week for the sections of the textbook covered in the videos, due Wednesday by 5pm. These exercises are usually computational, and to be done by yourself while and after watching the videos and attending the synchronous class. You only need to submit an answer, and you get feedback right away. The system can be finicky, but please try not message me if one of your right answers is counted wrong unless this happens frequently and significantly affects your grade on that assignment. In order to take this into account, there are three attempts for each question, and the lowest three WebAssign grades will be dropped.

Homework (20%)

There will be weekly written homework assignments with deadlines posted on the course schedule, typically 5 pm on Thursdays. Thus, you are expected to work through a total of 13 HW assignments. You can find the assigned exercises and due dates on NYUClasses. Please upload the HW by 5 pm via Gradescope. Late assignments will not be accepted, no exceptions. However, the lowest three HW grades will be dropped so that each counted HW is worth 2% of your final grade.  Please see the HW guidelines at the end of this document.

Quizzes (20%)

Quizzes will take place each Friday at the end of the recitation. Those will be taken via Gradescope; more details will be given during the first recitation. They will cover the content seen the week of, resembling the HW problems and what was covered in lecture and recitation.  You can find the date of the quizzes on the class schedule on NYUClasses. There will be 13 quizzes, and the lowest 3 grades will be dropped so that each counted quiz will be worth 2% of your final grade. Thus, no make-up quizzes are given, no exceptions.

Midterm (15%)

There will be a midterm on Tuesday, March 16th (section 1) and Tuesday, March 17th (section 6) as noted on the schedule. This will be done in class. The midterm will be over material from Week 1 through Week 6. Please plan accordingly.

Final (25%)

Our final exam is during the week of May 10th as noted on the schedule. The exact date will be announced whenever the university finalizes the schedule. The final will be cumulative with a heavier focus on the material covered after the midterm.

Absences

There is no need to message me or your TA for any absence, except for reasons that will hinder your ability to keep up with the class for a significant amount of time. Since you have a week to finish most assignments, no delay will be accepted for any reason. Moreover, the generous drop policy for quizzes and homework are meant to take into account acceptable reasons for absences: sickness, religious holiday, or personal emergency. If, at the end of the term, you feel like this put you at a disadvantage, feel free to contact me and we will discuss your situation. It is also perfectly fine to miss a homework assignment or a quiz to recuperate! That being said, you should definitely message me if you cannot attend the midterm or the final for a valid reason (illness, religious holiday, or family emergency). In this case, you need to let me know in advance. Absences that are not communicated in advance will not be excused. A student missing the midterm, the final exam, five quizzes, or five homework assignments will receive a Failing or Incomplete grade.

Guidelines for Assignments and Tests

No calculators, electronic devices, or any type of communication is allowed during in-class tests, but your notes and the book are allowed. During the midterm and the final, you will need to be connected to Zoom and have your camera on during the whole duration of the exam.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the cornerstone of the university. You assume full responsibility for the content and integrity of the academic work you submit. The guiding rule of academic integrity shall be that your submitted work, examinations, reports, and projects must be your own work.

You are expected to read and understand the university’s policy on academic integrity as laid out in the Academic Integrity for Students at NYU policy. Plagiarism and cheating will be penalized and reported. A list of tools that may lead to a violation of the academic integrity policy includes (but is not limited to): Chegg (or any similar platform), Wolfram Alpha (or any similar platform), handheld or online calculators, and other individuals taking the assessment in lieu of a student. Any suspicion of cheating will be thoroughly investigated. If I suspect that a student cheated on an assessment, I may request a meeting where said student will be expected to work through a similar problem and/or explain their work verbally. This meeting may be done with me, a class TA, or another faculty member. If the student is unable to explain the work, or is not willing to meet, they may automatically get a grade of F in the class and be reported to their dean.

Accessibility

Students requesting academic accommodations are advised to reach out to the Moses Center for Student Accessibility as early as possible in the semester for assistance.

Telephone: 212-998-4980
Website: http://www.nyu.edu/csd
Email: mosescsa@nyu.edu

Remote drop in meetings with an Accessibility Specialist are available Monday through Friday from 1-3pm. To request a remote meeting email mosescsa@nyu.edu and an Accessibility Specialist will reach out to you with a Zoom link. If you are already working with the Moses Center, then please be in touch with your Accessibility Specialist with any questions or concerns related to the provision of their services.