Lectures: Thursday 11-12, Shaffer Hall 100
Lab section I: Th. 1-5, Whitaker Microfabrication Lab -Clark Hall 119A
Lab section II: Th. 5-8, Whitaker Microfabrication Lab -Clark Hall 119A
Lab section III: Fr 8-12 Whitaker Microfabrication Lab - Clark Hall 119A
Lab section IV: Fr 1-5 Whitaker Microfabrication Lab - Clark Hall 119A
Lab section V: Th 8-12 Whitaker Microfabrication Lab - Clark Hall 119A
(25%) Homework problems.
(25%) Written, mid-term examination.
(25%) Laboratory participation, lab-book, prelab, postlab, (20%); class presentation (5%)
(25%) Final project.
Homework problems are due on Thursday (to be handed before lecture). Late homework will have an automatic 50% grade reduction. Homework that is more than 2 weeks late will not be accepted and will not be graded.
(25%) Homework problems.
(25%) Written, mid-term examination.
(25%) Laboratory participation, lab-book, prelab, postlab, (20%); class presentation (5%)
(25%) Final project.
Homework problems are due on Thursday (to be handed before lecture). Late homework will have an automatic 50% grade reduction. Homework that is more than 2 weeks late will not be accepted and will not be graded.
FAQ on grading policy
Is the course graded on a curve?
This is an "ill-posed" question and hence there is no simple YES or NO answer to it.
YES; the course is graded on a relative scale. For example, a person with a course grade of 92% will have a higher letter grade than a person with a course grade of 85%. Note however, that a person with a course grade of 92% does not necessarily get an A in the course. The break point for the letter grade A varies from year to year and it is often above 90%.
NO; in the sense that the student grades are not expected to be normally distributed.
How are the grades distributed?
Letter grades are expected to be A and B, evenly distributed, with a few C.
Getting an A necessitates that you do uniformly well on all four major grade categories, i.e. turning in all homework assignments, participating and showing interest in the lab, getting a good grade on the midterm examination and doing a good job on the final project. Most students do well in the final project and in the lab participation, so a not so good performance in the midterm examination is often the reason for a B rather than an A.
Who grades the different components of the course?
The lab grade is given by the lab assistants, and lab manager. The homework grade is given by the T.A. The midterm examination and final project are graded by the professors.
Do you make distinction between graduate students and undergraduate students in the grading?
This is another "ill-posed" question and hence there is no simple answer to it.
NO; in the sense that student work is graded regardless of student standing.
YES; in the sense that graduate students are expected to do additional work commensurate with their graduate level standing (as discussed at the beginning of the course and in the web site for the advanced course.). Please note the slight differences in the grading policy for those enrolled in the 5xx.773 course.
What if I think I should get a higher grade than the one that I was given?
The T.A. and the professors will look into the matter and take corrective actions. If the inquiry is specific to an examination or a lab assignment, the re-examination will involve only the work at question. However, if there is a concern about the final grade in the course, and there is no obvious numerical error, the professors will re-evaluate the complete record of the student's work and upon that, take appropriate action. Such action may be an increase in the grade or may result in a lower final grade.