Grades for
Your grade will be based on
your attendance and the points you have earned during the semester. Semester grades are assigned based ONLY on
points, and scores must be within 0.5% to be rounded up. This is the only way I can be fair to
everyone in such a large class, and I do not make exceptions for
individuals—sorry!
You should also know that
each section of Biology 102 is graded separately from the others. I write tests based on the material covered
in class, and adjust the grading scale to be fair. Tests and grading in other sections of
Biology 102 will very likely be different, because they are taught by other
instructors. Please see me if you have
questions about this!
Grading Scale and Points
Test 1 = 100 pts Grading Scale: 90-100% = A
Test 2 = 100 pts 80-89% = B
Test 3 = 100 pts 70-79% = C
Final Exam = 150 pts 60-69% = D
Participation (10%) ** = ~50 pts 0-59% = F
Homework (5%) = ~5 pts (pluses and minuses will be assigned within
these ranges)
TOTAL = 500 pts
** Participation points (and homework points) will
be adjusted to be 10% of your grade. The
“50 points” is approximate… for an accurate calculation see below.
How to Calculate Your Grade
To figure out your current
grade, you will need to know your percentage scores for participation,
homework, and exams:
Grade = 0.1(Percent
Participation) + 0.05(Percent Homework) + 0.85(Percent on Exams)
Example: If you’ve earned 93% for participation, 90% for homework, and 78% on exams, your current grade is:
0.1(93) + 0.05(90) + 0.85(78) = 9.3 + 4.5 + 66.3 = 80.1%, or a B
To get a grade of … You need at least this many points
(total) on exams…
A 405
B 360
C 315
You can check your grade in WebCT. See the class website for more information and
instructions. Scores will be updated
weekly, whenever possible!
I expect you to check your
grades frequently in WebCT and notify me immediately if you suspect a problem.