Grading Considerations for Penn's Organic Courses

Determination of the Final Grade:

  1. Since the final examination is a cumulative examination, it is weighted more heavily in the final grade determination and is worth more than any of the individual exams. The final exam is worth 30% of the final grade
  2. Exam 1, Exam 2, and Exam 3 are each worth 20% of the final grade for this course.
  3. Note: pay attention to the percentage score, and not the total number of points on the exam, because each exam will have a maximum score of 110 points. It is the percentage score which is calculated for the final grade (i.e., 93 points = 93/110 % = 84.5%, which is a grade of B, and NOT an A.
  4. The homework for this course is assigned through the WE_LEARN system as described below. It is possible to take an assignment more than one time. The idea behind the system is that you may learn while doing the homework and improve your scores as your understanding increases. The homework score will be taken as the maximum score obtained prior to the time deadline listed for the homework assignment. There will be no time extensions for any reason. It is the expectation of the instructor that everyone can achieve a bonus of 100%. The time stamp of the computer system is used to validate the time of submission of the homework.
  5. Attendance: Attendance will be taken at every class period. At the end of the semester, ten class periods will be selected at random for inclusion in the attendance grade. For each class period that is counted, your attendance will be given a score of 0.2%, making a maximum possible attendance grade of 2%.
  6. Possible bonus credit: At the end of the semester, I am always asked if there is any way to get bonus credit. The answer is "yes". You may get bonus credit by reporting errors in the homework system, as described below. There is no other way to get bonus credit for this course.
Calculation of the final grade
Exam 1 20%
Exam 2 20%
Exam 3 20%
Exam 4 30%
Homework 10%
Attendance 02%
Bonus Credit Variable %
Total 102% + Bonus credit

Final grade computation: The percentage scores for each of the exams and the homework are added together to give a weighted average as defined above. To this percentage score will be added the applicable bonus percentages for reporting errors in the database of questions.

There is no rounding up of final averages. In other words, 89.5% is a final grade of B. In fact, 89.9% is a final grade of B. You must achieve a final grade of 90.0% to earn an A.

One important exception to this scale is that you must earn a grade of >50% on the final exam to earn a passing grade in this course (i.e., a D or better).

Final Percentage Score Grade
90-100% A
80-90% B
70-80% C
55-70% D
<55% F
Example Grading Scenarios
  Example1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Example 5
Exam 1 (20%)
92%
92%
94%
68%
62%
Exam 2 (20%)
94%
70%
86%
68%
75%
Exam 3 (20%)
86%
92%
86%
68%
68%
Exam 4 (30%)
92%
88%
86%
94%
72%
10% to be determined
85%
95%
95%
90%
65%
Attendance (2%)
2%
2%
1%
2%
65%
Total (102%)
92.5%
88.70%
89.50%
80.00%
0.60%
Final Grade Assigned
A
B
B
B
D

Make-up Exam Considerations

Make-up examinations scheduled after the regularly scheduled exam will be done as oral make-up exams at a time mutually agreeable to both the student and the instructor.

Academic Dishonesty:

A full range of options is available to the instructor in the event of a discovery of academic dishonesty (i.e., cheating). These options are stated in the West Virginia University Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities (Section 3.5.2.6), but include dismissal from school or an unforgivable "F" for a course grade. These options will be vigorously enforced.