http://polaris.umuc.edu/~flazarus/

Grading Information

CMST 386 requires a proctored final examination and the completion of a number of projects. Your grade will be based 30% on the Exam and 70% on your execution of the assigned projects. A significant level of participation in WebTycho conferences will help boost your grade. The number of points earned for the projects, WebTycho conferences and for the Exam will be added up to determine your final grade with one exception. You MUST earn at least 10 points out of 30 on the Final Exam to get a grade higher than "C" for the class.

The standard UMUC grading scheme is shown below:

Grade Points

90-100 = A

80-89 = B

70-79 = C

60-69 = D

Integrity

In order to foster a solid learning environment, you are encouraged to use each other, and the instructor as resources. It is expected however, that each student will do his/her own final work. The unauthorized and unacknowledged use of someone else's work, either in the original or a derived form, merits severe penalties.

Participation—World Wide Web Protocols

By registering for a Web-based course, you have made a commitment to participate in your course conferences as well as other online activities. To contact your instructor, use the conferencing software or e-mail links provided, which allow you to communicate with the instructor and your classmates in a virtual classroom 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please plan to participate regularly. You will note in the grading policy that your online conference participation will count towards your final grade.

You are expected to adhere to the general rules of online etiquette. To prepare to use the online conference, you should read the notes on WebTycho Participation and Online Etiquette. Keep those notes handy; you may need to refer to them frequently during the semester.

Specific Requirements

You will be asked to execute projects (homework assignments) and participate in WebTycho conferences. If you turn in assignments on time and if they are correct you get to keep all your points. If an assignment is late, or incorrect, you lose an allocation of points. Late assignments will accepted only under extraordinary cirmstances. At the end of the semester the points are added up to determine your grade, a linear process.

It behooves you to turn in your assignments early. This will allow time for a fix, if the assignment does not meet muster.

It is understood that life some times intrudes on school work. Therefore built in is some room for recovery. Say you were skydiving and your parachute didn't open. This might give you a few days grace for turning in your assignment. Gold stars will be awarded for good questions, intelligent comment, and for catching your instructor in a serious error. Five stars are worth a grade point. There also may be an extra credit assignment from time to time. So with some effort you can build in a pad. Participation and your effort on voluntary exercises will be used in case of grade uncertainty.

Your course letter grade will be awarded using the university's standard points to letter grade conversion.

"The wise man doesn't give the right answers, he poses the right questions." -- Claude Levi-Strauss