INLS 200: Grading and policies
From Pomerantz
Contents |
Assignments and Points
| Assignment | Points |
|---|---|
| Article topic statement blog post | 5 |
| Article changelog blog post | 5 |
| Source evaluations | 10 each = 30 |
| Current events blog posts | 5 each = 15 |
| Wikipedia article | 15 |
| Participation & attendance (in class & online) | 10 |
| Total | 80 |
Grading Rubric
The purpose of grades is to identify degrees of mastery of subject matter. The UNC-CH faculty has adopted definitions of letter grades. Here is my interpretation of this official grading policy:
A: Mastery of course content at the highest level of attainment that can reasonably be expected of students. B: Strong performance demonstrating a high level of attainment for a student. C: A totally acceptable performance demonstrating an adequate level of attainment for a student. D: A marginal performance in the required exercises demonstrating a minimal passing level of attainment for a student. F: For whatever reasons, an unacceptable performance. The F grade indicates that the student's performance in the required exercises has revealed almost no understanding of the course content.
Semester grades will be computed as follows:
A = 94-100 A− = 90-93 B+ = 87-89 B = 84-86 B− = 80-83 C = 70-79, with + and − ranges the same as for B D = 60-69, with + and − ranges the same as for B F = anything below 59
Policies
Policies on submitting assignments & late assignments
- Assignments must be completed by the beginning of the class session in which they are due.
- Assignments will not be submitted directly to me. Some assignments will involve editing Wikipedia, and some assignments will require posting to the course blog.
- Do not come to me with questions about assignments within 24 hours of the due date. You should start working on assignments well in advance, and think through the issues and questions that may come up for you in working on an assignment well in advance. I have little tolerance for cramming and rushed work. Besides, what if I was out of town during that last 24 hours before a due date, & couldn't get back to you right away?
- Any assignment completed late will be scaled down so that the highest grade that a student can receive on the late assignment is the lowest grade that any student got who submitted the assignment in on time.
- No assignment completed more than one week after the due date will be accepted, period.
- Use a spell checker. Blogger contains a spell check feature. Wikipedia underlines words it believes are misspelled in red (like Microsoft Word does). Spelling errors are cause for your assignment to be graded down. Let's face it, there's really no excuse for spelling errors when spell check functionality is built into software.
- These penalties will not apply to students who know in advance that they will be completing an assignment late, and let me know in advance. "In advance" means up until 24 hours before the class session in which the assignment is due.
Policies on participation in the course
- The Honor Code, which prohibits giving or receiving unauthorized aid in the completion of assignments, is in effect in this class. It should be noted, however, that students are expected to both receive and provide some assistance in their work. What is prohibited is not assistance, but major creative assistance or continuous minor support. The Honor Code can be read in full here.
- You must attend every class and arrive at each class promptly. While I do not take attendance, I pay attention to attendance. You cannot participate in class if you're not in class.
- You must participate in class discussions, including discussions in Google Groups.
- Reading assignments must be done before class so that you can ask questions and participate in discussions in class.
- If there is something you don't understand, ask a question! If you don't want to ask during class, post it in Google Groups, talk to me before or after class, come to my office hours, or contact me by email. Participation counts for a percentage of your final grade, but there are many ways to participate.
- If you know in advance that you must miss a class, let me know in advance. "In advance" means up until 24 hours before the class session.
- If you miss a class session unexpectedly, get in contact with me ASAP.

