See the Schedule page for the list of assignments and due dates
General things to bear in mind about assignments:
Due dates
Assignments need to be uploaded to Catalyst Collect ItDropbox by the correct
time on the due date. The due date is indicated by the link on the class
schedule.
Assignments that are late (without prior authorization or something
like a doctor's note) will receive a nonnegotiable grade
of 0.
Posting assignments
"Sign" your assignments with your name, email, course number, quarter
and year, and assignment number, as in this example. Assignments that are not "signed" will lose 5 points.
All assignments are submitted in Adobe
PDF format.
The file name you use is "LASTNAME_A#" where # is the assignment number. So an example might be " schiess_A3 ", schiess = LASTNAME and A3 = assignment 3. Assignments that are submitted with wrong name will lose 5 points
If you do not know how to create PDF files, review instructions
on creating PDF files. Lab personnel or the
TA will also be able to help you print to PDF format. Assignments that are not submitted in PDF format will lose 5 points.
Upload only a single document per assignment.
Assignments will be turned in to the Catalyst "Collect It Dropbox"
page for the course (see the top of any assignment page for the Collect
It link). If you are not familiar with using Collect It, review the instructions.
When working on assignment, DO NOT JUST TURN in the final answers. We want to see how you got to the answer. So show intermediate steps (e.g. use screen captures and paste that into your document) are the BASIC requirements for each question. Think of it as a manual, or cookbook, something you can give to a friend and he/she will be able to come to the solution by folllowing your set of instructions. You may lose 20-50% point for EACH question if you do not mention the intermediate steps.
Not adhering to the above guidelines may mean substantial loss of points.
Why are these assignments required?
These assignments are designed to develop your technical knowledge of
GIS by using ArcGIS 's functionality. If you have completed the lab exercises
and paid attention to what you were doing, you should be able to
answer these questions without too much difficulty. Use any materials
at your disposal to aid in understanding and answering the questions,
including this course's materials, library materials, web resources, professors,
etc.
For better or for worse, the University requires students to get graded.
Grades may or may not reflect
the effectiveness of the actual learning process. I prefer not to assign
grades, but since I must, I need a method for evaluating your performance.
Who does your work?
You are encouraged to discuss amongst each other the assignments as
well as methodologies for solving the problems.
Feel free to work in groups or alone as you please, in order to come
up with a methodology for solving the problems. However, when you turn
in an assignment, make sure that you have done the calculations
and analysis, that you have written the answers, that you have made the maps, and that the answers are inyour own words.
Plagiarism is a serious offense at the University of Washington; it
will not be tolerated and will be treated as a serious offense that can
lead to dire consequences, including expulsion. Any obvious occurrences
of cheating will be immediately forwarded to appopriate authorities for disciplinary
action.
Spelling, style, fonts, font size, line spacing
Please directly copy and paste the questions to your answer sheet,
and make sure to use numbers to indicate the answers to each question. If you do not include the questions on your answer sheet you will lose5 points.
Always use a spell checker before you submit assignments! We reserve the
right to deduct 1 point for each obvious misspelling.
Your work will be graded only on content, but it will also be edited for
style, grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Use the Windows functionality for screen
captures when asked to include maps in your assignments.
Make sure maps are legible, and that they clearly show what you intend
to display. Do not assume that the map reader knows what you intend to communicate.
Use appropriate colors, symbols, text size, line width, etc.
Please use Times (or Times New Roman), 12 point as the
font for your assignments. Certain fonts have been known not to come across
in the PDF files.
Use only black or blue font face colors. Do not use red!
Do not zip your file. Turn it in in PDF format on Collect It.
What's the big deal about units of measurement?
Always include a unit of measure with every reported numeric value or
graph (unless the measure is unitless). Failure to include a unit of measurement will result in a loss of 1-5 points for EACH question!
Why are units of measurement important? When incorrect units of measure
are used, bad things can happen: bridges collapse, people die, satellites
crash into Mars, etc.
If you lose points because of failure to report units of measurement,
or if you have failed to report your results in the requested unit, please
do not attempt to argue for more points!
Include legends on maps
If the symbology on your map is not completely obvious, include a legend.
You can use a simple screen capture of the ArcMap window as long as the table of contents is clearly visible, or create a map layout that includes a legend.
Corrected assignments
Your assignments will be returned via the webiste in digital format.
Check your CollectIt (dropbox) page 2-3 days after the deadline.
Answers
Answer keys will be posted after all assignments have been turned in.
Answer the assignment and exam questions to the best of your ability. Above
all, try to enjoy yourselves, and don't forget to relax
and have fun once in a while.
Syllabus