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Grading scheme
There are 400 points available in this course. They are distributed as follows:
- 60 points for the 6-page report on marine mammals
- 60 points for the 6-page report on sharks
- 60 points for the 6-page report on the intertidal data
- 60 points for participation in Friday class discussions
- 60 points for participation in Monday lab sessions/field trips
- 60 points for the poster presentation
- 20 points for participation on the trip to the Seattle Aquarium *
- 20 points for participation in the weekend field trip *
Points are directly related to the final grade you will receive, scaled by 100.
There will be up to 20 points available for extra credit. Extra credit will consist of 4-page papers on the marine biology topic of your choice. Each 4 page document will be worth a maximum of 10 points. Twenty points can be obtained by writing a flawless 8-page paper. Run all topics past Cindy and Thomas.
* By UW bylaw, off-campus field trips are optional. If you need to miss the field trips, the allotted points can be acquired via completion of a writing assignment using the available extra credit. Thus, in order to accomodate missing the entire weekend field trip, for example, you would write an 8-page paper.
About the grading: Rick grades the 6-page reports with the assistance of Cindy and Thomas. Rick decides all scores on these writings. Cindy scores all Friday discussion points with help from Thomas. Rick, Cindy and Thomas score participation points (Monday labs and field trips). All extra credit points are scored by Rick, although topics for extra credit writings are approved by Thomas and Cindy.
Prior Years Average Grade: 3.55 +/- 0.21 (1std; n=30)
Major determining factor in grade: attitude and ability to collaborate in the lab and field, and effort in the writing. It is easy to lose points by slacking off in the field or by writing sloppy sentences that don't adequately express your thoughts.
This course is taught by Rick Keil Last update: March 17, 2004