Grading Instruments and Policies
- Exams may be taken in pen or pencil, but exams in pencil
may be
denied regrades.
The use of 'white-out' or similar correction tools creates security
issues, and therefore any exam on which 'white-out' has been used is
not eligible for any sort of re-evaluation or regrading.
- Allowed and forbidden exam tools: For most exams you are
allowed
to bring your molecular models. You will most probably not be
allowed the use of a calculator or note cards. Cell phones,
PDAs,
personal CD players, pagers and other electronic devices are prohibited
at all times. If you answer your cell phone during an exam,
we
are forced to assume you are cheating, and your exam score will suffer
accordingly.
- Writing after time is called: Continuing to write after
time
is
called is cheating, and will be treated as any other form of academic
dishonesty.
Penalties range from significant point deductions to failing the exam
to
a report to the Dean of Students.
Please
take this seriously!! In a recent incident, a student changed an
answer after time was called. That student earned a score of zero for the
exam, and subsequently failed the course. Don't let this happen
to you! Please -- for your own good -- stop writing when time is
called.
- Exam Score or Course Grade Information by Phone or E-Mail:
Please
do not ask for exam score or grade information by phone or e-mail.
I cannot protect the privacy of this information if I cannot completely
verify your identity. In this day of lost ID cards, computer
hackers,
and identity theft, I cannot verify your identity by voice or ID
number.
To find out your exams scores, pick up your exams in person. To
find
out your course grade, wait until it is posted on URSA, usually two
weeks
or less after the final exam.
- Exams: Check the course syllabus for the dates, times,
lengths, and point values for any given course's exams. Letter grades
are not assigned for individual exams, but rather
only for your final course point total.
- Final Exam: The format of this exam is very much like
your final exams in many other courses: Worth half your grade and
comprehensive,
with an emphasis on the more recent material. This exam is
divided
into two portions: Part A (covering the material not covered on exams 1
and 2) and Part B (comprehensive). Each portion is worth 100
points and written to take about 50 minutes, but you have the entire
final
exam time slot (180 minutes) to work on both exams. (Students who
feel pressured for time on the first two exams should take note of
this!)
According to University policy, you must take the final exam
during
its regularly scheduled period in order to earn a passing grade for the
course.
According to University policy, it is not possible for
the final exam to be given at any time
other
than the scheduled time, even if you have three final exams on the same
day. The idea that final exams may be rescheduled if you have more
than
one exam on the same day is a false rumor. Final exams cannot be
rescheduled.
- Make ups: There will be no make-up exams, unless you
have
presented
a superior reason. This reason must be presented before the exam
is given, except for serious medical emergencies. In all cases,
be
prepared to provide documentation to verify your reason for missing the
exam. Appropriate document includes a medical excuse from student
health services, a letter on a physician's letterhead with phone
number,
signed and dated police report, etc. Holiday or vacation travel
cannot
be accepted as an excuse, especially for a final, so please plan ahead
of time. Submission of an excuse automatically gives consent for
its verification.
Forged excuses will result in a score of zero for the
exam,
a possible F grade for the course (with a note of Academic Dishonesty
on
your transcript), and a report to the Dean of Students for further
action
which may included suspension or expulsion from UCLA. In some
cases,
forged medical excuses have resulted in legal action from the medical
authority
whose name was used fraudulently.
- Course grade (fixed
scale): Hardinger courses use
a
fixed
grading scale, in which grade cut-offs are announced at the beginning
of
the course. The cut-offs are based on the previous performance of
many students (literally thousands) in similar courses. The
course
cutoffs are posted at the corresponding course web site.
Letter grades
are not assigned for
individual exams, but rather
only for your final course point total.
A+
grade: An A+ grade is
possible
only
if your overall score is at least 95%, and all exam scores are at least
90%.
An incomplete grade is possible only if the current grade is
C-
or better and you have a verifiable emergency reason.
Improvement: Improvement in your performance, relative
to
the class
average, is considered when final grades are determined.
Final course
grades and the final course grading scale are not open for debate,
discussion, or negotiation.