ECE 329 - Fields and Waves I
Spring 2025
Grading Policies
A student's grade is composed of the following:
| Homework Sets (11) | 15% |
| Midterm Exams (3) | 20% |
| Final Exam | 25%
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There are 14 homework sets. The three lowest-scoring homework sets will be dropped (excluding those zeroed out due to Academic Integrity violations).
After computing each student's total raw score we find the mean m and the standard deviation s of the all scores. Letter grades are assigned using cut-offs that are based roughly on a mixture of objective criteria (85% = A, 70% = B, 55% = C, etc.) and statistical criteria (above-average scores = B or better, etc.).
As a rough guideline, we intend to award
| Some sort of A | raw score > min(m+s, 85%) |
| Some sort of B | raw score between min(m, 70%) and min(m+s, 85%) |
| Some sort of C | raw score between min(m-s, 55%) and min(m, 70%) |
| Some sort of D | raw score between max(m-2s, 45%) and min(m-s, 55%) |
| F | raw score < max(m-2s, 45%)
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+ and - grades are typically awarded at the edges of the above cut-offs. The percentages of A's and B's to be awarded in ECE 329 are comparable to those awarded in 300-level required courses in the ECE Department.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to abide by the University of Illinois Student Code. Students should pay particular attention to Article 1, Part 4: Academic Integrity. Ignorance is not an excuse for any academic dishonesty. It is your responsibility to read this policy to avoid any misunderstanding. Do not hesitate to ask the instructor(s) if you are ever in doubt about what constitutes plagiarism, cheating, or any other breach of academic integrity.
Any academic integrity violations will result in a FAIR report. Furthermore, the penalty will be as follows:
A score of 0 (zero) on the assignment or exam where the first academic integrity violation occurred.
A grade of F for the course when the second offense occured.
Note that the standard of proof for a finding of infraction is “more likely than not”. This means we only need to show with 51% certainty that you committed the offense for the allegations to go on your record.
The following is a partial list of academic integrity violations for this course:
Copying homework from other students (working together and discussing is acceptable)
Copying homework from past solutions
Acquiring/using past exams that are not posted on this course website
Using websites such as ChatGPT, Chegg, or Course Hero while completing any course assignments without citing them
Accessing or using websites such as ChatGPT, Chegg, or Course Hero during exams
Using unauthorized materials during exams
Communicating with any person during exams
Discussing the exam publicly within 24 hours, or discussing with anyone who has not yet taken the exam
Not an academic integrity violation: Distributing any course material without authorization. This includes uploading homeworks/solutions and exam solutions to web sites, or sharing these documents with people not enrolled in the course.
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