PHYS 325 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Course Grading
View your grades in the gradebook
You can view your grades using the course gradebook ("Gradebook" on the course website)
During the semester, you should regularly check that your grades are correctly entered in the gradebook. It is your responsibility to bring any problems with your assigned grades to the attention of your instructor as soon as possible.
Grading Scheme
Your final grade for Physics 325 will be based upon your total score on all the components of the course. The total possible score is 1000 points.
The points for the course are split up into two categories.
- 50% of the course points are given for participating in the learning activities of the course. People who put in the effort to do the work in and out of class get almost all of these points.
- The remaining 50% of the course points are for demonstrating what you've learned on exams. This shows what you can do after completing in the learning activities.
In some categories, some number of the lowest scoring assignments are dropped.
| Course Component | Number of Assignments | # Dropped | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Learning Activities | |||
| Prelecture readings + Checkpoints | 27 | 4 | 50 |
| Lectures (iClicker) | 27 | 4 | 100 |
| Discussions | 14 | 2 | 50 |
| Homework | 11 | 0 | 300 |
| 500 points | |||
| Exams | |||
| Midterm Exams | 2 | 0 | 300 |
| Final Exam | 1 | 0 | 200 |
| 500 points | |||
| Total | 1000 points | ||
Bonus Points
Bonus point opportunities will be announced throughout the semester. Bonus points get added to the 1000 point total.
Alternative Grading Scheme
The alternative grading scheme is for students who want to watch the recorded lecture instead of attending lecture in-person and using the iClicker. In this scheme, you receive no Lecture (iClicker) points and the midterms are each worth 25 points more and the final exam is worth 50 points more (Midterm = 175 points each; Final Exam = 250 points).
Note that bonus points awarded in lecture are not available in this grading scheme. You are enrolled in the default grading scheme automatically. You can change to the alternative grading scheme until the end of week 5 of the semester in the Gradebook.
EX, ABS, and blank scores
Excused (EX) scores: EX scores in the gradebook will become the average of the non-EX scores you have for that assignment type during the final grade calculation. For example, if there were 10 assignments, and you have two EX scores, 100% for seven of your homework scores and 0% for one of your homework scores, those two EXs will be assigned the average of the 8 non-EX assignments (which is 87.5%). So your final homework scores used in the final calculation should be:
0% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 87.5% 87.5%
Although some number of assignments in each category may be dropped, EX scores are calculated before these lowest assignments are dropped.
Absence (ABS) scores: Absences are counted as a 0 during final grade calculations.
Blank scores: A blank means that your grade for this assignment has not been uploaded yet. If you have a blank at the end of the course, this will be counted as a 0 during final grade calculations.
Final Grade Scoring
The following table will be used to assign final grades.
| Letter | Range |
|---|---|
| A+ | 1000 - 950 |
| A | 949.99 - 920 |
| A- | 919.99 - 890 |
| B+ | 889.99 - 850 |
| B | 849.99 - 820 |
| B- | 819.99 - 780 |
| C+ | 779.99 - 750 |
| C | 749.99 - 710 |
| C- | 709.99 - 660 |
| D+ | 659.99 - 600 |
| D | 599.99 - 560 |
| D- | 559.99 - 500 |
| F | < 500 |
Course grading will proceed in compliance with University policy as given in Article 3, Part 1 of the Student Code.