Grading Policy
- Number of Tests – I give 4-5 in-class
tests per semester. The Final
Exam is comprehensive and counts as two tests.
- Homework
Policy – About 15 – 20% of your course grade will be based on
Homework. Specific assignments
will be distributed and collected on a regular basis. Textbook homework will be assigned
daily, but not collected.
Occasionally, a I will give a pre-announced quiz.
- Attendance
Bonus – If students miss fewer than a specified number of classes,
the Attendance Bonus is that the student’s lowest test grade will be
dropped. (If the Final Exam is
the lowest grade, it will count once instead of twice.)
Description of Teaching Style
- Student
questions and discussion are highly encouraged. I regularly lecture, using many
examples and often allowing time for students to practice problems at
their desk. Students will
sometimes work in groups, following a handout that introduces a new
topic or reviews recent material.
- My
tests reflect a balance of skills (“solve this equation”), graphs,
applications, and understanding of the basic ideas. The test questions are very similar to
the homework questions.
- In
courses College Algebra and higher, I highly encourage the use of
graphing calculators. However, to
test basic equation solving and graphing skills, some tests will include
a “no calculator” page.
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Rick
Armstrong
