There will be regularly assigned written homework and computer projects with clearly defined due dates. These assignments will involve use of computer resources, specifically Matlab (see below) and/or Excel, laboratory experimentation and pen & paper and calculator exercises. Along with the formal results, for each set I require an accompanying narrative. Homework and computer project grades count as 60% of the final grade for a student in this class. As a result, I strongly urge students to take these seriously. There will be assignments in this course for which students may need extra help outside of class. I expect that students who do well in this course will make frequent use of my office hours. Students should NEVER WAIT UNTIL THE LAST DAY BEFORE IT'S DUE TO START ON AN ASSIGNMENT !!!!
Narrative Description: The narratives will vary in length and should be informal in style. In other words, the style in which they are written should be the style you might use when writing a letter to a friend. Remember, however, that I have to be able to understand them. The narratives should tell the story of your completing your homework. In the process of telling the story they should address the following questions:
○ How did you go about completing this homework set?
○ Did all the results come out as expected? Why or why not?
○ Did you learn anything by doing this assignment? What?
○ Are you confused about anything in the assignment?
○ With whom did you discuss the assignments? What, if any, contribution did discussions with others make to the completion of your homework set?
○ What, if any, sources other than the textbook and your class notes did you consult during the assignment? Were they helpful? What contribution(s) did they make? Give complete citations.
○ Now that you are finished, do you think there might have been a better way to do the assignment?
Grading Criteria: Homework will be graded on the quality of your work and on the depth of thought regarding the work. Narratives are very important for the latter. They should provide evidence of critical thought about the course material involved in the assignment.
My intention is to grade on content, not on style, grammar, punctuation or spelling. I will, to the extent which it is possible ignore these. In other words, I have to be able to read and make sense of your entries, but this is not a formal writing assignment designed to test or strengthen your command of standard written English. It is primarily a tool to monitor the programming and problem solving process. I hope that it may have the side effect of helping you to express yourself and communicate with the written word.
Grading scheme: All assignments will be graded on a 10 point scale with 10 being a perfect score. Although some assignments may be broken into two parts with two separate grades, individual problems will not receive separate grades. The assignments will be graded holistically and the grades will be subjective. A letter (or 100 point scale) grade for homework and computer projects will be assigned at the end of the course and a midterm letter grade progress report will be provided to each student. Any student who is concerned about his or her progress is encouraged to discuss this with me.
Late Homework: Penalties for handing in late homework will vary at my discretion. They will not exceed 1 point per calendar day after the due date.
Matlab resources: For Matlab tutorials and/or the option to purchase the student version for (I think) $99, follow this link.
Copyright 2012 K.M.Shannon all rights reserved.