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Assessments

DRAFT

This page is a work in progress and is subject to change at any moment.

Distribution

The course will have the following point distribution.

Late Assignments and Extensions

I am mindful of the diverse nature of deadlines, particularly in the scientific realm. Some are set in stone, while others exhibit more flexibility. Notably, the scientific community frequently submits manuscripts and reviews days, weeks, or months after the editor's request. Such practices are widely understood. Conversely, submitting a grant application even a minute past the deadline makes it ineligible for review.

I will use the following late assignment and extension policy. It encourages timely submissions while acknowledging the influence of external commitments and unforeseen circumstances.

  • Each assignment has a specified due date and time.
  • Assignments submitted after the due date will incur a late penalty.

  • The late penalty is calculated using the function: % Penalty = 0.01 (1.4 \(\times\) hours late)2 rounded to the nearest tenth. This results in approximately:

    Hours late Penalty
    6 0.7%
    12 2.8%
    24 11.3%
    48 45.2%
    72 100.0%

  • I will not accept assignments 72 hours (3 days) after the due date.

  • The penalty is applied to the assignment's total possible points. For example, if an assignment is worth 100 points and is submitted 36 hours late, the penalty would be approximately 13 points.
  • To reward punctuality, each assignment submitted on time will earn a 2% bonus on that assignment's score.
  • These on-time bonuses will accumulate throughout the semester and will be added to your final course grade.

Exceptions to this policy could be made on a case-by-case basis for extenuating circumstances. Please communicate with me as early as possible if you anticipate difficulties meeting a deadline.

By submitting assignments on time, you can earn up to 2% extra credit on your final grade, depending on the number and weight of assignments in the course. If you are close, this bonus can bump your grade to the next highest letter grade. Consequently, I will not round up any final grades.

Scale

I will assign letter grades for this course based on Pitt's recommended scale (shown below).

Letter grade Percentage GPA
A + 97.0 - 100.0% 4.00
A 93.0 - 96.9% 4.00
A – 90.0 - 92.9% 3.75
B + 87.0 - 89.9% 3.25
B 83.0 - 86.9% 3.00
B – 80.0 - 82.9% 2.75
C + 77.0 - 79.9% 2.25
C 73.0 - 76.9% 2.20
C – 70.0 - 72.9% 1.75
D + 67.0 - 69.9% 1.25
D 63.0 - 66.9% 1.00
D – 60.0 - 62.9% 0.75
F 0.0 - 59.9% 0.00