Assessments¶

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. It is noteworthy that 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%
Assignments will not be accepted more than 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 will 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.

Submitting your assignments on time can earn you up to a 2% bonus added to your final grade. For each assignment you submit on time, you will receive a proportional percentage of this bonus. For example, if you submit 7 out of 8 assignments on time, you would receive a 1.75% boost to your final grade. This bonus can help improve your final grade, but please note that I will not round up final grades.

Missed exams¶

Attendance and participation in all scheduled exams are crucial for your success in this course. To accommodate unforeseen circumstances while maintaining academic standards, please be aware of the following policy:

Due to time constraints and the difficulty of creating equivalent assessments, makeup exams will only be offered under the same circumstances. Instead, an optional cumulative final exam will be available at the end of the course. This final exam can replace your lowest midterm exam grade if it benefits your overall score. If the final exam score is lower than your existing midterm grades, it will not be counted, ensuring it cannot negatively impact your grade.

If you miss one of the midterm exams, you are highly encouraged to take the cumulative final exam. The score you achieve on the final exam will replace the missed midterm exam grade in calculating your final grade. Missing both midterm exams poses a significant challenge to course completion; in such cases, you must contact me immediately to discuss your situation and explore possible options.

Scale¶

Letter grades for this course will be assigned 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

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