Assignments

Your final grade in this class

Since Spring Break, we’ve been in academic triage. Because everyone’s lives are in upheaval, our goal for the rest of the semester is maximum learning with minimum stress about grades. Here’s how we’re going to accomplish it.

Structure of the grading system

The administration has decided that, due to the exigent circumstances of the semester, you may opt to have your class graded pass/fail instead of receiving an A-F grade. I will outline below what will count as a “pass” grade, if that’s the route you choose.

Contract grades

A contract grade is a grade that you and I agree on in advance. I stipulate the things you must do (listed below) in order to achieve a certain grade, and you agree to do them. Instead of receiving a point-value grade on your work, you’ll simply do the work until it’s satisfactory. This may mean you complete an assignment on your first try; it may mean that I request you to make some changes and re-submit.

You will also be assessing your own participation grade. You’ll be telling me how you think you did–did you contribute to your group discussion? did you ask interesting questions? did you act as group spokesperson? You’ll be telling me what grade you deserve for participation.

You must contract with me for one of the grades below. If you wish to change your contract at a later time in the semester, you must talk to me so we can work on a path forward together.

To submit your grade contract, you need to submit a document with your desired grade via Blackboard by April 3 (see the video below for how to do it). If you do not submit a grade contract, I will assume you have contracted for a C.

Grade contract levels

Contract for an A

To receive an A, you must contract to do these things:

You must have had a C in the class from before spring break (including the midterm exam).
You must complete two of the three small projects (Projects 4, 5, and 6) until you and I agree they are satisfactory, acknowledging that you may need to revise it at least once based on my feedback.
You must complete the final project satisfactorily.
You must participate in class discussions on Slack at an A level (which you will assess yourself at the end of the semester).

Contract for a B

To receive a B, you must contract to do these things:

You must have had a passing grade (D or higher) in the class from before spring break (including the midterm exam).
You must complete one of the three remaining small projects (Projects 4, 5, and 6) until you and I agree they are satisfactory, acknowledging that you may need to revise it at least once based on my feedback.
You must complete the final project satisfactorily.
You must participate in class discussions on Slack at a B level (which you will assess yourself at the end of the semester).

Contract for a C

A C is also the minimum requirement to receive a “pass” grade. If you do not submit a grade contract, this is the grade I will assume you are contracting for.

To receive a C, you must contract to do the following things:

You must complete the final project satisfactorily.
You must participate in class discussions on Slack at a C level (which you will assess yourself at the end of the semester).

Contract for a D or F

You may not contract for a D or F. I reserve these grades for students who fail to submit any work and have not talked to me about their situation.