Note: this is a generic faq. Specific information about
your class might not be here.
Make suggestions for additional questions by e-mailing me here.
General Information
All the information seems to be on the web, so why should I
bother showing for class?
How are grades calculated?
I got an XX on the first test and a YY on the second, what do
I need to make on the final?
How do I calculate what I need for my final if I have done extra credit?
What are the five best ways to do well in this (and other)
classes?
What are the five best ways to really piss off your
professor?
Attendance Policy
Do all of your courses have attendance policies?
I have to miss class once or several times for TX State events
(class trips, sports events, etc) is this absence excused?
I have had a major medical/family emergency requiring me to miss
class, are these absences excused?
Exams, Incompletes and Withdrawals
I missed either the first or second exam. Can I take a make-up?
I am unable to be here for the final. Can I take a makeup?
I have several finals on the day ours is scheduled. Can I take our final
on a different day?
I've done really poorly in this class. Can I take an Incomplete
so I can do additional work to bring up my grade?
Extra Credit
What is the difference between Form "A" and Form
"C" extra credit?
How much Form "C" extra credit can I do?
If I have handed in Form "C" extra credit, can I still
hand in Form "A" extra credit?
How do I know if my extra credit was acceptable and counted?
What sort of photographs do you want?
Are there types of photos that you will not accept?
I handed in my extra credit, but my grade hasn't changed (when I
look up my grade, it is the same as before).
What happens if I hand in Form "C" extra credit
late after the First Exam?
What happens if I hand in Form "A" or Form
"C" extra credit late after the Second Exam?
All the information seems to be on the web, so why should I bother showing for class?
It is true that there is a lot of information on the web, but keep in mind that I show about ten web pages for each 75 minute class. That means that I spend an average of about 7 or 8 minutes talking about each page. If you only look at the web pages and don't come to class, you miss most of the information. Reading the web pages is better than nothing but it won't get you very far.
The formula for calculating grades is simple. Suppose you have a class with three exams and the first one counts for 25%, the second for 35% and the final for 40% (a typical arrangement in many of my classes). Multiply each after curve test score by the weight of the test and add them up:
(first test*.25) +(second test*.35)+(final*.4)= final grade.
I got an XX on the first test and a YY on the second, what do I need to make on the final?
You can use the formula under how are grades calculated to figure out what you need to make on the final to get any particular grade. Say you got a 68 on the first test and a 79 on the second. You might want to know what grade you would need to make to get a "B." Here's how to figure it out:
(first test*weight of test) + (second test *weight of test)= points earned so far
(68*0.25)+(79*0.35)= 44.65So you've earned 44.65 points so far and you need to earn 80 to get a "B"
80-44.65=35.35 Thus you need to earn 35.35 points.(80-points earned so far)/(weight of final exam) = score needed.
35.35/0.4= 88.37 So you would need to get an 89 to score above 80 and get a "B" for the course.
How do I do that calculation if I have done extra credit?
Simply add the extra credit to the appropriate exam. Remember form "A" extra credit should always be added to your first exam grade. Form "B" extra credit can be added to either the first or second test grade depending on your test scores and when it was handed in.
What are the five best ways to do well in this (and other) classes?
1) Get your personal life under control. I really can't help you with this, but if your life is out of control for any reason (drugs and alcohol, failing romances, deaths, financial disasters, and so on) it is really hard to do good work. Sometimes it's just best to stay out for a semester.
2) Show up to class. You are a student, it's your job to be in class! There is no substitute for it. Getting notes off the web or getting your friends notes is probably better than nothing but it won't help you very much. Of course you may have to miss class for serious illness, injury, family emergencies, and so on. But, other excuses are not really acceptable. Most really good students will, on the average, miss less than one class per semester and probably no more than a week during an entire college career.
3) Take good notes. Copying what is on the screen is NOT taking notes! Make sure your notes are detailed, rich, and full of examples. Your goal should be to totally fill your notebook for each course you take. You may need to work on this out of class but only for 10-15 minutes per class per day.
4) Study early, study often. Start studying for an exam about five days before the exam. Don't plan on studying for more than 90 minutes at a time...most people's attention span is shorter than that. Planning on studying for an entire day before an exam is setting yourself up for failure. Study briefly for several days. Study primarily by reading over your notes. In my courses, twenty percent or less of the questions come from the book. Make sure you read and study the book, but make sure it doesn't consume much more than 20% of your study time.
5) Take tests with confidence. Read all the questions and read all the answers. Mark your best guess and go on to the next question. Never mark a question to come back to it later, never leave a question blank. If you don't know the answer, guess.
What are the five best ways to really piss off your professor?
1) Read during class. You're welcome to read or study before class begins but once it's started, please put away all reading materials. I'm not a TV. If you've better things to do than come to class, please go do them.
2) Ask "I missed class today, did we do anything?" We always do something and it's always important. If you missed class, it's your responsibility to get the notes and make up the work. Of course, I'm always glad to talk with you and answer your questions, but please don't expect me to review classes you missed for you.
3) Say: "I'm sorry I missed class today, but I had to study for an exam in whatever." You're a student, it's your job to be in class. Exams in your other classes are not my problem. Skipping one class to study for another is always a foolish thing to do. Not only will you probably not do better in the exam but you will get behind in the class you skipped. Good students just don't do this one.
4) Consistently walk in late. Hey, everyone has lousy days. Sometimes you just can't avoid being late and believe me, I'd rather have you walk in late occasionally than have you miss class (even if you are very late). However, if you are consistently showing up late, you're telling me that you really don't care about the class. Of course you do have a perfect right not to care about the class, but you don't want me to know that. (note, there are exceptions, if you have a situation that will consistently make you late to class, please let me know about it).
5) Leaving early. Once again, there are often times when students have to leave early. Do me the favor of letting me know you have to leave early, it is really OK. If you leave early without saying anything you are again giving me the message that you are tired, bored, don't care, etc. Again, it's your right to feel that way, but it's nothing you want to tell me.
Do all of your courses have attendance policies?
While there might always be exceptions, my classes generally do have attendance policies. Please be sure to check your syllabus for the details.
I have to miss class once or several times for TX State events (class trips, sports events, etc) is this absence excused?
Usually, No. In most of my classes, you must miss at least three weeks of class before you are penalized for attendance. Three weeks should be enough to cover any Texas State events. Missing more than three weeks of class will be detrimental to your understanding of the class material, regardless of the excuse, and will probably result in low test grades.
I have had a major medical/family emergency requiring me to miss class, are these absences excused?
Usually, No. In most of my classes, you must miss at least three weeks of class before you are penalized for attendance. Three weeks should be enough to cover any family or medical emergencies. HOWEVER, I do understand that family and health may be far more important than class. If a student must miss more than three weeks of class for a documented medical or family problem, I will generally agree not to penalize the student. They will neither lose or gain points for attendance. HOWEVER, students should realize that missing that much class is likely to be detrimental to their understanding of the class material, regardless of the excuse, and will probably result in low test grades. Such students are often best advised to drop the class.
I missed either the first or second exam. Can I take a makeup?
Yes. I am glad to give makeup exams for any legitimate reason. No documentation is required. However, all makeup exams are given during the Final Exam Period. Please be aware that no one will be allowed to stay for longer than the total Final Exam Period. This means that you will have to complete the final and any makeup exams during that period. As the period is quite long this should not be a great problem unless you are a very slow test taker.
I'm unable to be here for the final, can I take a makeup?
Final times are difficult to change. However, you may be able to change your final time for legitimate, DOCUMENTED reasons. You must meet with your professor at least two weeks before the final to determine the time and conditions under which you may take the final.
I have several finals on the day ours is scheduled. Can I take our final on a different day?
No. Having multiple finals on the same day is not a legitimate excuse. But, relax as best as you can. Remember our final is not exhaustive or cumulative. Students often have several tests on the same day during the semester. This is, if anything, easier than that.
I've done really poorly in this class. Can I take an Incomplete so I can do additional work to bring up my grade?
No. The only work acceptable for this course are the tests and extra credit as described in the syllabus (or on rare occasions, described in class).
Extra Credit Options
What is the difference between Form "A" and Form "C" extra credit?
Anyone can do Form "A" extra credit and all points gained for Form "A" extra credit are applied to your first exam. You can always do as much Form "A" extra credit as is allowed by the syllabus.
Only people who score below 70 on either the first or second exam are eligible for Form "C" extra credit. Form "C" extra credit may be applied to the first and/or second exams. In order to apply Form "C" extra credit, you must score below 70 on an exam and hand the work in by its due date.
How much Form "C" extra credit can I do?
You are permitted to do as much Form "C" extra credit as is necessary to raise your grade to a 75. For example, if you score 65 on your first exam, you may do up to 10 points of Form "C" extra credit. If you score 40 on your first exam, you may do up to 35 points of Form "C" extra credit.
If I have handed in Form "C" extra credit, can I still hand in Form "A" extra credit?
Yes.
How do I know if my extra credit was acceptable and counted?
Extra credit is normally acceptable unless it violates a specific rule or policy (see next two questions). You can assume that if you handed your extra credit in on time, it will be counted as specified in your syllabus.
What sort of photographs do you want?
It's always difficult to say. There is no particular type of photograph you need to submit (though there are some that you are prohibited from submitting...see next question). In general, photos with people in them are better than those without people in them and photos of exotic locations are better than those shot locally. However, there are many exceptions to these rules. The best I can tell you is that if you think it is a good photo, you're probably right and it would probably be a good one to submit.
Are there types of photos that you will not accept?
Yes. I will not accept photos taken at theme parks (Disneyworld, Seaworld, Six Flags, and so on). I will not accept photos of Las Vegas attractions such as fake pyramids or gondolas. I will not accept photos of groups of friends hanging out.
I handed in my extra credit, but my grade hasn't changed (when I look up my grade, it is the same as before).
Once grades are posted on the Internet, I do not change them. You will be able to see all Form "A" and Form "C" extra credit points you have been awarded when I post grades to the Internet after the final exam.
What happens if I hand in Form "C" extra credit late after the First Exam?
If you hand in your work late for the first exam, it may be credited to your second exam if and only if you score below 70 on your second exam. If your second exam grade is above 70, your Form "C" extra credit will not count.
What happens if I hand in Form "A" or Form "C" extra credit late after the Second Exam?
There is a final due date for all extra credit indicated on your syllabus.. It is usually in the last week of the class. Extra credit handed in after the due date will receive no credit.