Syllabus - Student Assessment (Grading)
In order to determine the extent of conceptual understanding and skill mastery an individual has learned in General Biology, exams and portfolios are used to assess conceptual understandings and skills. In Appendix A of the activity manual, assessments are matched with specific objectives, so it is possible to determine what will be covered on specific portfolios and exams.
Portfolios
Portfolios are primarily used to assess skill outcomes. There are three portfolios due during the term. The dates and times are:
| Portfolio | Due Date | Due Time |
| Portfolio #1 | Monday, October 13 | Due by 5:00 p.m. |
| Portfolio #2 | Monday, November 3 | Due by 5:00 p.m. |
| Portfolio #3 | Monday, November 24 | Due by 5:00 p.m. |
Portfolios are submitted through the mail-slot in the door of 131 Weniger Hall (the room between lab and recitation). Instructions for submitting late portfolios are discussed later in this syllabus. Each portfolio has a cover page (included in Appendix C at the back of the activity manual) with a checklist. This coversheet will be the first page of the portfolio, and everything on the checklist is to be included in that portfolio. Portfolios are to be submitted within a document folder (clear cover, three-hole binding, any color), available for under a dollar at the OSU bookstore and many other retailers. The same folder can be reused for all three portfolios if desired. No other folders or binders are acceptable due to the bulk of 900+ portfolios and need for clear covers for grading and totaling, a point deduction will be taken if a document cover is not used.
ExamsExams are primarily used to assess conceptual outcomes (portfolios are used to assess skill outcomes). There are three exams, two during the term, and a final exam during finals week. The dates and times of the exams are assigned by the OSU registrar and posted in the OSU Course Schedule. The final exam date and time is also assigned by the OSU registrar and posted in the OSU final schedule.
Monday Oct. 20, 7pm |
Monday Nov. 10, 7pm |
Tuesday Dec. 9, 8pm |
Exam locations will be announced in laboratory and recitation and posted on the course website the week prior to each exam. They will also be posted outside of the laboratory and recitation classrooms (129 and 127 Weniger). Exams are not given in the lecture hall (Milam Auditorium) due to excessive disruption as students finish at different times.
Exam Proceedure. Bring your OSU Student Identification and number #2 pencils to each exam. Scantrons are provided. Exams are kept quiet and consistent for all students; you are not able to ask questions or use dictionaries, translators, or electronic devices during the exam. Exams are written clearly and concisely from the exact material covered in the course. Exams are multiple choice in format, and last year's exams are in Appendix D at the back of this activity manual.
Grading
General Biology grades are a reflection of what has someone knows (conceptual understandings) and can do (skills). The total number of points possible in General Biology are:
| Assessment | Points |
| Portfolio #1 | 15 |
| Portfolio #2 | 20 |
| Portfolio #3 | 25 |
| Exam #1 | 40 |
| Exam #2 | 40 |
| Final Exam | 60 |
Preliminary Total |
200 |
5 Lecture Extra Credi Puzzles (1 point each) |
5 |
Total Possible Points |
205 |
On Blackboard, your total earned points appear (including extra credit), so you have a potential of 205 points posted on Blackboard. The final course grade is calculated on a scale of 200 points.
The same grading scheme is used for all students taking General Biology. No additional work or grading opportunities are given to specific students, ensuring every student has an equal opportunity to a fair grade.
Points |
186 |
180 |
174 |
166 |
160 |
154 |
146 |
140 |
134 |
126 |
120 |
<120 |
Grade |
A |
A- |
B+ |
B |
B- |
C+ |
C |
C- |
D+ |
D |
D- |
F |
Grade Points |
4.0 |
3.7 |
3.3 |
3.0 |
2.7 |
2.3 |
2.0 |
1.7 |
1.3 |
1.0 |
0.7 |
0.0 |
Only points round up, not percentages, and points only round up once. For example, 139.50 points (or higher) would round up to 140 points, a grade of C-, 139.49 points would be a D+.
All General Biology courses are criterion graded, meaning that if you earn a specific number of points out of the 200 total points, you are guaranteed the indicated grade (barring any extreme circumstances, such as university closures, etc). BI 101 does not curve, so if a large number of students master the course material, a large number can earn high grades. Students are not competing with each other for grades. The point cut-offs could be lowered if class data indicates that a particular exam question or portfolio assignment was too difficult or poorly detailed. This does not occur frequently, due to thorough proofing of exams and assignments.
S/U Grading(AR18. Alternative Grading)
At least 140 points have to be earned to get a C- in General Biology. If you are not sure whether you should choose the S/U option, consult your advisor. Typically it is most critical to choose the S/U option if a lower grade point average will impact a scholarship or financial aid in some manner. If there is a possibility of getting the unsatisfactory grade, it may be important to weigh the impact of a low grade (D+, D, D-, F) without the S/U option, versus possibly having to re-take a science lab course with a “U” grade. Consult your advisor.
Extra Credit Lecture Puzzles
There are five extra credit puzzles given throughout the term in lecture, each worth one point (five points total). These puzzles must be completed and turned in during the lecture in which they are administered to receive credit; there are no make-ups for missed extra credit puzzles. There are two purposes for these puzzles. First, the extra credit puzzles provide an opportunity for exploring a lecture topic in more depth. Second, these extra credit points may help students who are "stuck" between grades move up to the next grade. For instance, consider two students with a total number of 158 points (a grade of C+), one student with one extra credit point, the other with three extra credit points. The student with one extra credit point will receive the C+ (total of 159 points); the student with three extra credit points will receive a B- (total of 161 points). These are the only extra credit points offered in the course (see above).
Potential Grading Errors
In BI 101, potential grading errors are rare but could occur if the exam scantron was filled in improperly, or a portfolio was graded incorrectly. For a possible exam scantron error, e-mail your name, lab section number, and concern to Dr. Lesley Blair. For a possible portfolio grading or totaling error, write a note explaining the concern, attach it to the entire portfolio including the coversheet (you can staple all the pages together and keep the portfolio cover if desired). Drop the portfolio with note into the mail slot in the door of 131 Weniger within one week of the portfolio being returned in class.
Grade Change Requests
The same grading criteria and cut-offs are used for all students taking General Biology. No additional work or grading opportunities are given to specific students, ensuring every student has an equal opportunity to a fair grade. In other words, students who request additional work or other special grading considerations before or after the course is completed are always denied these requests. OSU grade changes are intended to be used only for clerical or computational errors, which rarely occur.
Exam Conflicts
All exam times were listed in the schedule of classes at the time of registration, prior to the start of the term. If you have scheduled a conflicting class or have a conflicting exam at the same time as a General Biology exam, you may be able to take the General Biology exam slightly earlier on the same day, or a different format exam later in the week. Contact Dr. Lesley Blair for arrangements as soon as possible. No exam will be given on a date earlier than the scheduled date.
Requests for Early Exams
(AR 16. Finals Week)
Students frequently request early exams due to travel plans or other considerations. Due to the size of the course, the exam times dates and time listed in the schedule of classes will be followed. The final exam will be given according to the "Schedule of Group Examinations.” There will be no final exams given prior to the scheduled date/time.
Missed Exams
If you are ill, contact Dr. Lesley Blair before the scheduled exam. There are no make-up exams, except for students with serious, unavoidable conflicts (such as military commitments, being hospitalized, or death of an immediate family member). Makeup exams, in essay format, are given for students with these reasons for missing the standard exam, later the same week as the scheduled exam. With 800+ students, there are unfortunately many emergencies each term, and since grading make-up exams takes approximately one hour each exam, this is only an option for serious, unavoidable conflicts. Arrangements should be made with Dr. Lesley Blair as soon as possible.
Missed Lectures
One of the skills stressed in this course is note-taking: the ability to listen, record, and learn. In BI 10X courses, student exam scores are higher if they attend lectures and generate their own notes. The lecturer will not provide notes, but is available if you would like assistance with note-taking skills (also see section on note-taking in this syllabus). If you miss a lecture, it is recommended that you get notes from classmates, read through them carefully, and ask the teaching team if you have any questions over the material.
Missed Laboratories and Recitations
Lab and recitation activities are important sources of material for the exams and portfolios. Two components would be missed: material you need to know for the exams, and in some cases material you need stamped to receive credit for the portfolios. To make up either, you need to attend Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) office hours the following week (Monday through Friday). If the material will be on Monday night's exam or you need to complete the previous week's stamped portfolio assignment for a portfolio due Monday evening, that means you will need to attend the Monday morning office hours (there are no office hours Monday afternoon). You are not able to attend another lab/recitation section to make up a missed activity, utilize the GTA office hours the following week instead. The only exception is the Campus Conifers recitation, see that activity for more information. Be aware that making up a missed activity will not be the same experience as attending the fully equipped laboratory or recitation schedule that you are registered to attend. For the make-up activity during GTA office hours, it is recommended that you read over the missed activity before attending office hours, to maximize the time available. There is a maximum of one stamped assignment for each portfolio that can be made up in office hours; missing more than one class with a stamped assignment for a portfolio will result in a portfolio grade deduction.
Late Portfolios
Portfolios can be turned in early (starting the previous week), the 5 p.m. Monday due date time is the latest a portfolio can be turned in for full credit. Late portfolios are any portfolios turned in past the 5 p.m. due date cut-offs. Late portfolios will receive point penalties because (1) students had extra time to prepare the portfolios, and (2) late portfolios are not available for the Monday team grading session and will require extra attention. Late portfolios can be turned in at only two locations/times (GTAs are not to accept late portfolios), students turning in late portfolios must turn them in as follows: (1) The next day at lecture (immediately before or after the 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. lectures). These late portfolios will receive a 25% point deduction, or (2) Two days late at from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. to room 125A Weniger (Course Coordinator's office hours). These late portfolios will receive a 50% point deduction. It is not recommended that you slide late portfolios under the door of room 125A Weniger (Course Coordinator's office), any portfolios received in this manner will be dated as received on the next date (e.g. if a portfolio is not turned in before the 5 p.m. due date cut-off, it will be marked as received on Tuesday at lecture. Portfolios turned in after the "immediately after lecture" time will be marked as turned in on Wednesday. Portfolios turned in after the 11 a.m. cut-off on Wednesday will receive no credit.). If you are ill, contact Dr. Lesley Blair before the portfolio is due. The only portfolios accepted more than two days late would be in the case of a serious, unavoidable conflict (such as military commitments, being hospitalized, or death of an immediate family member). Arrangements should be made with Dr. Lesley Blair as soon as possible in these cases.
Extended Absences
Oregon State University is on the trimester system, three 10 week terms, which means that each week of class is equivalent to 10% of the course time. Missing a week or more of class time can have a significant impact on overall academic achievement. If you have scheduled an extended avoidable conflict (trip, employment, etc.) that conflicts with exam dates or portfolio work, the missed points can have a significant negative impact on your course grade. If you have an unavoidable absence (military service, being hospitalized, etc.), that will keep you out of class for a week or more, it is recommended that you (or a family member or friend) contact your academic advisor immediately, and Dr. Blair before or during the absence through e-mail or by phone. With shorter absences it may be possible to catch up in the course. With extended absences, there may be university options to drop or withdraw from the course.
