Grading

Instead of a traditional point-based system, we will use specifications grading. Each assignment will be graded as satisfactory or unsatisfactory based on whether it is submitted on time and whether it meets specifications described in the rubrics. You will earn a higher grade in the class by completing more assignments at a higher level. You must meet all of the requirements of a grade level to earn the grade.

Requirements for an assignment to be considered on time depend on whether it is take-home or in class. Take-home assignments (homework, exercises, reports, and presentation files) should be submitted on Google Drive before class. Midterms should be submitted on Google Drive within 5 minutes of the end of class.

Meeting specifications requires earning at least a minimal percentage of points on an assignment. For homework and exercises, this is 80%. For midterms, it is 60%. Earning these points requires part of a problem to be completely correct; there is no partial credit on any part of a problem.

In addition to meeting specifications described in the rubrics, all satisfactory reports will be presented logically and use proper English grammar. The main text should be double-spaced in Times New Roman size 12 font on regular letter paper size with 1-inch margin on all sides. Your name and the document title should be on the top of the first page. Figures, tables, captions, and references do not count towards the page limit and should be included after the main text.

For the project proposal presentation and report, you will select and do some research on a molecule to perform some computational chemistry calculations.

A significant part of the class will be based on a final project completed in a group of 2 or 3 students. During the final examination period, your group will give a 25-30 minute presentation about your project. You will also write a final report in the format of a scientific journal article. It should be at least 5 pages.

You will also write an individual contribution report describing how you contributed to the team project. It should be at least 1 page. This report will be reviewed by your teammates for credibility. The report and peer review will be used to classify your level of individual contribution.

Participation points will be awarded for asking questions during presentations (1 point each and up to 2 per day) as well as summarizing your contributions. I will also award participation points during classes for providing answers to my questions that are at mostly correct.

Tokens

At the beginning of class, you will have 5 tokens.

Tokens may be used to revise an unsatisfactory assignment, submit an assignment late, or for participation points. Costs depend on the assignment.

Revising homework, exercises, or a midterm means writing satisfactory new questions and answers comparable to the questions that you missed and letting me use them in the future. Each question should be:

• similar to a question that you answer correctly.
• accompanied by a correct answer.
• provided to me within three weeks of the deadline.
• provided along with the original question(s) and your score. If your question and answer is satisfactory (reasonably distinct from the original problem, well-written, and correct), I will give you full credit for the problem.

Homework and exercises may be submitted late if I have not yet shared the answers. I will share the answers soon before midterms.

You may also transfer tokens to a teammate at any time during the final project. For example, to compensate extra contribution to the project, a teammate trying for a C may transfer a token to a teammate who would like an A but who needs to revise a exercise. Token transfers must be reported to me by the token sender via email. You must provide a reason for a token transfer.