Attendance and Grading Policy:

In an attempt to make my grading transparent, I offer the following information:

My grading policy works like this. Each course has 100 points (sometimes more) which can be earned over the course of the semester by successfully completing assignments and tests. At the end of the semester, the amount of points a student has earned gets translated directly into a grade

Attendance and class participation are always factored in, sometimes as a set number of points (10 or 15). For a class with one meeting per week, more than two absences will subtract points for the semester total. For a class with two class meetings per week, more than three absences will subtract points from the  semester total. Each absence above the allowable will be multiplied by 2 points.

As an example, if a student has earned 90 points during the course of a semester, but had 3 absences above the allowable amount, his/her semester total is 84, so the grade drops from an A- to a B.

If you have to miss a class; it is possible to make up the absence by coming to my office hour. Please do not email me with a request to update you on what was covered in class instead of coming to an office hour. You can only make up an absence by coming to an office hour. This process of making up classes is also limited to two absences only.

It is not necessary to telephone me saying that you aren't coming to class, although you certainly can if you want. It is highly recommended to email me messages about when you would like to come to my office hours to make classes up.