Physics 121 Fall 2009 

Physics For Life Sciences I

There are a couple of new columns in your Blackboard Gradebook, and you should take a look at them to see how you are doing relative to the rest of the class.  One is Labs 1-3, which is your score on the first three labs.  This is an average of your scores, scaled to a maximum of 100.  If you believe there is an error, speak with your lab TA.  Here is a histogram of those grades.  Note that a majority of students in this class have a lab grade of 100.  That was our intention in the design of this course - everybody should be able to get full credit for the lab portion, as long as they give it a serious try.  Since so many people have 100's, you see it is a serious detriment to your grade to miss any labs.

The other one is your weighted average, with the same weights that the different parts of the class will have in assigning final grades.  This column will be automatically upgraded as the semester progresses, and we will post histograms so that you can see your position in the class.

• 15% Homework (which includes 5 points for everyone who took the math preparation assessment, whatever your score)
• 10% Workshop "clicker" scores.  Note that we will be dropping everybody's five lowest scores when we compute the final grades; right now, the computation is done dropping the lowest two.   (The pre-course assessment hasn't been figured into your clicker score from September 16th yet either, but it will be done soon.)
• 50% Exams, which right now is just the one Midterm Exam.  At the final day of reckoning, the first midterm will only count 15% of your grade, but right now, it's the only exam we've got, so it's 50% of your weighted average.
• 25% Lab score, discussed above.

 You will need audio on your computer to participate.

Here is the histogram of scores on the first midterm.  The average was 65%.  You should check your grade in blackboard.  If it is missing, you are probably one of the ten students who didn't mark their ID or form number on your answer sheet.  If it is MUCH lower than you expected, you may have made a mistake entering your form number.  It should have gone in the tens place of the birth date column.  A common mistake is to enter, for example, form 3 as 03 in the date, which would be read as zero.  Don't panic - just send me (peter.stephens (at) stonybrook.edu) an email with your name, ID number, and which form you had.  If you think your exam was graded incorrectly, you can come to me during my help room hours (Monday 10:10-11:45, Friday 9:35-10:40) or any other time I happen to be available in my office, to check your exam sheet.  (By the way, I have never seen an opscan sheet graded incorrectly here, but there is always a first time.)


Almost all course administration will be done through Blackboard.  You should be able to log on to the section of the course in which you are registered in Blackboard; if not, there is something wrong with your registration.

You have to register for both a section in Phy121 (lecture) and Phy123 (lab).  Your grade for the two courses will be the same, and you cannot take one without the other.

Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated.  In this course, the standards are as follows.  In workshop, when a "clicker" question is posed, you may discuss it with your neighbors.  However, one person operating two clickers is cheating, and will result in a course grade of F for the owners of both clickers.  That happened to four students last year; they appealed to the Adacemic Judiciary Committee, who found them guilty.  You may work with your colleagues on the pre-workshop quizzes and the preparation parts of the lab reports.  However, please note that you only hurt yourself if you submit answers that you get from somebody else and you do not understand.  In lab, you and your partner are collecting the same data, and you may discuss subsequent steps of analysis with your partner and other people.  However, you may not submit data that you did not participate in collecting as if it were your own.  Doing so will result in a course grade of F.  In an exam, copying answers from another person or use of materials or communication other than what is allowed by the instructors will result in an F in the course.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY. Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong. Faculty are required to report any suspected instance of academic dishonesty to the Academic Judiciary. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty, please refer to the academic judiciary website at http://www.stonybrook.edu/uaa/academicjudiciary/

DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES (DSS).  If you have a physical, psychological, medical, or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact Disability Support Services, ECC (Educational Communications Center) Building, room 128, (631) 632-6748 or http://studentaffairs.stonybrook.edu/dss/.  They will determine with you what accommodations are necessary and appropriate.  All information and documentation is confidential.