13
No message posted, or a particularly weak message that
shows little thought or familiarity with the assignment
No points
Message posted, question answered with clarity and
well-connected to the content of the reading; able to
discuss the message in class. This is the "normal" grade:
most messages get 1 point.
1 point
Particularly insightful, interesting, or
provocative message. These will be relatively rare –
many students go the semester without any of these.
2 points
Overall grade for this assignment:
To get an overall grade in the A range at the end of the
semester, you need at least
17 Points
To get an overall grade in the B range at the end of the
semester, you need at least
14 Points
To get an overall grade in the C range at the end of the
semester, you need at least
11 Points
To get an overall grade in the D range at the end of the
semester, you need at least
8 Points
You earn an F for this assignment if you have less than
8 Points
Two final points:
•
Note that you can increase your point total in this assignment if you Help The Teacher!, an
optional assignment with its own page in the Assignments folder.
•
Finally, note that your Participation grade for the course will be affected by the number and
quality of the Replies and Comments you post in response to other students' messages. The
range on this is a four point swing: your Participation grade can go up as many as 2 points or
down as many as 2 points. See that page for details.
Previous Student Comments
:
•
"I hate having other students read my answers to our thought questions. Why can't I just deal
directly with the Instructor? He gives the grades, after all." (Maury Whiner, Spring 1999
class);
•
"I love reading other people's comments before class. It's a great way to liven up my
evenings." (Lucy Needsalife, Fall, 2001 class)
Convention