Seminar in Natural Science (online)

Course Requirements and Assignments

-- Click on the links for more information on each assignment  --

Writing Assignments / Revision Policy

In addition to regular class participation (see above link), this section of 391 requires several writing assignments of varying length:  a detailed and systematic critique of a science news article, a formal proposal for your research project, an annotated bibliography of print and online sources related to a particular Illinois ecosystem, and a web-based presentation of your research project.  Directions for the assignments are accessible via the above links.  The quizzes and class participation components are how I assess your grasp of the reading materials throughout the course, while the various papers and projects ask you to apply that knowledge and your critical thinking skills in various kinds of ways.  Key things to remember:  

• Late assignments will be docked 5% the 1st week they are late, 10% the second week, etc. up to a 20% penalty.  Extensions are granted only for extreme circumstances, and must be approved by me prior to the assignment's due date.
• You have a 24-hr. grace period on all assignments, during which they can be turned in without a late penalty.  
• All writing assignments are turned in through the Submit Work section of our Bb site.  In the event of a rare network problem with Bb, I will make adjustments to a given due date.  
• Quizzes are completed online in the Quiz section of the Bb course site.
• The Critique Essay may be revised after the initial grade and resubmitted, if you wish, for further consideration.  The revision due date is posted on the Schedule page.

Backing Up Your Files

Avoid heartache and sadness this semester by backing up all your files regularly.  Here's how:

• Save each significant version of a document under a separate filename on your hard-drive (e.g., Essay1 v1, Essay1 v2, etc.).
• Back up your files by emailing them to your Roosevelt myMail account.
• Back up your files (again) by adding them to your Digital Dropbox on our 391 Blackboard site.

A Note on Academic Honesty -- Very Important!

All of your work in BGS 391 and every other college class must be your own.  The Roosevelt Student Handbook states that "Acts of academic dishonesty violate the very spirit of the University.  They undermine the perpetrator's own learning; they are unfair to other students who do their own work; they violate the trust between professor and student; and they diminish the value of the degree for all students" (45).  A full explanation of academic honesty is available in the document, Academic Integrity: A Guide for Students, published by the Roosevelt University Provost's Office.  You should read this document carefully and print a copy for your records.  Please also see pages 44-46 in the Roosevelt Student Handbook.

: : Plagiarism is a serious academic offense and is unacceptable in any form.  It can take many forms in academic writing assignments:  putting your name on another person's writing and presenting it as your own work (an egregious example!); failing to properly cite information from another source (i.e., not giving credit where it's due); failing to put a direct quote in quotation marks (even if it's cited properly); or not adequately paraphrasing the language of an outside source (again, even if it's cited properly).  The latter two examples are the most common forms of plagiarism, and even though in many case they are unintentional mistakes, they're still wrong--and unethical. 

: : My policy on plagiarism is as follows:  any assignment that contains plagiarized passages, whether intentional or not, usually is returned without a grade; the author must schedule an appointment with me to discuss the assignment and then submit a thorough revision of the paper.  If the revision does not correct the problem, the assignment will receive a failing grade.  The objective of my policy is not to punish, but to help you gain critical skills and confidence in properly summarizing, paraphrasing, quoting, and documenting their sources within your writing.  In cases of egregious academic dishonesty, however, I reserve the right to record a failing grade for the assignment without possibility of revision, a lowered course grade, or a failing course grade (per the Roosevelt Student Handbook, page 48).  I provide ample information and resources about academic honesty and the ethical use of source materials in 391, and I will be happy to assist you should you have additional questions or concerns.  When in doubt about how or when to quote, paraphrase, and/or summarize, ask.

How I Calculate Your Grade / The Plus-Minus Option

In the spring of 2008, the Roosevelt University Senate approved the implementation of a plus-minus grading system, effective Fall 2008.  As of the semester's start, faculty use of plus-minus grading for students' final course grades is optional.  There are no A+ or F+ grades.

In the spirit of fairness and freedom, I give you the option of choosing either a Traditional Letter Grade (no plus-minus designation) or a Plus-Minus Grade.  You need to declare which option you want via email by the end of Week 2 of the semester.  The default option is Traditional Letter Grade, which means I'll use that system for your final grade if I don't hear from you by Week 2.  Here's a comparison of the grading scales I use for each system:

The table above describes how the percentage of points earned for an assignment or for the course translates to a letter grade.  But there's another important piece of the puzzle to consider.  Here's how the plus-minus system figures into computing student GPAs.  The system uses the following scale to determine the "weight" of each course grade: A = 4.00; A- = 3.67: B+ = 3.33; B = 3.00; B- = 2.67; C+ = 2.33; C = 2.00; C- = 1.67; D+ = 1.33; D = 1.00; D- = 0.67; F = 0.00.  Compared to a B grade, then, a B+ grade will have an upward effect on a student's GPA, while a B- grade will have a downward effect.  For an explanation of how your GPA is calculated, see the current Roosevelt Student Handbook.

As you can see, there's a risk-reward calculation involved in this choice.  Let's say that at semester's end you have earned 822 points out of a possible 1000.  Your grade would correspond to 82%, or a B-.

If you choose the plus-minus option and you earn a minus grade (e.g, B-) as in this example, your GPA will be hurt relative to what you would've earned from a straight B grade (because the B- has a "weight" of 2.67) .  However, if you earn a plus grade, (e.g., B+), your GPA will benefit relative to receiving a straight B grade (because the B+ has a weight of 3.33).  Make sense?

How I Evaluate Assignments

The following is a summary of the criteria I use to evaluate most kinds of writing assignments. Please bear in mind that no list is universal--each assignment usually demands a few special categories of consideration, and I always make the appropriate adjustments depending on the assignment. For example: in-class writing is graded more loosely in terms of grammar and spelling than is out-of-class writing; a creative piece must be evaluated differently than a research paper. Makes sense, right?  I've also developed a more specific evaluation rubric for research papers.

"A" paper: Excellent

• Fulfills and successfully pushes beyond the minimum requirements of the assignment in terms of thoroughness and level of detail
• Defines its purpose/thesis very clearly and addresses a defined audience
• Exemplifies a high level of sophistication in terms of content and style (i.e., goes beyond obvious points, shows originality of thought, tackles a difficult subject, flows logically and coherently, uses mature sentence structure and diction, etc.)
• Demonstrates evidence of careful and thoughtful revision
• Displays excellent overall organization and nearly flawless mechanics
• Makes effective and judicious use of other sources (if required), and documents them correctly
• Is readable, clear, and free from needless ambiguity

"B" paper: Good

• Fulfills the minimum requirements of the assignment, and attempts (not always successfully) to go further in terms of development
• Defines its purpose/thesis adequately and addresses a particular audience (with perhaps an occasional lapse)
• Displays coherent organization, with room for possible adjustment
• Demonstrates some degree of thoughtful revision
• Employs reasonably sound writing mechanics
• Uses and documents sources competently
• Is reasonably free from logical flaws and ambiguity (though minor lapses may occur)

"C" paper: Fair

• Fulfills the bare minimum of the assignment; makes no attempt to go beyond what's easy or obvious
• Defines a purpose, but in an unclear or confusing manner--thesis is ineffective and unclear
• Presents material in a somewhat unorganized fashion
• Demonstrates little thoughtful revision--changes are made only on the surface (e.g., spelling and grammar)
• Documents sources and/or uses visuals, but not effectively
• Lacks clarity--the thought process is obscured and the prose is difficult to read
• Contains a number of stylistic and mechanical weaknesses (e.g., sentence structure may be simplistic and/or repetitive)

"D" paper: Needs a Major Overhaul

• Makes a minimal effort to fulfill the assignment, but fails to do an adequate job
• Lacks a clear purpose/focus
• Is seriously deficient in terms of audience awareness, organization, mechanics, documentation, etc.
• Is difficult to follow--fundamental errors or lack of thoughtful development make reading a chore

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Last updated 02/04/10