Assignments & Grades

Your grade in this course will be based on completion of a contract negotiated between me (the professor) and you (the student). The contract will include commitments to complete work related to the following assignments:

1. Capstone Proposal or Major Project: For majors in Geography and Sustainability this course is an opportunity for you to draft proposals for your Capstone (which is further explained here). If you are not a Geography or Sustainability major, or prefer not to draft your proposal as part of your credited work in this course, you may, instead, complete a Major Project related to course material.

   In either case, our contract will address required elements for your proposal draft or project, including preliminary work products, e.g., bibliographies, outlines, rough drafts, as well as the final work product.

2. Reading Responses: For each week's assigned reading starting with week 3, you will produce a response. The form and nature of that response will be addressed in our contract. We may also negotiate terms for "off weeks," i.e., a certain number of weeks where you may skip the Reading Response.
3. Discussion Fora: Each week, starting with week 3, there will be a weekly discussion forum in Moodle. This is the one part of your grade that will be negotiated collectively rather than individually. By the end of week 2, we will, collectively, reach agreement on what the fora should be used for and what expectations should be regarding participation in the fora.
4. In-Class Writing: Each Tuesday meeting will also include In-Class Writing, such as freewriting or short learning assessments. As with Reading Responses, our contracts may include terms for "off weeks" for this assignment.

Accordingly:

• An average completion rate of 93-100 is an A.
• An average completion rate of 90-92 is an A-.
• An average completion rate of 87-89 is a B+.
• An average compeltion rate of 83-86 is a B.
• An average compeltion rate of 80-82 is a B-.
• An average compeltion rate of 77-79 is a C+.
• An average compeltion rate of 73-76 is a C.
• An average compeltion rate of 70-72 is a C-.
• An average compeltion rate of 67-69 is a D+.
• An average compeltion rate of 63-66 is a D.
• An average compeltion rate of 60-62 is a D-.
• An average completion rate of below 60 is an F.

In addition to the credited work, my assignment of grades in this course will also involve review of two self-assessments, one from around mid-term and one submitted at the end of the term. Details provided on Moodle.

I may also adjust your final grade based on Attendance & Participation and my assessment of your learning and engagement for the whole term, above and beyond your completed contracted work.

Finally, while individual contracts will have terms for late and missing work, my basic approach to make-ups and extensions is outlined here.

If you want to understand my approach to grading better, I recommnend starting with this essay by Susan Blum and this review essay by Jeffey Schinske and Kimberly Tanner.

For more on contract grading, this article by John Warner, reflecting on his own experience and reasons for using this model, is a good entry point. I would recommend this article by Steve Volk if you want a more in-depth and broader discussion of the approach.

I am happy to provide additional resources or to discuss my grading policies with you further.