Miscellaneous Business

CLASSES. I will be ready to go each day at 10:00. I expect the same from you. In addition, please observe the courtesy of remaining in class until discussion is completed.

GRADING. Letter grades will only be issued at the end of the course. They will be assigned on the basis of your performance relative to the other students in the course, assuming that the class as a whole meets with my own expectations of Clark students. Given the fairly complex combination of different kinds of projects, and the unpredictable outcome of the final exam, I often have difficulty projecting grades for students before all the scores are in.

OFFICE HOURS. My office is in Biology-Physics 305, located at the top of the stairwell in the old building. I will be delighted to see you at any time, and I will try to be available on a regular basis on Mondays (11-12, 1-2) and Thursdays (9-11). If you can't find me, please leave a note or send an email, and I will attempt to reach you to arrange a meeting.

ATTENDANCE ON QUIZ DAYS. Quiz attendance is required, and no makeups will be given, except in dire circumstances. There is a provision in the grading system (see below) which permits one quiz score to be removed when the final grade is determined. This policy allows each student one "off" day, in the event of minor illness, forgetfulness, plague, or organic chemistry.

PROBLEM SETS. I expect that your solutions to these problems will be obtained independently of other students. That does not forbid discussion with others about how the problem might be solved (although Chris or I might provide more reliable advice), but I expect that you will perform the actual calculations yourself. A late problem set may be penalized 1 point for each late calendar day, up to half off the assignment's value.  Even if you must turn it in late, it always pays to complete the assignments, because a missing assignment is the worst thing you can do to your grade.

SUBSTITUTION. I provide the following opportunity to avoid being penalized for a poor showing or absence on a quiz. The lowest quiz score will be removed if the score on the final exam is more than twice the lowest quiz score. This process presents the temptation to take it easy on one quiz, but remember that if you do, you are gambling that the final will be easier than the lowest quiz. That might not be the case.

LAB/DISCUSSION SESSIONS. We will establish times for you to meet in smaller groups with your teaching assistant, Chris Vitek. The sessions will be held weekly, with some exceptions that will be announce by e-mail. These sessions aim to provide you with technical skills necessary to begin to analyze ecological problems. Most of those skills are computer-related. Chris will also schedule some time for individual consultations.

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS. I expect you to use your own words in all writing assignments. Beware of the temptation to plagiarize, and that includes the use of work prepared by yourself for other courses. I also expect you to cite the articles you use as background for your written work, using standard scientific format. Your textbook is a good example of how to cite references within the text, as well as how to list the information for each reference. Footnotes should not be used; Instead, a simple mention of the author and the year of the publication is all that is necessary, unless a direct quote is used, in which case the page number should also be provided. In most cases, unless the quote is particularly spectacular, it is best to avoid direct quotation.