Grade Contract Provisions
Finance 640
Steven C. Isberg, Ph.D, Instructor
Fall 2003
The following contract outlines the requirements for earning each grade level.
Failure to fulfill the minimum requirements for the grade of “C” in this course will result
in the student earning an “F” as a course grade.
Requirements for the course grade of “C”
To earn a grade of “C,” students must fulfill each of the following requirements:
1.
2.
Miss no more than 150 minutes of regularly scheduled class time over the course
of the entire semester, unless absence is excused. The definition of regularly
scheduled class time and standards for excused absences are included in
Attachment 1 of this contract.
Earn a total of at least 40 points on quizzes that will be administered either in
class or on the course website. Quiz policies are outlined in Attachment 2 of this
contract.
Requirements for the course grade of “B”
To earn a grade of “B,” students must fulfill each of the following requirements:
1.
2.
3.
Miss no more than 150 minutes of regularly scheduled class time over the course
of the entire semester, unless absence is excused. The definition of regularly
scheduled class time and standards for excused absences are included in
Attachment 1 of this contract.
Earn a total of at least 40 points on quizzes that will be administered either in
class or on the course website. Quiz policies are outlined in Attachment 2 of this
contract.
Earn a satisfactory rating on at least two written/spreadsheet assignments.
Standards for what constitutes a “satisfactory” rating are included in Attachment 3
of this contract.
Requirements for the course grade of “A”
To earn a grade of “A,” students must fulfill each of the following requirements:
1.
Miss no more than 150 minutes of regularly scheduled class time over the course
of the entire semester, unless absence is excused. The definition of regularly
scheduled class time and standards for excused absences are included in
Attachment 1 of this contract.
Grade Contract Provisions
Finance 640
Fall 2003-Page 2 of 6
2.
3.
4.
Earn a total of at least 40 points on quizzes that will be administered either in
class or on the course website. Quiz policies are outlined in Attachment 2 of this
contract.
Earn a satisfactory rating on at least two written/spreadsheet assignments.
Standards for what constitutes a “satisfactory” rating are included in Attachment 3
of this contract.
Earn a score of at least 80 percent on a cumulative final exam. Final exam
requirements are outlined in Attachment 4 of this contract.
Discretionary Plus/Minus (+/-) Adjustments
The University of Baltimore allows for but does not require instructors to add a plus (+)
or a minus (-) to course grades. The instructor hereby reserves the right, as part of this
contract, to adjust a letter grade with either a plus (+) or a minus (-) based upon his
perception of the quality of effort made by the student in completing this course. Factors
considered in this discretionary judgement include, but are not limited to, the following:
preparation for and participation in regularly scheduled class sessions; perfect attendance;
professionalism demonstrated by the student; respect shown by the student toward the
instructor and classmates; and work quality above a satisfactory level.
Grade Contract Provisions
Finance 640
Fall 2003-Page 3 of 6
Attachment 1
Definitions and Standards for Class Attendance Component of the Course Grade
Definition of Regularly Scheduled Class Time
The regularly scheduled meeting time Thursday, beginning at 5:30 p.m. and
ending at 8:00 p.m. If the instructor begins class after 5:30 p.m. or ends class prior to
8:00 p.m., that time missed does not count against a student as regularly scheduled class
time. For example, if a student arrives to class at 5:45 p.m., and the instructor did not
begin class until 5:35 p.m., ten minutes of missed class time are charged to the student.
Further, if a student misses a class that began at 5:30 p.m. and ended at 7:30 p.m., only
120 minutes of missed time are charged to the student.
Standards for Excused Absences
Students are expected to attend each regularly scheduled class session. The following are
reasons that will be considered as potential excused absences:
1.
2.
3.
Illness
Business obligation
Family emergency
In order to qualify for an excused absence, students are expected to document the reason
for their absences. Third party verification may be required before the excused absence
is credited. Such verification may include notes from doctors, work supervisors or other
documentation of the student’s claim. Students should notify the professor in advance of
any dates for which they intend to request that an excused absence be credited. If it is
determined that the student has not been truthful in providing the justification for the
excused absence, an amount equal to twice the time missed will be charged against the
student and will be reflected in the grade accordingly.
Grade Contract Provisions
Finance 640
Fall 2003-Page 4 of 6
Attachment 2
Quizzes and Quiz Policies
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
There will be at least six ten-point quizzes administered over the course of the
semester.
Quizzes may be given during any regularly scheduled class session, and may or
may not be pre-announced.
Students will not be allowed to make up missed quizzes that have been
administered in class. The instructor may, at his discretion, allow make-up
quizzes in the event of an excused absence.
Quizzes may be administered on the course website. Students will be notified in
class and/or via e-mail of any quizzes administered on the course website.
Students who miss a quiz administered on the course website because they were
not in class on the day the quiz was announced will not be allowed to make up
that quiz.
Grade Contract Provisions
Finance 640
Fall 2003-Page 5 of 6
Attachment 3
Standards for Defining Satisfactory Written and Spreadsheet Assignment
Performance
There will be at least three written/spreadsheet assignments administered over the
course of the semester. These assignments will be graded as either unsatisfactory,
satisfactory or above expectations based on the professional judgement of the instructor.
Students will be provided with written documentation of the reasons for the grade
assigned. Factors considered in assigning each grade include:
Writing
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Proper following of the assignment requirements.
Proper articulation of the purpose, objectives and conclusions of the written work.
Proper logic and organization of ideas, information, as well as explanations,
findings and interpretations of any analysis conducted.
Proper grammar and structure of sentences and paragraphs.
Professionalism reflected in the overall presentation of the written work (i.e.,
formatting, printing, salutations, titles and headings, etc).
Spreadsheets and Exhibits
1.
2.
3.
4.
Proper following of the assignment requirements.
Correctness of both the implementation and outcomes of any analysis and
methodologies performed.
Logic and flow of the visual exhibits presented.
Proper professional appearance and formatting of visual exhibits presented.
Grade Contract Provisions
Finance 640
Fall 2003-Page 6 of 6
Attachment 4
Final Exam
The final exam will be cumulative and administered during final exam week. The
final exam will test the student’s ability to create and conduct analysis using Microsoft
Excel spreadsheet software and report the results in written form using Microsoft Word
document preparation software. The exam will be administered in an environment where
the students will have access to a microcomputer containing both of these software
products.
Students are required to register with the instructor to take the final exam at least
two weeks prior to its administration. The final exam will not be administered to students
who are not properly registered to take it.