Exam dates and time can be found on the course homepage. Exam locations will be given out several days before the exam via a Canvas announcement.

During exams collaboration is not allowed. The only things allowed on your desk are the exam and approved resources, which include:

• ten 8.5 x 11 inch doubled sided sheet of notes. You may handwrite or print your notes. A suggestion is the Equations, Definitions, and Notations and Survival Sheets located on any of the lecture pages (where you find your pre-lecture videos.
• non-communicating calculator. i.e. you can't use your phone. Graphing and scientific calculators are fine!
• 1 page of scratch paper
• writing utensils (pen or pencil)
• ruler or straight edge (optional, for drawing straight lines)

 

Midterm Exam Content  |  Midterms will emphasize recent content, but by the nature of physics and science, will rely on all previously covered topics. Midterms will be closed book.

Final Exam Content  |  The final will be comprehensive, i.e. it will cover the entire course. The final exam is closed book (you can write whatever you would like on your notes).

 

Academic Integrity Honor Code

I understand that in all my OSU courses including this one, I am expected to abide by the Oregon State University “Code of Student Conduct”. I recognize that all forms of cheating not only violate the code of conduct I commit to as an OSU student, but they are dishonest, harmful to me and my learning, and unfair to others.

Academic Misconduct  |  Any action that misrepresents a student or group’s work, knowledge, or achievement, provides a potential or actual inequitable advantage, or compromises the integrity of the educational process. Prohibited behaviors include, but are not limited to doing or attempting the following actions:

1. Cheating. Unauthorized assistance, or access to or use of unauthorized materials, information, tools, or study aids. Examples include, but are not limited to, unauthorized collaboration or copying on a test or assignment, using prohibited materials and texts, unapproved use of cell phones, internet, or other electronic devices, etc.
2. Plagiarism. Representing the words or ideas of another person or presenting someone else's words, data, expressed ideas, or artistry as one's own. Examples include, but are not limited to, presenting someone else's opinions and theories as one's own, using another person's work or words (including unpublished material) without appropriate source documentation or citation, working jointly on a project and then submitting it as one's own, etc.
3. Falsification. Fabrication or invention of any information. Examples include, but are not limited to, falsifying research, inventing or falsely altering data, citing fictitious references, falsely recording or reporting attendance, hours, or engagement in activities such as internships, externships, field experiences, clinical activities, etc.
4. Assisting. Any action that helps another engage in academic misconduct. Examples include, but are not limited to, providing materials or assistance without approval, altering someone's work, grades or academic records, taking a test/doing an assignment for someone else, compelling acquisition, selling, bribing, paying or accepting payment for academic work or assistance that contributes to academic misconduct, etc.
5. Tampering. Interfering with an instructor’s evaluation of work by altering materials or documents, tampering with evaluation tools, or other means of interfering.
6. Multiple submissions of work. Using or submitting work completed for another or previous class or requirement, without appropriate disclosure, citation, and instructor approval.

 

 

DAS Exams  |  If you have DAS accommodations, DAS exams will be proctored in a separate, quiet room by a TA. If you do not have DAS accommodations, then you can ignore this paragraph. You will be given the time accommodations which you have arranged with DAS. We provide this proctoring solution so that you can ask the TA clarifying questions about the exam, which would be difficult to do at a DAS testing facility. If this solution does not work for you and your DAS accommodations, please contact the instructor and we will happily arrange something that works for you!

The TAs will grade the exams. Partial credit will be given on most worked out problems. Clearly organizing your solutions is paramount to partial credit. Most solutions should include at least the following:

• physical representation: diagram or figure
• list of known and unknown variables that pertain to the problem
• list of equations that pertain to the problem
• organized, step-by-step, application of each equation with the appropriate variables
• any assumptions or symmetries that are exploited must clearly be stated
• sensemaking analysis
• clearly boxed answer with at least 3 significant figures

Exam Grading Appeals  |  If you feel you were graded unfairly with respect to the posted rubric, you must first appeal on Gradescope. The graders are graduate TAs and while they are awesome physicists, they are also human. When stating the reason for your appeal, it is NOT sufficient to simply say “I think I deserved more points for this.” You have to explain why. Most of the time they will look back and be able to resolve the issue right through Gradescope. Appeals on Gradescope may take many weeks to process.

If you are still not satisfied with their decision, you can further appeal to the instructor. Do so by emailing the instructor with the subject "Grading Appeal". Appeals must include a copy of the original exam (you can print from Gradescope to paper or PDF) with any marks or annotations you wish to make. There must be a written description identifying the problem/item, and specifically why the scoring is incorrect, etc. It is NOT sufficient to simply say “I think I deserved more points for this.” You have to explain why. The best approach for this is to use the photocopy of your exam and basically “re-score” the problem in question—as if you were the grader—showing how your version of the scoring is more aligned with the posted solution and rubric. You have 10 days from the release of the first grade appeal to file a further appeal to the instructor. Instructor appeals are often processed after the final exam when all information is available for making informed decisions (e.g. it is common the appeal doesn't change the overall grade in the class). Warning: the instructor re-grades the problem, so you may gain or lose points. The instructor’s decision on appeals is final; there are no re-appeals.

Don't panic after receiving an exam grade. It often takes time to get traction in physics. It is not uncommon for a student to receive a low grade on their first quizbit, then get steadily improving grades on subsequent quizbits until they do quite well on the final exam. They do well on the rest of their work and receive whatever grade is their goal in the course. Do not let one quizbit score deter you. Please seek out support from your instructor, a TA, or an LA if you are feeling discouraged. We can and do help! Also, you are not defined by your performance in physics and one bad exam or course grade will not prevent you from achieving your professional dreams.

Research shows that one of the most important parts of the learning process is the metacognitive step. This is where you look back at what you've learned and synthesize that information. This can be a reflective exercise. In physics one way it manifests is reviewing your homework and exams. After your exams are graded pull up both the Rubric and points given on Gradescope, as well as the solutions from BoxSand. Go through each problem and identify what you did correctly and what you could have done better. Even go back and solve the parts you missed. This is especially important in physics because the content builds off each other. At the end of the PH203 you will take an exam that could have content from the entire sequence. The focus will be on the 203 content but we will have built ideas in 201 that show up throughout the year. The plot below shows the difference in our OSU class from a previous year and the average number of downloaded solutions per grade. You should take notice of the jump between C and B students. B students are participating in the metacognitive step at a much greater rate than C students.