Grading & More

Grading
Evaluating information, whether it's in print or on a computer screen, is an extremely important skill. We (the team of instructors and graduate assistants for JOMC 50 for the past three years) have designed a variety of projects and assignments which we feel will help you evaluate your progress in this course and acquire knowledge and skills useful in your other classes as well. Because this is a School of Journalism and Mass Communication course, assignments will be graded on form as well as content. Take extra care with grammar, spelling, attribution of facts, and differentiating fact from opinion. For more background on the assignments, please consult the syllabus in the Dead Tree Edition, but note that the order, value and format of individual assignments may be changed to meet the compressed summer schedule.
Your final grade will be computed as follows:

Daily in class work: 10%
Mid-semester test: 20%
Web page construction: 15%
Treasure hunts: 30% (15% each of 2 parts)
Final Exam: 25%
Letter grades will be based on the following scale:
A=94-100; A-=90-93; B+=87-89; B=84-86; B-=80-83;
C+=77-79; C=74-76; C-=70-73; D+=65-69; D=60-64; F=59 and below.
If you miss the deadline for a project, your grade on that assignment will drop one letter grade (For example, from an A to a B) for each day late. All projects are due at the beginning of class on the assigned date. If it's not ready at class-time, it's already considered a day late.
You have the right to appeal any grade in this course. You are free to talk with me about a grade and discuss my determination of that grade. If you are not satisfied, you may appeal in writing including the assignment or project in question. I will respond to your appeal. If you are not satisfied, you may appeal to your academic dean. A grade-appeal committee will consider your complaint and will recommend action to the appointing dean.
Class Format
The class meets in a computer laboratory classroom and will include both presentations by the instructor and hands-on use of computers for information-searching. But don't hide behind the computer! You will be expected to share your information-gathering experiences in class discussion and through electronic communication (email and Web page publishing). The month will go quickly, so it's very important to speak out if you don't quite understand a tool or technique we are using.
Attendance
This is an instruction-intensive course and it is important that you be here. There will be brief progress reports due every day, and these cannot be made up. Although this is mostly a "new media" course, the attendance policy is the same as "old media" like newspapers, magazines and broadcasting companies: You are expected to come to work on time and meet your deadlines.
In this very short summer session, missing any days would make it difficult for you to catch up or do well. Even if you have a doctor's letter or if a blizzard stalls your car in Fuquay Varina, it is your responsibility to find out what was covered and incorporate that information into your own projects and exams. Each daily report, due at the end of class, will be worth a half point. (You get a half point free for the final exam day). In total, these will count 10% of your final grade and cannot be made up, even in emergencies.
Information about the day's work is usually given during first few minutes of class. Please arrive on time so you fall behind without realizing that you have missed one of life's Big Secrets.

This page is based on the "JOMC 50 Classic" course description from Spring semester. For Bob Stepno's interpretation and more details, please consult the printed syllabus handed out in class or write to bob@unc.edu.

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