Teaching
Office Hours:
Office hours are Mondays 9:30-11:30, in PCPSE 607, during weeks
when I’m teaching. Office hours are serial, that is, one at a time,
first-come first-served.
Updates: 1/13/2020 office hours 11:30-1:30.
Important Administrative Policies for all Courses:
Academic
Conduct:
I expect complete adherence to Penn's code of academic conduct. I will treat
any violation, such as cheating in any form, with severity.
Classroom
Conduct:
I expect classroom conduct to be respectful of others. For example, late
arrivals, early departures, and conversations are disruptive to all and are
not appreciated. if you must leave a lecture for
some reason, don't let the door slam.
Excusal From Exams Due to Severe Illnesses or Conflicts:
You must EMAIL me at least one hour BEFORE the start time of the exam, giving details of the situation and requesting to be
excused. You must also produce official documentation, as per University
rules. At my discretion I will then: (1) Accept the request and require that
the exam portion of your final grade be based solely on your other exam
grades, or (2) Accept the request and require that you take a makeup exam,
typically different from the original exam, at a time, date and location to
be determined by me in accordance with University rules. You will then be
expected to make all arrangements necessary to ensure that you appear at the
set time, date, and location, and failure to so will result in a grade of 0,
as there is no "makeup makeup exam."
During the period between the originally-scheduled exam and the makeup exam,
neither I nor the TA's will be available to discuss any material of potential
relevance to the exam, or (3) Decline the request and assign a grade of 0 if
you do not take the exam. Note well: (a) I grant requests for excusal due to
conflicts only in very special situations, as you are expected to make all
arrangements necessary to ensure that you appear at the set time, date, and
location. In particular, conflicting activities such as early/late travel
departures/returns, interviews, and non-emergency family events are *NOT*
valid grounds for excusal, and (b) Makeup exams for finals are generally
given at the beginning of the semester following the course. Seniors who miss
a spring-semester final may therefore be required to postpone graduation.
Problem
Set and Exam Grading Reviews:
You must first review the PS or exam with the TA ``in charge" of the PS
or exam. If you are not satisfied with the TA's explanation, you may submit a
formal regrade request by email to the TA in charge of the PS or exam. The
regrade request (1) must clearly state the specific item in dispute and
contain a clear and persuasive explanation of the reason for your regrade
request, and (2) must be submitted within one week (seven days) from the
initial return of the PS or exam (e.g., if the PS or exam is returned at the
end of class at 2:45pm on a Thursday, then the emailed regrade request must
be time-stamped earlier than 2:45 on the following Thursday). If and only if
the TA accepts your re-grade request, s/he will then regrade the ENTIRE PS or
exam, not just the item in question. Note that under the reasonable
assumption of symmetric grading errors, the expected point change from a
re-grade is zero, even if you get additional points for the item in question.
Moreover, to the extent that a regrade does produce a point change, it's as
likely to be down as up. Finally, we randomly photocopy some PS's and exams
before returning them, so we will likely catch any regrade-related cheating.
Questions regarding final exams and/or final course grades:
These will be handled during office hours in the semester following the
course (i.e., during following spring semester office hours for fall semester
courses, and during following fall semester office hours for spring semester
courses).
Letters
of recommendation:
For those receiving a final grade of A or A+ (required), I may be able to
provide a letter of recommendation. Requests should be made early in the
semester following the course (no sooner), in person, at office hours.
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