Grades:
Your grade in this course will be based on the three exams (60% total), a paper (30% total) and in-class grades (10%).
In-Class Grades. Throughout the semester there will be a series of brief questions over material that we have recently covered. You will be given about 5 minutes–the answers will be about one paragraph, and will each count for 2% of your grade. (We will have 5 of them.)
Exams.
There will be three exams in this course–the dates are listed on the syllabus. The tests will be essay exams that are given during the class period. Each test will have four essays that count for 5 pts apiece. Because each test is worth 20% of your grade, it is convenient to make each test worth 20 pts. In this way you can keep track of the total number of points (percent) that you have accumulated toward your final grade. I expect that the essays will be approximately a page in length.How to study for the tests. Questions that are similar to those that will appear on each of the exams are available on this web site. You will find approximately 10 questions for each test. I may actually use some of these questions. I may craft new questions. However, any new questions will resemble the questions that you can see now. Notice that the questions are not just factual–I will not ask questions such as: What mechanisms do pigeons use for homing? The questions that I will ask are fairly big ones–they are questions about ideas and concepts. They are questions that require integrating information and even, perhaps, doing independent research. Those who do best on these exams find the answers to all of the questions before the test. If you just look over the questions and wait to see what you are dealt, then you probably will not do as well. If you just think about how to answer a question you will not do as well as if you write out an answer, think about it, read over your answer a day or a week later and then write a corrected answer. If you spend time researching the questions, and crafting coherent answers to the questions, then you will do better. (I won’t look over your answers first to see if they are right, but if you want to ask specific questions about the topics, I am always happy to talk.) Some of you will do this and you will do better. Those who do not do this place themselves at a distinct disadvantage compared to others in the class. The questions cover virtually all of the major topics that we will cover in this course. My feeling is that if you learn enough to write ten different essays (or thirty over the course of the semester) about big subjects in animal behavior, then you have learned something.
How are the answers graded? Since each exam is worth 20% of your grade, it is convenient to make each test worth 20 pts. That means that each question will be worth 5 points. This is the grading scheme that I have used: I give maximum points to the best answer. There is often more than one answer that receives 5 points, but these are characterized as thoughtful, organized, creative, and indicating extra effort. I would like an organized essay on each question. An answer that connects thoughts is better than one which jumps from idea to idea. An essay with organized themes is better than a list. Concrete examples are very useful, but they should serve a purpose in an answer rather than just being another form of list.
0 – Blank or essentially so
1 – Inadequate
2 – Lacking multiple elements in the answer
3 – Lacking at least one important element to the answer
4 – Answer that is not as rich, thoughtful, complete or organized as the best category
5 – The best answer given