Exams. There will be three exams in this course–the dates are listed on the syllabus. You will take your exams through the Center for Academic Support and Assessment (CASA). CASA is located at Garrison Gymnasium (GAR) 221. You will have to register to use this testing center. Go to: http://www.casa.uh.edu/casa/ There is a Login button which will lead you to a registration page for New Users. You should do this right away. About two weeks before the test, you will need to reserve a time to take the test. You will be able to reserve 90 minute time periods throughout the exam period, but it is important that you actually reserve whatever time you want. The tests will become available at CASA on the day given in the syllabus. Stay tuned to find out other information about times, and so forth.

About 3 weeks before the test I will give everyone a copy of all of the questions. (They will also become available on the web site.) There will be approximately 10 questions for each test. At the testing center you will be given four questions from this list (somewhat randomly). You will have to answer the question in the space provided. I will give you the equivalent of about 2/3 to 3/4 of a page to complete your answer. You will not be allowed to bring any materials to your test (no books, notes, phones, calculators, etc). A Cougar One ID is required. Please see the CASA web site for any other requirements.

How to study for this test. Everyone knows in advance what the questions can be, just not which specific question you will get. The questions that I will ask are fairly big ones–they are not questions about facts, they are questions about ideas and concepts. 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 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.) 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

In-Class Grades. Throughout the semester there will be a series of brief questions over material that we have recently covered. The answers will be about one paragraph, and will each count for about 2% of your grade. (We will have about 5 of them.)