GEOL 100 Frequently Asked Questions

GENERAL QUESTIONS

#1 Q: I have a question that is not answered by this FAQ file.  Should I contact Prof. Altaner, my Discussion TA, or Ann Long (the Head Discussion TA)?

A: Contact your Discussion TA if your question is about one of the following:

Illinois Compass Gradebook

Class web site

Exam error sheet

Grading mistake involving Discussion exercises or homework

Homework exercises (e.g., you need additional explanation about a question)

Missed Discussion

Contact Ann Long (the Head Discussion TA) if your question is about one of the following:

Original exam answer (Scantron bubble) sheet

Other questions that were not answered to your satisfaction by your Discussion TA

Contact Prof. Altaner if your question is about one of the following:

Information covered in lecture

Make up exams

Other questions that were not answered to your satisfaction by your Discussion TA or Ann Long

#2 Q: What is the best way to contact Prof. Altaner?

A: E-mail is perhaps the best way to contact me.  Of course, we can also speak in person after class or during scheduled office hours.  If you telephone me and I'm not in the office, you can leave a message on my answering machine.  If you want to come to my office at a time other than scheduled office hours, it is best to contact me in advance to ensure that I will be available.  Please do not telephone me at home.

#3 Q: I would like to add the course but U of I Direct shows that the class is full.  What should I do?

A: If the on-line registration indicates that a lecture or discussion section is full, then there is nothing that I can do to help.  The class enrollment limits are the maximum possible allowed by the University based on the seating capacity of the room.  If you really want to add the course, you should keep trying to register on a regular basis through U of I Direct on the chance that someone drops shortly before you attempt to add.  Numerous students are able to add the course in this manner.

LECTURE RELATED QUESTIONS

#4 Q: I am having difficulty keeping up with note taking during lecture. What should I do?

A: I strongly recommend that you print a copy of the lecture note summaries from the class web site BEFORE lecture, bring those notes to class, and fill in the "gaps" during lecture.  This way you won't have to focus on copying large amounts of information into your notebook and instead you can focus on trying to understand the material being covered.

#5 Q: Where do I find lecture note summaries?

A: Lecture note summaries are located in the GEOL 100 class web site.  From the home page, click on the link 'Lecture outlines'. Lecture note summaries are NOT located in the Illinois Compass web site for GEOL 100.  Only your grades are kept there.

#6 Q: I missed lecture class.  How do I catch up?

A: Print out the lecture note summary and do the assigned reading as soon as possible.  Consider asking a classmate to borrow their notes so that you can fill in the lecture note summaries with additional information given only in the class period. If you do not know anyone to ask or feel uncomfortable asking a classmate, you could try purchasing class notes from I-Notes (602 E. Green, Champaign).  However, I cannot vouch for the quality of class notes from I-Notes nor am I endorsing this company.

#7 Q: I missed lecture class.  Hey Prof. Altaner, may I borrow your notes?

A: No, sorry about that.  It would be very difficult and time consuming for me to accommodate the many hundreds of students in this course by doing that.

TEXTBOOK CD-RELATED QUESTIONS

#8 Q: My GEODe III CD that accompanies the lecture textbook (Essentials of Geology) does not work.  What should I do? 

A: Make sure to read the file README.TXT for information on running the program and if you still are having problems, e-mail Tasa Graphics for help at:  support@tasagraphicarts.com

RECENTLY ADDED COURSE

#9 Q: I just added the course.  What should I do?

A: Obtain a course syllabus from Prof. Altaner as soon as possible and see if you have missed any Discussion meetings.  You can also look up syllabus information on the class web site, which is accessible through the Dept. of Geology homepage at: http://www.geology.uiuc.edu.  Click on the link 'Classes' and then the link 'GEOL 100'.  If you have missed any Discussion meetings, then contact your TA immediately to arrange for a make up Discussion(s).  You can find the name and contact information of your TA from the class web site. From the home page, click on the link 'Discussion Information' and scroll to the bottom of the page.

For all classes that you missed, print out lecture note summaries and do assigned readings as soon as possible.  Consider asking a classmate to borrow their notes so that you can fill in the lecture note summaries with additional information given only in the class period.  If you do not know anyone to ask or feel uncomfortable asking a classmate, you can try purchasing class notes from I-Notes (602 E. Green, Champaign).  However, I cannot vouch for the quality of class notes from I-Notes nor am I endorsing this company.

DISCUSSION-RELATED QUESTIONS

#10 Q: I have an unavoidable conflict that will force me to miss my regularly scheduled Discussion period.  What should I do?

A: Contact your Discussion teaching assistant (TA) as soon as possible so they can arrange for you to attend a different Discussion period during the week.  Do not simply attend a different Discussion without contacting your TA for their approval first. 

When you attend a different Discussion section following this procedure, you must write your Discussion section number on the exercise sheet, inform the TA leading the Discussion that you are from a different section, and hand in your completed exercise sheet separately from the rest of that section.  That TA will need to initial your paper and give it to your regular TA.  Do not simply give the completed exercise to your regular TA.  You will not receive any credit unless the exercise sheet is initialed by another TA and that person gives the exercise sheet to your regular TA.  

#11 Q: I missed Discussion, I did not contact my TA before my scheduled Discussion period, and it is now too late to attend a different Discussion period during the week.  What should I do?

A: If you have you have an official University excuse (e.g., verified family emergency or illness such as a letter from Emergency Dean or notice of McKinley visit), contact your TA as soon as possible to schedule a make-up Discussion.  You must make up a Discussion within two weeks of when it was given.  If you do not have an official University excuse, you will receive a zero for that Discussion.

#12 Q: I would like to attend a different Discussion for the rest of the semester.  May I do that?

A: You can only switch Discussion sections if you can officially change your Discussion section through U of I Direct.  Many of the Discussion sections are completely full and we cannot accommodate "informal" changes in Discussion section rosters.

#13 Q: Is it okay for me to work with other students during in-class Discussion exercises?

A: Yes, we encourage students working in small groups, but each student must do all of the work and hand in a separate exercise sheet.  Nobody should rely on one person to do all the work and just copy the answers of that person. 

#14 Q: Is it okay to work with other students during outside-of-class Discussion homework?

A: Yes, it is okay to work with other students to complete homework assignments, but each student must do all of the work and hand in a separate homework sheet.  Nobody should rely on one person to do all the work and just copy the answers of that person.  In addition, if you and a classmate have identical lengthy text answers or identical complex graphs such as in the plate tectonics extra credit assignment, then that is considered plagiarism and you will be penalized.

#15 Q: The score for my Discussion exercise or homework is entered incorrectly in Illinois Compass Gradebook.  What should I do?

A: Contact your Discussion TA as soon as possible.  You will need to show your graded assignment to your Discussion TA to get the score changed.

#16 Q: I forgot to bring my Discussion Guide with me to Discussion.  What should I do?

A: Speak to your Discussion TA.  Usually a limited number of Discussion exercise sheets will be available for such situations.

#17 Q: I forgot to bring my homework or extra credit assignment to class.  What should I do?

A: Speak to your Discussion TA.  Bring the assignment to your Discussion TA as soon as possible. You can bring it to their office or put it into their mailbox in 247 NHB.  Unless you have an official University excuse, you will be assessed a penalty for each day the assignment is late -½ point for each day late and 0 after 7 days.

EXAM-RELATED QUESTIONS

#18 Q: Should I do the assigned readings?

A: Yes, you should definitely do the assigned readings throughout the semester.  They will help with your understanding of the course material and will help you do better on exams.  However, exams will be based only on information covered in lecture and Discussion.  There will be information in the assigned readings that is not covered in lecture and you will not be responsible for that information on exams.

#19 Q: How do you recommend that I prepare for exams?

A: Of course, you should attend all of the lectures and discussions, as well as do the assigned readings, preferably before the scheduled class.  I strongly recommend printing out the lecture note summaries from the class web site before lecture, bringing those notes to class, and filling in the "gaps" during lecture. 

When you study for the exam, you should focus most of your studying on the lecture notes because that is where 80% of the questions are derived.  As far as Discussion goes, review any notes you have taken from TA presentations as well as the Discussion exercises.  There will not be any questions based on Discussion homework or extra credit assignments. You should definitely review the old exam that is placed on reserve in the Geology library (223 NHB).  My recommendation for using the old exam is to do extensive studying first and then take the old exam as if it were an actual exam, i.e., without looking at your notes and with a sixty minute time limit.  You should be able to determine the correct answer to most of the questions by looking at your notes.  Prof. Altaner will give all of the correct answers to the old exam at the Question and Answer session scheduled before the exam.  You should definitely attend the Question and Answer sessions; most students find them very helpful.  If you are unclear about any of the lecture topics, talk with Prof. Altaner or your TA. 

#20 Q: Do you have any additional advice on how to prepare for the final exam?

A: Follow all of the recommendations given in question #19, immediately above.  In addition, you should emphasize the last third of the course in your studying more than the first two thirds because of the greater emphasis on the last third of the course.  There are review questions for the final third of the course on the Geology 100 web site.  You should review exams #1 and 2, which are on reserve in the Geology library (223 NHB).  The level of questions (as far as general vs. specific nature goes) for the final exam will be similar to the level of questions on the previous exams.  But, make sure to study all of your notes and not just the material from exams #1 and 2 because there was considerable information that we covered in the course but was not specifically addressed in the first 2 exams.

#21 Q: If I know all of the information covered in the old exam, does that mean I will do well on the upcoming exam?

A: Not necessarily. In any Geology 100 exam, I can only include questions that cover some of the information in the course and there will always be information that was not covered by questions on the exam. You need to understand all of the lecture notes and discussion materials, not just the information specific to the old exam.

#22 Q: Could you send me an answer key to the old exam by e-mail?

A: No, I won't do that because I want to encourage everyone to learn as much as possible by working through the questions and answers in the old exam.  Sending an answer key by e-mail can lead to students not actually learning the information contained in the question because they only checked to see if their answer is correct or not. Prof. Altaner will give all of the correct answers to the old exam at the Question and Answer session, scheduled before the exam.  If you cannot attend the Question and Answer session, you should be able to determine the correct answer to most of the questions by looking at your notes.  After doing this, if you still are unsure about correct answers to certain questions, contact your TA to verify the correct answer.

#23 Q: I have a conflict with the regularly scheduled exam.  What should I do?

A: Contact Prof. Altaner (by e-mail, phone, or in person after class or during his office hours) BEFORE the scheduled exam time to arrange for a conflict exam.  Make sure to inform him of the nature of your conflict and whether or not you can take the conflict exam during the regularly scheduled time.  Usually conflict exam times and sign-up sheets are made available about one week before the regularly scheduled exam time.

#24 Q: I would like to take the conflict exam before the regularly scheduled exam.  May I do that?

A: No, not unless you have an EXTREMELY compelling reason to do so.  Conflict exams are normally scheduled after the regularly scheduled exam time. 

#25 Q: Why is the conflict exam a different format from the regularly scheduled exam?

A: It is very difficult for me to make two different versions of "bubble sheet" exams that cover all of the major topics and are of similar difficulty. 

#26 Q: Isn't a short answer format exam more difficult than a "bubble sheet" format exam (i.e., multiple choice, true/false, + matching)?

A: No, not necessarily.  Most times the class average for the short answer format exam is similar to or higher than the "bubble sheet" format exam.  If the class average for the short answer format exam is less than the class average for the "bubble sheet" format exam, then I will add points to short answer format exam scores so that the averages are similar.  Certainly if you do not know the course material at all, then a short answer format exam is more difficult than a "bubble sheet" format exam because it is harder to guess on a short answer format exam.  However, considerable partial credit is possible with a short answer format exam and not with a bubble sheet format exam

#27 Q: What can you tell me about the nature of the conflict exam?

A: The short answer questions on the conflict exam usually can be answered in a word or a sentence or two, or up to 1 - 2 paragraphs.  The coverage of topics is identical to the regular "bubble sheet" exam and the level and style of questions are similar except that you need to provide words instead of picking a multiple choice, true/false, or matching.  For example, instead of answering multiple choice or true/false questions about the greenhouse effect or the relationship between cooling rate of magma and grain size of an igneous rock, you will need to provide a verbal description.  Often a labeled sketch can provide most or even all of the answer. 

#28 Q: Could I get an old version of the conflict exam?

A: No, because I use a similar version of the conflict exam every year. 

#29 Q: I missed the regularly scheduled exam.  What should I do?

A: Contact Prof. Altaner (by e-mail, phone, or in person) IMMEDIATELY.  Unless there is an extraordinary circumstance (e.g., last minute major illness, accident, or family emergency), there will be a penalty for missing the regularly scheduled exam without contacting Prof. Altaner before the exam.  The penalty increases the longer it takes you to contact Prof. Altaner.  Normally, if someone contacts Prof. Altaner more than week after as the regularly scheduled exam, they will receive a zero for the exam.

GRADE-RELATED QUESTIONS

#30 Q: May I do a special extra credit assignment?

A: No, the only extra credit assignments are those available to the entire class.  These include five extra credit assignments given in Discussion and typically one bonus question on each exam.

#31 Q: Will there be a curve in the course?

A: The only grade curve that will be applied is if the class average for an exam is lower than 77%.  If this occurs, points will be added to everyone's score to achieve a class average of 77% for the exam.  The plus/minus grading system will be used with cut-offs at the following representative total percent values: A+ = ≥96.67%, A = 93.33 – 96.66%, A- = 90.00 – 93.32%, B+ = 86.67 – 89.99%, B = 83.33 – 86.66%, B- = 80.00 – 83.32%, etc.

#32 Q: How are extra credit points in Discussion handled?

A: Extra credit points in Discussion are added to the total points score in Discussion and then the total points score in Discussion is converted to a percentage.  The specific equation = (Discussion exercises + Discussion homework + Discussion extra credit)/(Discussion exercises + Discussion homework).  As a result, if you get perfect scores in the Discussion exercises, homework assignments, and extra credit assignments, it is possible to get significantly higher than 100% for your Discussion percentage.  The specific number for a perfect score in Discussion is (130 points + 30 points + 20 points)/(130 points + 30 points) x 100 = 112.5%.

#33 Q: How are extra credit points on exams handled?

A: Extra credit points on exams are added to the individual exam score. As a result, if you get perfect scores on the exams, it is possible to get higher than a 100% for your exam score. 

#34 Q: How do I calculate my total points for the course?

A: All of the Discussion scores are added together and then divided by 160 points to convert Discussion scores to a percentage, i.e., [(Discussion exercises + Discussion homework + Discussion extra credit)/(Discussion exercises + Discussion homework)] x 100.  As a result, if you get perfect scores in the Discussion exercises, homework assignments, and extra credit assignments, it is possible to get significantly higher than a 100% for your Discussion percentage.  All of the percentage scores (exam #1, exam #2, final exam, and Discussion) are multiplied by their weighting factor (exam #1 x 20%, exam #2 x 20%, final exam x 33%, and Discussion x 27%) to get a total percentage, which is then assigned a letter grade on a straight scale, e.g., B+ 86.67 – 89.99%, B 83.33 – 86.66%, B- 80.00 – 83.32%, etc.

#35 Q: I just added all of points for my Discussion and exam scores together and divided by 460 points to get my total points score for the course.  Is this correct?

A: No.  All of the Discussion scores are added together and then divided by 160 points to convert Discussion scores to a percentage, i.e., [(Discussion exercises + Discussion homework + Discussion extra credit)/(Discussion exercises + Discussion homework)] x 100. All of the percentage scores (exam #1, exam #2, final exam, and Discussion) are multiplied by their weighting (exam #1 x 20%, exam #2 x 20%, final exam x 33%, and Discussion x 27%) to get a total percentage.

#36 Q: I did not do well in the course.  Can I get my grade improved?

A: No.  I will change grades only if an actual mistake has been made (e.g., the final average was calculated incorrectly or if an incorrect score was used to calculate the final average).  I will not change anyone's grade for reasons such as subpar performance on a final exam, overall grade point average, closeness to a grade cutoff, effort in the course, effort in studying for the final, or risk of retaining a scholarship + academic eligibility.  The reason is that I would be guilty of capricious grading (i.e., handling one student's grade situation according to different standards than the other students) if I did not follow this policy. If you are unclear about capricious grading, please review the University regulations pertaining to capricious grading at: <http://www.uiuc.edu/admin_manual/code/rule_26.html> in the Code of Policies and Regulations Applying to All Students, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

#37 Q: I did not do well in the course and this grade will hurt my academic career.  May I do some sort of extra credit assignment or retake an exam or anything to get my grade improved?

A: No.  See the answer to question #36, immediately above.

#38 Q: I am so close to a grade cut-off.  Could you round up my score so that I get a higher grade?

A: No, In a class with hundreds of students, there will always be many students close to grade cut offs regardless of where they are made.
 

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