Assessment¶
This course will use a version of specifications-based grading. In this course, there are 30 medals to collect: 15 Statistics Medals from the knowledge checks and 15 Habit Medals in other course work. The medals breakdown as follows
15 Statistics Medals: Knowledge Checks (with each medal tied to a particular skill)
3 Habit Medals: Engagement & Class Preparation
4 Habit Medals: Group Problem Sets (GPsets)
2 Habit Medals: Labs
4 Habit Medals: Group Project
2 Habit Medals: Starred Problems
Knowledge Checks¶
There are four knowledge checks throughout the term. These are just moments in time to share what you current understanding of the course material is. There are 15 medals, each representing core skills for the course. During each knowledge check, you can attempt as many or as few medals as you would like. Your goal, by the end of the semester, is to collect all 15 medals.
The first badge challenge will have the first 5 medals available, the second will have the first 10, and the third and fourth knowledge check will have all 15 medals. Put another way:
Medals 1-5 will appear on knowledge checks 1-4
Medals 6-10 will appear on knowledge checks 2-4
Medals 11-15 will appear on knowledge checks 3 and 4.
You do not need to (nor should you) attempt all medals on each knowledge check, but you do need to collect all 15 medals by the end of the term.
Levels for Statistics Medals on Knowledge Checks¶
There are four levels for each statistics medal:
G – Gold: Deep understanding of the material; could talk about this concept with someone unfamiliar with statistics
S – Silver: Surface understanding of the material; has facility with concept in statistical settings, but has not yet translated understanding to broader context; can articulate the formula but not yet explain what it means
B – Bronze: Making progress on understanding material, but there are gaps to be filled in; would benefit from studying this material again
X – cannot be assessed: Attempt missing and/or there are so many facts shared, it is not clear if the statistician understands what is and what is not relevant.
Achieving Statistics Medals on Knowledge Checks¶
The 15 medals associated to the knowledge checks are tied to the 15 statistics medals. The most recent level for each medal is the recorded level. This means that if you earn a gold level for medal 1 on the first knowledge check, then you never have to attempt this medal again. But, if you earn silver for medal 4 on the first challenge and then a bronze for medal 4 on the second challenge, your current level for medal 4 is bronze.
Note
You do not need to attempt all medals on each knowledge check. This means that you get to pick and choose which skills you are ready for on each knowledge check.
For example, you may elect to just study medals 1-4 for the first knowledge check, then 5-8 for the second one, 9-12 for the third, and then 13-15 for the final one (plus perhaps a few that you want to try again on the final).
Alternatively, you may elect to study all 5 medals for the first knowledge check to see how the system works, and then study 6-9 plus one from the first knowledge check that didn’t go as well. Then for the third one, you might again study 4 new ones (say 10-13) plus one or two that you want to “polish” from the first nine medals that you studied for the first two knowledge checks.
Warning
You need to collect all 15 medals by the end of the term. This means that you will need to start to think a bit more strategically as you prepare for each knowledge check
Note
You only need to take the final knowledge check if you want to “upgrade” any medal levels.
Habit Medals¶
The 15 habit medals are spread over the activities in this course that help develop your habits as a statistician. Like the statistics medals, there are four levels for each medal: Gold, Silver, Bronze, X (can’t be assessed)
Engagement & Class Preparation: 3 Habit Medals¶
Two of these habit medals will be earned with student input. In the sixth week of the course and during the last week of classes, you will be asked to complete a self-evaluation of your class engagement in context of the class engagement list. Your self-evaluations will be a critical part of determining the levels associated to these three medals, but not the only determining factor.
The third habit medal for class engagement is tied to your completion of the two individual writing assignments. If you complete both in good faith, you earn a Gold. If you only complete one in good faith, then you earn a Silver.
Group Problem Sets (GPsets): 4 Medals¶
There are 31 GPsets, each worth 30 points, for a total of 930 points. A total score of 744 points is equivalent to 4 gold levels. This means that you can either elect to hand in 25 of the 31 GPsets (effectively dropping 6 of them) or you can average 24 points on each of the 31 GPsets.
Note
You do not need my permission to not hand in all or part of an assignment. You might elect not to hand in (all or part of) an assignment for any number of reasons: it could be because you are ill, you forgot about it, or you had too much work for your other courses.
Warning
Note that pre-planned “dropping” of assignments should be used sparingly because we can not predict when life will happen (ie. illness, etc).
Labs: 2 Habit Medals¶
Updated December 17, 2021
There are 10 labs each with a pre-lab. All labs and pre-labs are each graded on completion, where completion means a good faith attempt. To earn a gold for the pre-lab medal, you need to complete 8 (of the 10) pre-labs with a good faith attempt. To earn a gold for the lab medal, you need to complete 7 (of the 10) labs with a good faith attempt. Like the GPsets, this means that you elect to not hand up to 3 of the labs and 3 of the pre-labs and still earn full credit for these two medals. For a silver for either the lab or pre-lab medal, you need to complete 5 (of 10) in good faith.
You do not need my permission to not hand in a lab or pre-lab. You might elect not to hand in a lab or pre-lab for any number of reasons: it could be because you are ill, you forgot about it, or you had too much work for your other courses.
Group Project: 4 Habit Medals¶
The habit medals associated to the group project will be tied to a rubric. That rubric will be introduced with the project.
Starred Problems: 2 Habit Medals¶
Updated December 17, 2021
There are 10 starred problems, each with two submission steps: one on Moodle and one on Gradescope. These problems are based on completion (ie. you get the credit or not) based on both your solution and the content of your reflection. This means that you can get the problem totally wrong and still get full credit if you take the time to honestly reflect on your progress.
To earn two gold habit medals for the starred problems, you need to complete 7 (of the 10) starred problems (with both submission steps) in good faith. Like the GPsets and labs, this means that you elect to not hand up to 3 of the starred problems to earn full credit for these two medals. For a silver for both medals, you need to complete 5 (of 10) in good faith.
You do not need my permission to not hand in a starred problem. You might elect not to hand in a starred problem for any number of reasons: it could be because you are ill, you forgot about it, or you had too much work for your other courses.
Flexibility Systems¶
This course has a number of flexbility systems built in:
Notice that for GPsets, Labs, and Starred Problems, you only need to complete about 80% of the work in each division to earn a top score for that division.
For the statistics medals on the knowledge checks, you have between 2 and 4 attempts for each medal. This means that you have time to iteratively study, attempt, reflect, and reattempt for each medal.
Latework¶
All work is due at 10am on the date indicated on the Detailed Course Schedule. This is a great moment to note the due dates of all assignments in the system (ie. planner, calendar, etc) that you use to keep track of your work. (If you want to really stretch here, do this for all major assignments in all your courses.)
In general, work should not be late. Later course content builds on previous content, and if one is spending time on an assignment that is passed due, then there is less time for the next assignment. Additionally the grading for this course has a number of flexibility systems in place, and I encourage that you take advantage of them as needed.
This all being said, there’s a pandemic, and life is not normal. If you find yourself in need of a bit more time, send me a brief slack message at least a day before the work is due. In your message include 1) what flexibility systems you’ve already used (see above), 2) why it is important to your learning that you get an extension, 3) propose a new due date for yourself, and 4) why the proposed extension will not hinder your ability to get the next assignment done on time. Your message should be no more than seven sentences long.
Missing a knowledge check¶
The self-schedule knowledge check windows are listed on the Detailed Course Schedule. That being said, things do come up and you may be in a position where you need to miss a knowledge check. Under this grading system, you are working to demonstrate you most complete understanding of the course material by the end of the term. So you can miss a knowledge check for any reason knowing that you can attempt the medals from the missed challenge on a later knowledge check.
Warning
Missing two or more knowledge checks is not advisable.
This being said, if something comes up, I would rather you reach out and check in, than not reach out.
Turning Medals into Letter Grades¶
Traditional letter grades will be assigned using the below listed minimum medal levels:
Letter Grade |
Number of Gold |
Number of Silver |
Number of Bronze |
X |
|---|---|---|---|---|
A |
21 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
B |
15 |
9 |
5 |
1 |
C |
9 |
8 |
9 |
4 |
D |
3 |
7 |
12 |
8 |
Note
Higher levels can count for lower level totals, but not vice versa. For example, a silver level can count towards your bronze total but a silver level cannot count towards your gold total.
At the instructor’s discretion, these grade cutoffs may be lowered at the end of the semester, but they will never be raised. Cut-offs not stated here for the pluses and minuses will be determined at the end of the semester.