Where can I find my grade?

The total score for each exam is at (or near) the bottom of the last page.

How were the exams graded?

All exams were graded anonymously, by covering the names at the top of each sheet.

Each essay received one overall score (highest possible score = 20)

An excellent essay was informative (contained lots of information) and clear (organized this information in an easily understandable way). The question I kept in mind was, "Could somebody who has not taken BIOL 277 understand the issues and evidence by reading this essay?"

An excellent essay included both principles and examples as well as definitions of important terms.   Really excellent essays also included correct information about some of the difficult material (not just the easy material).   All good essays included lots of correctly explained information.

More credit was earned by clear, complete, correct, convincing explanations than by less adequate explanations.

How do total scores correspond with letter grades?

No final decisions have yet been made. At the end of the semester I will total each student's points for the four exams (total points possible from four exams = 20x4=80), for reports on suggested readings, and for attendance.

Because I will give some credit for steady improvement or marked improvement after the first exam, there is no way to assign final letter grades to any one exam.

To follow the pattern for previous years, a semester total of 64 points (an average of 16 points per exam) would be a straight B (this goal might be adjusted some at the end of the semester).

A semester total of 32 points (an average of 8 points per exam) will be a straight C (guaranteed!).

See the Distribution of Grades for this exam.

What should I do if there has been an error in grading my exam?

• Wait at least one day after your exam is returned.

• Review the information below.

• On a separate sheet, write a brief (one paragraph) explanation.

• Return your exam and paragraph to me before 5:00 P.M., Thursday, October 7.

What can I do to improve my grade (regardless of my total score)?

• Read the comments on how essays were graded (below).

• Review your notes and the lecture notes.

• Then come talk to me about your exam.   Every essay was different, so it is difficult for me to give specific suggestions for how to improve your essays except by talking with you.   Good times are immediately after lectures -- please not before lectures -- or stop by my office any afternoon -- or see me after lecture to make an appointment.

What information did essays include?

... and how were points earned by essays?

Keep in mind that essays earned the most credit for clear, accurate, complete information.
Often essays earned partial credit.

6. Is variation in humans similar to variation in other vertebrates? There were some excellent essays, with a lot of information from the lecture notes and from our (admittedly brief) discussions in lectures about human variation.   Other essays had much less information, and a few had very little information, about human variation.   This is a topic on which everybody, especially biology majors, should be well informed!

Almost all essays argued that variation in humans was like that in other vertebrates, and most mentioned that variation in humans occurred in clines.   Many essays used Hairy Woodpeckers as an example of a cline in geographic variation, but fewer provided much information about this cline.   Many essays mentioned the cline in skin color between Africa and Europe. but again few provided much information.   Mention of clines in human variation between Europe and Asia, also frequently mentioned, seldom had much information.

Many essays mentioned that humans varied in color of skin, hair, and eyes.   Because virtually everybody in the world knows these basic facts of human variation, essays only earned credit for other information about human variation.   A number of essays mentioned the gene (actually allele) for sickle-cell anemia (actually hemoglobin S) in Africa and mentioned its role in resistance to malaria, but no essay provided any accurate information about where alleles for hemoglobin S occur (concentrated in one part of Africa but also in India and elsewhere).

Some essays correctly stated that humans are all one species, by both the biological and the phylogenetic species concepts.   Many of these essays did not explain why.

Many essays stated that human populations lacked reproductive isolation but that mating by humans was not random.   Many mentioned short natal dispersal in human populations (at least before 1500 and in many human populations even today), but these essays sometimes lacked a definition or even correct use of the term "natal dispersal".   Many essays mentioned the tendency for humans to choose a mate similar to themselves and mentioned the Snow Goose as a parallel in other vertebrates.

Culture was also mentioned as a restriction on human mating and bird song as a parallel in other vertebrates.   Exceptions to monogamy was also often mentioned, although rarely to make the point that cultural norms do not always restrict mating.

Some essays listed the four processes that influence the frequencies of alleles in populations.   Only a few explained examples of these processes in humans (a few described natural selection for resistance to diseases and a few described evidence for a founder effect, a point we had just discussed in the last-minute review!).   Even these essays often lacked accurate information about natural selection or genetic drift.

Important things to consider

Note that the total number of possible points was at least 35.   No one had enough time to cover all of these points, so the maximal score was set at 25.   No essay received a score higher than 20.   Excellent essays often emphasized different aspects of the topic.

Essays that received the highest scores always included some of the difficult concepts and some detailed information about the examples.   A few essays were really outstanding.   It is not easy to master the difficult subjects, nor is it easy to pull all the information together into a clear essay.   Keep up the great work!

Regardless of your score, I would be glad to meet with you to find a way to improve!