Grading

Grading
All projects are "turned in" when they are posted to Oncourse or your IU student web site on Steel (exceptions of course are written proposals). Written proposals are due at the beginning of class in the appropriate format. The three major projects will have due dates and times listed on the class schedule. No credit will be given for late assignments.
Grade records will be maintained using Oncourse. Understand that Oncourse is used for reporting scores on individual assignments; NOT official final grades.

ActionScript Studies (pass/fail)
You will complete five ActionScript studies during the first part of the semester. These short exercises ask you to put into practice some of the essential ActionScript topics we will cover this semester. ActionScript Studies are graded pass/fail; all must be complete by the end of the semester to pass this course.

Reading Discussions (30 points/15%)
This course asks that you do a good amount of reading—perhaps more than may be required for other "hands-on" lab courses. The purpose of these reading assignments is to help you build a theoretical and historical foundation for making creative art works and media products. Reading assignments appear in the Schedule on day they are due in bold green.

For every reading assignment there will be a moderator. Each student in the class will moderate one reading assignment this semester. On the day a reading is due, the following steps are taken:

  1. BEFORE CLASS, the moderator posts a Topic with the assigned article title(s) to the Oncourse discussion forum. They should also include a summary of the key points from the reading assignment.
  2. At the start of class, the moderator makes a 5-10 minute presentation to explain their position on the key points from the reading.
  3. The class asks the moderator questions to discuss the ideas in their presentation.
  4. Each student in the class (but not the moderator) posts a reply to the topic. Your reply should be a response to the moderator's presentation—with what do you agree/disagree? What else is important to take away from the reading? How does this relate to current trends in the contemporary media landscape? Your reply should reflect a firm grasp of the ideas in the reading. Citations from the article(s) will help strengthen your argument. Compose your reply to be between 250-350 words and free of typos. Replies are due by midnight on the day following the reading assignment.
  5. After all replies have been posted, the moderator has one week to write summary of the discussion. This summary should present a synthesis of all comments offered by the class, and should demonstrate a thorough understanding of the assigned article(s). The required length is 600-800 words.

ActionScript Reference (30 points/15%)
You will compose entries and code examples for 10 terms in an ActionScript dictionary or reference.
Details are here...

IUAA Project (60 points/30%)
The IU Alumni Association has asked the class to help develop some online marketing materials that promotes the organization to recent IU graduates. This will be a semester-long, hands-on project for a real client. Work will be conducted on both a group and individual basis. Details are here...

Semester Project (60 points/ 30%)
Each student will propose, schedule, and execute a transmedia project of their own design. Specific project topics are open to individual interests; all projects must be approved before students can begin working. Details are here...

Participation (20 points/10%)
Participation is essential in this class. It includes your attendance, as well as a combination of your involvement in discussions, in-class critiques, and your overall effort in the class.

Grade calculations
At any point during the semester you can calculate your grade by dividing the number of points you've earned by the number of possible points. Then, multiply that number by 100 to get your grade percentage. For instance if we've done one 5 point quiz and one 20 point critique the possible points are 25. If you scored 4 and 19 respectively, your total points are 23. Now, do the math: 23/25 = .92 * 100 = 92% You have earned an A-.

The following grade descriptions have been adapted from the grade definitions defined by student and faculty members of the Committee on Improvement of Instruction.

Grade Percentage Description
A+ 100 Amazing performance; rarely ever happens.
A 96-100 Superior performance; student work goes far above and beyond requirements of the course; demonstrates a command of course material through an innovative and creative application of concepts; far exceeds course expectations.
A- 91-95 Excellent performance; student work goes far above and beyond requirements of the course; demonstrates a command of course material through an innovative and creative application of concepts.
B+ 88-90 Very good performance; student work meets requirements and demonstrates creative or thoughtful application of course material; exceeds course expectations.
B 84-87 Solid work; student performance meets requirements and demonstrates a good understanding of course material.
B- 81-83 Above average; work that meets requirements and demonstrates better than average understanding of course material.
C+ 78-80 Work that meets requirements and shows promise.
C 74-77 Work that meets all basic requirements.
C- 71-73 Work that meets requirements but is not especially polished or thoughtful.
D+ 68-70 Below average work.
D 64-67 Below average work.
D- 60-63 Below average work.
F < 60 Failing.