Grading

The Expectations

Activity	Proportion of Grade
1 Midterm (Wednesday 13 October, 2004)	25%
1 Final (Monday 13 December, 2004)	25%
In-Class/Out-of-Class Exercises	15%
Project	25%
Class participation	10%

The midterm exam will consist of a set of questions from which you will have to answer a subset of 2 to 5 questions. The instructors will grade their own questions. Appropriate answers to these questions will consist of short essays. Answers will be graded for clarity of writing as well as for content and logic.

The final exam will be similar to the midterm in format, but will administered during the regular 2 hr. final exam period.

Several in-class and out-of-class exercises will be assigned. These exercises will be used to explore topics discussed in the the classroom at greater depth than can be expected in a lecture-based format and to develop an appreciation for the various tools used in the study of landscape ecology. Grading will be based upon written assignments or answers to problems related to the various exercises.

This year, we will assign projects to be done in small groups. Groups will be determined by the instructors. The projects will involve refining a question relevant to spatial ecology, creating a test and sampling a spatially structured system, analyzing the data and producing both a paper and a class presentation of the conclusions. You will be expected to give a ~30 minute verbal presentation in a format similar to that suitable for any professional society’s annual meetings. PowerPoint presentations will be possible and are encouraged. However, presentations may also include overheads or slides. You will be graded on the delivery of your results and your responses to questions as well as on the scientific content of the presentation.

Class participation will be based on the level and quality of involvement in the class. We expect students to participate actively in discussions generated by the topics presented in class and in the hands-on exercises.