Lab Grading

Standards

(EP) Experimental Procedure

This Standard covers skills related to the process of planning and executing an experiment in scientifically rigorous manner. Examples of such skills include:

The ability to figure out how to use available apparatus to accomplish a specific goal with out explicit instructions on what to do and how to do it.
The ability to determine what data needs to be collected and over what range of values in order to accomplish a specific goal.
The ability to recognize potential systematic biases in your measurements, assess their magnitude, and modify your apparatus and procedures as necessary.

(DA) Data Analysis

This Standard represents skills directly related to the analysis of data. Examples include:

Performing calculations correctly.
Understanding how to propagate uncertainties through calculations.
Plotting and fitting data to simple functional forms.

(SC) Scientific Communication

This Standard represents skills necessary to communicate the results of scientific investigation clearly and precisely. Examples of these skills include:

The ability to appropriately present data such as in tables or plots, with proper uncertainties and units.
The ability to describe complex phenomena and procedures clearly and precisely, using proper scientific terminology and avoiding jargon and meaningless statements.

(DC) Drawing Conclusions

This Standard represents skills necessary to draw appropriate conclusions from a body of scientific investigation. Examples of these skills include:

Drawing conclusions which are supported by your experimental results.
Properly quantifying the degree of confidence you have in your results. Phrases such as “we think our results are pretty good”, “we were within 2% of the accepted value” and “human error” are unacceptable.

Individual Report Grading

Points are not deducted for errors in a report. Each individual report will be assessed based on the four standards given above. Each Standard can receive one of three scores based on the associated criteria:

Score	Points	Criteria
Satisfactory	2	The report meets all of the specifications given for the Standard in the wiki page for that lab. Any errors or omissions are minor, and would require trivial corrections.
Needs Improvement	1	The work represents a good faith effort, but one or more specifications for the Standard contain significant errors or omissions.
Incomplete	0	The work presented is not meaningful and not indicative of a good faith effort. Substantial work is missing.

With four standards that adds up to 8 points per individual report.

You receive 2 points for completion of the at home assignment.

Thus 6 labs for the quarter plus the at home assignment adds up to a total of 50 possible points for the lab component of the course. Different faculty have different grading schemes for their course, so they will scale your lab score accordingly.