Math 124 A: Homework Guidelines
Spring Quarter 2007

horizontal rule

          The homework is an essential component of this course, because doing and understanding the homework ensures that you have a good handle on the material. Some homework problems are longer and more difficult than the usual homework or test problems. The skills these harder problems develop are an important part of the learning we aim for in this class.
          There are multiple reasons why you need to do the assigned homework carefully. It gives you a chance to practice and improve your understanding of the concepts learned in class. It allows you to learn how to express mathematical ideas clearly (useful on tests and all further classes). It allows the grader to give you a bit of feedback regarding your understanding of the material. Finally, your homework is an essential tool in studying for exams.
|          The way you present your solutions is as important as getting the "right" answer, so you should adhere to the following guidelines when preparing your homework for submission.

bulletAlways show all relevant work. The correct answer is not enough for full credit. Many of the answers are available at the back of your text so the grader will be checking that you know how to get that answer, not just that you can write it down.
bulletYou must put your name and your quiz section (for example, "Section AB") in the top right-hand corner of your assignment.
bulletBe neat. Your grader must be able to easily read your solutions. Excessively messy or illegible assignments may receive partial or no credit.
bulletProblems should appear in the correct order, leaving room for a grader to write comments, if necessary.
bulletCut off shaggy edges and staple multiple pages. (The grader may refuse to accept it otherwise.)
bulletHomework is due in quiz section on the posted due date. If you are unable to come to the quiz section on a day that homework is due, then you may turn your homework earlier to your TA. Late assignments will not be accepted, but we drop your lowest score.

GRADING: Your homework grade in this course has two components: a completion grade and an accuracy grade. You will receive some points in proportion to the number of the assigned problems you have completed regardless of whether or not they were done correctly. In addition, each week, your instructor will choose 3 problems to be graded for correctness. We will not announce to you which problems will be graded. Therefore, it is important that you complete every problem assigned and include a complete solution for that problem. Students who make an honest attempt at every assigned problem will receive high scores on homework (even if they don't get the correct answers). Students who skip problems, do only half the assignment, or just write down the answers will receive low homework scores.