Grades for this course will be based upon four grading instruments:
APUS clocks are set for the Eastern Time (ET) zone. If you live in a different time zone, be sure to plan ahead and submit assignments based on Eastern Time (ET) so as to avoid possible late penalties and/or avoid being locked out of a test.
1. Forums (9): There are nine graded forums that can be found by clicking the classroom Forum tab. The student, when directed by the instructor, will respond to the postings of other students. You will not receive a grade until you have responded to the proper number of students or the assignment has closed. Please have your initial post in the forum by 11:55 pm (ET) on Thursday night and your replies posted by 11:55 pm (ET) on Sunday night of the week the Forum assignment is due.
Participation in the forums is mandatory. I have provided a minimum word count for each initial posting and each reply. Your replies must provide more discussion than “good point” or “nice job.” Challenge each other: if you disagree then say so and explain why.
To receive full credit for a forum, you must advance the conversation throughout the week by replying back to those that replied to your initial post.
(Please see the Forum Expectations document in each forum for further explanation).
2. Essay (1): There is one essay that will be based on the readings from this course. The Essay can be found by clicking the Assignments tab on the left hand side of the classroom.
3. Final Project (1): There is a Final Project due by the end of Week 8 and it will be based on the information you learned throughout the course. The Final Project can be found by clicking the Assignments tab on the left hand side of the classroom.
4. Exam (1): There will be one exam, a final.
The Final Exam will open in Week 8 and will be based on the course readings. The Final Exam will consist of 5 short answer/essay questions worth 20 points each. There is no time limit for the exam.
The Exams can be found by clicking the Test and Quizzes link on the left hand side of the classroom.
All due dates are found in the Syllabus Outline.
All graded items for this course will be based on a 100 point grading scale.
Name | Grade % |
Forums |
27.00 % |
Week 1 Forum (A) |
3.00 % |
Week 1 Forum (B) |
3.00 % |
Week 2 Forum |
3.00 % |
Week 3 Forum |
3.00 % |
Week 4 Forum |
3.00 % |
Week 5 Forum |
3.00 % |
Week 6 Forum |
3.00 % |
Week 7 Forum |
3.00 % |
Week 8 Forum |
3.00 % |
Essay |
25.00 % |
Week 4 Essay |
25.00 % |
Exam |
18.00 % |
Week 8 Final Exam |
18.00 % |
Final Project |
30.00 % |
Week 8 Final Project |
30.00 % |