Teaching

Office Hours:

Office hours are Mondays 9:30-11:30, in PCPSE 607, during weeks when I’m teaching. Office hours are serial, that is, one at a time, first-come first-served.

Updates: 1/13/2020 office hours 11:30-1:30.

Important Administrative Policies for all Courses:

Academic Conduct:
I expect complete adherence to Penn's code of academic conduct. I will treat any violation, such as cheating in any form, with severity.

Classroom Conduct:
I expect classroom conduct to be respectful of others. For example, late arrivals, early departures, and conversations are disruptive to all and are not appreciated. if you must leave a lecture for some reason, don't let the door slam.

Excusal From Exams Due to Severe Illnesses or Conflicts:
You must EMAIL me at least one hour BEFORE the start time of the exam, giving details of the situation and requesting to be excused. You must also produce official documentation, as per University rules. At my discretion I will then: (1) Accept the request and require that the exam portion of your final grade be based solely on your other exam grades, or (2) Accept the request and require that you take a makeup exam, typically different from the original exam, at a time, date and location to be determined by me in accordance with University rules. You will then be expected to make all arrangements necessary to ensure that you appear at the set time, date, and location, and failure to so will result in a grade of 0, as there is no "makeup makeup exam." During the period between the originally-scheduled exam and the makeup exam, neither I nor the TA's will be available to discuss any material of potential relevance to the exam, or (3) Decline the request and assign a grade of 0 if you do not take the exam. Note well: (a) I grant requests for excusal due to conflicts only in very special situations, as you are expected to make all arrangements necessary to ensure that you appear at the set time, date, and location. In particular, conflicting activities such as early/late travel departures/returns, interviews, and non-emergency family events are *NOT* valid grounds for excusal, and (b) Makeup exams for finals are generally given at the beginning of the semester following the course. Seniors who miss a spring-semester final may therefore be required to postpone graduation.

Problem Set and Exam Grading Reviews:
You must first review the PS or exam with the TA ``in charge" of the PS or exam. If you are not satisfied with the TA's explanation, you may submit a formal regrade request by email to the TA in charge of the PS or exam. The regrade request (1) must clearly state the specific item in dispute and contain a clear and persuasive explanation of the reason for your regrade request, and (2) must be submitted within one week (seven days) from the initial return of the PS or exam (e.g., if the PS or exam is returned at the end of class at 2:45pm on a Thursday, then the emailed regrade request must be time-stamped earlier than 2:45 on the following Thursday). If and only if the TA accepts your re-grade request, s/he will then regrade the ENTIRE PS or exam, not just the item in question. Note that under the reasonable assumption of symmetric grading errors, the expected point change from a re-grade is zero, even if you get additional points for the item in question. Moreover, to the extent that a regrade does produce a point change, it's as likely to be down as up. Finally, we randomly photocopy some PS's and exams before returning them, so we will likely catch any regrade-related cheating.

Questions regarding final exams and/or final course grades:
These will be handled during office hours in the semester following the course (i.e., during following spring semester office hours for fall semester courses, and during following fall semester office hours for spring semester courses).

Letters of recommendation:
For those receiving a final grade of A or A+ (required), I may be able to provide a letter of recommendation. Requests should be made early in the semester following the course (no sooner), in person, at office hours.