Grading & Feedback
Grading Components & Weighting
Student performance will be evaluated based on three key components.
| % of Final Grade | |
|---|---|
| 20% | |
| 30% | |
| 30% | |
| 20% | |
| +3%p |
Final Grade Breakdown
Final course scores represent the following grades (scores are rounded to the nearest integer):
| Grade | % of Final Grade | Grade | % of Final Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 94-100% | A- | 90-93% |
| B+ | 87-89% | B | 84-86% |
| B- | 80-83% | C+ | 76-79% |
| C | 71-75% | C- | Lower than 70% |
Assignment Schedule
Assignments will be available at least two weeks before the due date. The due dates for each assignment can be found on the Assignment pages.
Assignment Submission & Feedback
Assignments should be submitted through the designated links provided under the respective assignment tabs. Assignments sent via email will not be graded. Students can expect their assignments to be graded within 6 business days.
Attendance
Attendance will be recorded during in-person meetings. To request an excused absence, you must complete the designated form, ensuring your request aligns with the excused absences outlined in NSCU REG 02.20.03-Attendance Regulations. Please note that absences reported via email will NOT be accepted as excused. Only submissions through the designated form will be considered. Excused absences will not impact your attendance record, but unexcused absences will result in a prorated reduction of your participation grade based on the number of meetings missed. Note that our class meetings will be recorded and accessible through Panopto.
Late Assignments
Late assignments will be accepted with -25% for every day submitted late.
Incomplete Grades & withdrawals
Information on incomplete grades can be found at REG 02.50.03 – Grades and Grade Point Average. If you encounter a serious disruption to your work not caused by you and you would have otherwise successfully completed the course, contact your instructor as soon as you can to discuss the possibility of earning an incomplete in the course for the semester, including an agreement on when the remaining work must be done in order to change the grade to the appropriate letter grade. If students must withdraw from a course or from the University due to hardship beyond their control, see Withdrawal Process and Timeline | Student Services Center for information and instructions.
Course Policies for Academic Integrity
Academic Integrity and Honesty
Students must adhere to the university’s academic integrity policy as outlined in the Code of Student Conduct 11.35.01 sections 8 and 9. All students are required to uphold the Pack Pledge: “I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this test or assignment.” Violations of the academic integrity policy may include, but are not limited to: plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, lying, bribery, threat, unauthorized access to academic materials, clicker fraud, submitting the same or similar work in more than one course without permission from all course instructors involved, and aiding academic dishonesty. Violations of academic integrity will be addressed according to the Student Discipline Procedures. Please refer to the Academic Integrity web page for a comprehensive explanation of the University’s policies on academic integrity.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy
The use of Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Phind, Jasper is permitted in this course under the following policies. However, LLMs may produce content that is incorrect, biased, or misleading. Therefore, it is the student’s responsibility to verify the accuracy and appropriateness of any content generated by an LLM before including it in their assignments.
Allowed Uses:
- Code Assistance: LLMs may be used to generate or debug Python and R code, but students are responsible for ensuring the code is correct.
- Brainstorming: LLMs can be used to brainstorm ideas, such as identifying omitted variables in a model and refine your ideas.
- Table Formatting: LLMs can help combine and format tables. However, please make sure the output from LLM is correct -- LLMs make mistakes.
- Reference Organizing & Formatting: LLMs can be used to organize and format references in a coherent style such as APA, Harvard, or Chicago.
- Text Editing: LLMs can be used to correct spelling, typos, and grammar in already written text. Two explicitly allowed prompts in this course are: "Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors" and "Improve clarity and readability without changing the original content."
Prohibited Uses:
- Drafting Text: LLMs should not be used to draft your writing. For example, you cannot provide a single sentence or a short outline and have the LLM generate an entire paragraph or section for your assignment. You cannot have LLM draft the explanation and motivations of your analysis and data visualization. All written content must be your own work.
- Generating Figures: LLMs cannot be used to create figures for your assignments.
- Data Analysis: Students are not allowed to upload datasets to LLMs for analysis or to automatically generate results.
- Uploading Our Course Materials to LLM Platforms: Do not upload any part of this course slides, assignments, or datasets provided by the instructor to LLM platforms. Doing so may violate intellectual property rights.
- Calculations: LLMs cannot be used for performing calculations. General calculators may be used instead.
Academic Integrity:
Students have the responsibility to ensure that their work remains original. The use of LLMs must comply with the university’s academic integrity policies. Plagiarism, whether facilitated by an AI tool or any other source, is strictly prohibited. Students must properly cite all sources and ensure their work is the result of their independent effort. For example, originality checking software can be used in this course to detect the originality of the student submission.
Documentation Requirement:
Unless explicitly exempt, every assignment must include a section, AI Statement, clearly detailing how LLMs were used, including the specific prompts used to complete the assignment. If LLMs were not used, students should state, "LLMs were not used in this assignment."
Failure to adhere to these policies may result in academic penalties, including potential failure of the course, in accordance with the university’s policies on academic misconduct.
Students are encouraged to ask the instructor (serena_kim@ncsu.edu) for clarification about these policies as needed.
Respecting Our Learning Community
The NC State Code of Student Conduct outlines expectations for behavior in the classroom (whether virtual or physical) and the consequences for students who violate these expectations. Any behavior that impacts other students’ ability to learn and success will be addressed, but expressing diverse viewpoints and interpretations of course content is welcome. Community guidelines for this course include:
- Respect and Inclusion: Treat all members of the class—peers, instructors, and guests—with respect. Discrimination, harassment, or inappropriate behavior of any kind is strictly prohibited. This includes professional courtesy and sensitivity toward individuals and topics involving race, color, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religion, culture, perspective, or other background characteristics.
- Engage Constructively: Contribute to class discussions and group work in a positive and respectful manner. Allow others the opportunity to share their perspectives without interruption or judgment.
- Maintain Academic Integrity: Follow NC State’s policies on academic integrity. Plagiarism, cheating, or unauthorized collaboration on assignments is not allowed.
- Be Prepared and Focused: Complete all assigned readings, tasks, and exercises before class. During sessions, silence personal devices, avoid distractions, and stay engaged. Activities such as phone calls, use of headphones, persistent talking, whispering, and web surfing unrelated to the course are prohibited.
- Communicate Professionally: Use respectful, professional language in all communications, including emails, discussions, and written assignments.
- Respect Class Time and Privacy: Arrive on time for all meetings and inform the instructor in advance if you need to arrive late or leave early. Do not record or share course content, discussions, or other students' work without explicit permission from the instructor and all involved parties.
- Use Course Tools Appropriately: Use course-related tools, such as Google Chat, Moodle, and other digital platforms, solely for their intended educational purposes.
- Respect Regional Dialects: Respect regional dialects and culturally embedded ways of oral communication. Respect cultural differences that may influence communication styles and needs.
- Stay Home if Sick: Stay home or in your dorm room if you are exhibiting symptoms of a contagious illness (fever, chills, etc.).
- Enter the Classroom Respectfully: Enter our virtual and/or physical classroom community respectfully by refraining from lewd or indecent speech or behavior, helping to maintain a safe physical environment, not using your cell phone for voice or text communication except when explicitly given leave to do so, and not attending class under the influence of any substance.
- Treat Community Members with Respect: Treat each community member with respect by not recording others without their consent or engaging in any form of hazing, harassment, intimidation, or abuse.
Failure to adhere to these behavioral standards may result in disciplinary action. Significant violations may lead to a failing grade for the course and will be reported to the appropriate authorities.
Group Assignment Policy
Group work is a vital component of this course, designed to simulate real-world research and analytics environments where collaboration is essential for success. This policy outlines expectations for equitable participation, respectful interaction, and accountability to ensure that all team members contribute meaningfully and work together effectively.
- Team Formation:
Students will work in groups of 3 or 4 for the Evidence Review and Research Brief assignments. During the first week of the course, students will have five days to form their own groups. If you cannot identify enough students to work with, the instructor will assist in assigning additional members to complete your group.
- Expectations for Group Work:
All team members are expected to contribute equitably and work collaboratively. Specific expectations include:
- Equitable Contributions: Every member must actively participate in all aspects of the project, including discussions, task completion, and data analysis. Workload should be distributed fairly, and members must hold each other accountable for meeting deadlines and completing assigned tasks.
- Engagement and Respect: Teams must maintain open and respectful communication, ensuring all members have an opportunity to share ideas and contribute meaningfully. Disagreements should be handled professionally and collaboratively, with a focus on achieving project goals.
- Accountability: Each team member is responsible for delivering quality work on time. Peer evaluations will assess individual contributions to ensure transparency and fairness.
- Peer Evaluation of Teamwork:
Peer evaluations will promote fairness by recognizing individual contributions and holding members accountable. Evaluations will occur twice—after the Evidence Review assignment and the Research Brief assignment—and will contribute 12% of the final course grade. Individual scores will reflect the quality and extent of each member's contributions as assessed by their peers.
- Conflict Resolution:
If conflicts arise due to issues such as free-riding (failure of a team member to contribute equitably), disagreements, or other challenges:
- Teams should first address concerns internally through open communication.
- If unresolved, the instructor will mediate to ensure fairness and facilitate resolution. Please let the instructor know via email (not course chat) for this matter.
- Persistent lack of participation or unresolved conflicts may result in reduced grades for the individual, based on peer evaluations and instructor observations.
- Consequences for Non-Compliance:
Failure to meet group work expectations, including equitable contributions and respectful interaction, may result in lower individual grades for the group project, as determined by peer evaluations.
- Flexibility Clause:
While this policy provides a framework for effective group work, the instructor reserves the right to adapt it to address specific challenges or exceptional circumstances, ensuring fairness and a positive learning experience.
Student Resources
Academic and Student Support
The Division of Academic and Student Affairs maintains a comprehensive website with links to a variety of student support services on campus. These include academic support, community support, health and wellness, financial hardship or insecurity, and more. For more information and to find the help you need, visit the Find Help on Campus page.
Disability Resources
Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with verifiable disabilities. To take advantage of these accommodations, students must register with the Disability Resource Office (DRO). For more details on NC State’s policy for working with students with disabilities, please refer to the Disability Resource Office and the REG 02.20.01 Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities. Please reach out to the instructor (serena\_kim@ncsu.edu) to submit an accommodation letter within the first three weeks of the semester.
Safe at NC State
At NC State, the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff are of utmost importance. The Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity (OIED) provides resources and support to ensure that individuals have access to the help they need. For resources related to safety and support, visit the Safe at NC State webpage.
Supporting Fellow Students in Distress
As members of the NC State Wolfpack community, we share a responsibility to care for one another and ensure that our campus remains a safe and healthy environment for learning. If you are concerned about a fellow student’s behavior, whether for their well-being or your own, please report this behavior to the NC State CARES team.