E. GRADE DETERMINATION: 

Final grades are determined on the conventional basis: 

• 90 % and above - A 
• 75-90 % - B
• 60-75% - C
• 45-60% - D
• below 45% - F

The exams will not be marked to a curve.

F. GRADING POLICY: 

Your exams will consist of two midterms and a final. These exams will be open-ended essays questions. All exams will be cumulative and will cover the materials presented in class and in the text up to the date of the exam. Emphasis will be placed on presenting essay questions that not only critically test comprehension and understanding of the lecture materials but also help develop scientific writing skills. and the scores for each exam will be cumulative and contribute to your final grade. It is important that you not only understand the lecture and reading materials but that you also have an excellent command of all of the scientific concepts covered in the course material. Many of the questions in the exams will be experimental in nature and may include data interpretation. These questions will be aimed to test your comprehension of the subject rather than test your retentive short term memory and your ability to reiterate facts. To earn an "A" grade you will therefore have to demonstrate that you can readily apply the underlying concepts covered in the course to new situations. A less effective understanding of the material will be worthy
of a "B" grade and precise memorization without sufficient insight to apply the materials will be worth no more than a "C". In addition, you will also be required to write a research article on a current topic in cell biology. The requirements for this paper are described in more detail later in the syllabus. 

The relative contribution of each exam and assignment to your overall grade is outlined below: A total of 1000 points is available for this course; 700 for the lecture exams and 300 for the research paper. Grading for lecture is based on three exams (150, 250 and 300 points.), weighted in accordance with the amount of subject
material covered.