Final Exam Information#

Logistics#

Here are some details about the final exam:

  • It will be conducted on PrairieLearn in the same basic format as a Test

  • You will not be able to start the exam unless you are in the room physically

  • You will need a password to begin

  • Be scheduled exam during the official scheduled time

  • Have the same rules as Tests.

  • Have a time limit of 2 hours and 30 minutes.

  • Include multiple choice questions (similar to Tests).

  • Include short answer questions (similar to final/midterm practice Qs).

  • Include some long answer questions (similar to practice final/midterm Qs)

  • Require you to solve some problems with symbols/algebra.

  • NOT include questions on deriving formulas.

  • Have some choice (not a lot) in which problems you can choose to do.

Final exam rules#

The usual “Test” rules apply to the final exam also:

  • You must complete the test BY YOURSELF (no friends, no tutors, no classmates, no humans).

  • You DO NOT need to add the units in to the answers, numeric fields require only the numbers.

  • Any form of communication with other humans, terrestrial or extraterrestrial is not allowed (Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Terminal, Signal, iMessage, SMS, MMS, etc…)

  • The test is open-book, open-notes, open-web.

  • Copying the question text and googling IS CHEATING

  • Using google to search for concepts is NOT cheating.

  • You can use ANY resource except CHEGG, Course Hero, SLADER and other similar websites that have Q&A or answer questions for you.

  • If you come across the same or similar question on google, resist the temptation to keep reading, and close your browser tab.

  • NEW Using ChatGPT or AI tools for your questions IS considered cheating.

  • Do NOT take pictures or screenshots of your questions - that IS CHEATING.

  • Do NOT share test questions with your anyone - that IS CHEATING.

Overall, do not stress! You will be fine :-)

Exam Structure#

Here is the approximate structure of the final exam:

Part A: Conceptual questions (multiple choice questions) (about 30%)

Part B: Short word problems (numerical answers, multi-part) (about 30%)

Part C: Long word problems - choose N of M (about 40%)

Warning

For Part C, you will be expected to submit written work as images (after the exam) supporting your answers.

Show your work#

During the final exam, you will be expected to work on paper (or a digital equivalent using iPad/tablet, etc…).

For Part C questions, you will be expected to submit your written work as images (after the exam) supporting your answers. Only half of the question credit will be attributed to the correct answer, the other half will be a human-graded assessment of your work.

Here are our expectations for your work:

  • Your work should be logical, legible, and intelligible.

  • This does not mean that we will grade your handwriting, diagrams, etc.

  • For each question you choose to do in Part C, you should submit your work solving the problem.

Here is an example of what we are expecting:

../_images/work.png

Content#

The final exam will cover all chapters covered in the course, up until (and including) Chapter 11.

Passing requirement#

There seems to be some confusion about the passing requirement for the final exam.

From the syllabus, here are the passing requirements:

  1. Obtain an average grade of at least 50% on the Labs, with no more than 3 missed labs,

  2. Obtain an average grade of at least 50% on the Test and Exam components together,

  3. Obtain an average grade of at least 40% on the Final Exam,

  4. Obtain a grade of at least 50% on the whole course.

Note that you must achieve a minimum of 50% COMBINED on the tests and final exams.

For example, if you completed five tests over the term and achieved grades of: 80%, 60%, 90%, 100%, 80%. This means a total score of 82% on the tests. So the minimum mark you need to achieve on the final to pass the course 18% (make sure you know how to do this calculation!) BUT, you need to earn a minimum of 40% on the final exam to satisfy the third passing requirement. Please, please, please do not take this to mean that you can take the exam lightly, and that you are guaranteed to pass the course. Failing the final that badly will trigger a manual review of the course work you have submitted so far, and may result in more headache for you in the end. The point of this example is just to assure you that if you’ve been working hard in the course, doing the tests and bonus tests, keeping up with the material, getting help when you need it, chances are, you will be fine.

I will be individually reviewing each case of large disparities between course and final exam performances.

Suggestions for how to study for the final exam#

Here are some ways you can prepare for the final exam:

  • Review all the tests and bonus tests!

  • Review all the homework questions!

  • Try new variants! Your score won’t change

  • Do the Tutorial problems (posted on course website)

  • Try HW 11

  • Do all the weekly suggested practice questions from the textbook

  • Do more conceptual questions from the back of each chapter

You can find also find lots of potential questions from the Open Problem Bank in Physics.

Academic Integrity#

You will be expected to uphold the highest standard of academic integrity during your final exam for Physics 111, and all other courses as well. As a reminder, here is UBCO’s statement on Academic Integrity:

The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity. As members of this enterprise, all students are expected to know, understand, and follow the codes of conduct regarding academic integrity. At the most basic level, this means submitting only original work done by you and acknowledging all sources of information or ideas and attributing them to others as required. This also means you should not cheat, copy, or mislead others about what is your work. Violations of academic integrity (i.e., misconduct) lead to the breakdown of the academic enterprise, and therefore serious consequences arise and harsh sanctions are imposed. For example, incidences of plagiarism or cheating may result in a mark of zero on the assignment or exam and more serious consequences may apply if the matter is referred to the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline. Careful records are kept in order to monitor and prevent recurrences.