"Grade Projector" for Final Course Grades in Introductory Psychology 100:

From time to time a student in one of my courses will ask me "If I have already earned letter grades of [fill in the blank(s)] to date, and I earn letter grades of [fill in the blank(s)] during the remainder of the semester, what can I expect as my final course grade?" This "grade projector" is intended to help answer such questions.

The calculations performed on this form indicate the final course grade that you would very likely receive if you accumulated the set of letter grades for the various course components that you have indicated. Its calculations are based upon the final course grade equation that is provided in the Course Information. Barring flagrant abuses or neglect of the responsibilities of the customary student role, you will never receive a grade lower than the one indicated for the set of performances you have chosen; you may even receive one slightly better--but that is a relatively rare event that you should not count on (since the computations already follow some rounding rules that err on the generous side) and that even I cannot know until after the course has ended.

IMPORTANT CAVEAT: This calculator is not equipped to factor in the positive benefit of any bonus points that are applied directly to the numeric equivalent of an exam's letter grade.  In such cases the resultant computation may underestimate one's final course grade, and a more accurate projection can only be obtained by manual computation. 

 

Here's how to use this "projector":

  1. For each evaluation component, enter a letter grade upon which you want the calculation to be based. Weights are already entered for those components included in the "default" course structure. You should change those weights and/or add weights for other optional components if you have received approval for another course configuration (see personal projects) or you want to explore one you are contemplating.
    1. If you fill in only some of the letter grades (e.g., those grades that you have received to date), the calculation will be based upon an adjusted average of those grades. This calculation will indicate the final course letter grade you could expect to receive in the course if your past performance is also representative of your future performance.
    2. If you fill in those letter grades that you expect/hope to receive on the remaining components as well as the grades you have received to date, the calculation will indicate the final course letter grade that particular combination of performances will produce.
  2. Press the "Calculate ..." button.
LETTER GRADES (e.g., A+, A, A-, B+, ... , F, F-): PERCENT WEIGHTINGS (Sum should total to 100%!):
Letter grade, Hourly Exam #1: Percent Weight, Hourly Exam #1:
Letter grade, Hourly Exam #2: Percent Weight, Hourly Exam #2:
Letter grade, Hourly Exam #3: Percent Weight, Hourly Exam #3:
Letter grade, Hourly Exam #4: Percent Weight, Hourly Exam #4:
Letter grade, Hourly Exam #5: Percent Weight, Hourly Exam #5:
Letter grade, Optional Grade
Component #1: 		Percent Weight, Optional Component #1:
Letter grade, Optional Grade
Component #2: 		Percent Weight, Optional Component #2:
Letter grade, Optional Grade
Component #3: 		Percent Weight, Optional Component #3:
  Sum of Component Weightings (must = 100):

Your Projected Final Course Numerical Average:
Your Projected Final Course Letter Grade: