Fri, 9 Dec 2011, 20:15

To my students in EE 306:

First, let me say it was a pleasure teaching EE306 this semester.
I know you worked hard.  I hope now that it is over and you can look
back (and relax), you feel you got something out of the course.  For
those of you who can move on, good luck in 319K.  For those who have
decided that a different major is the right decision, I wish you great
success in finding that major and excelling in it.  Happiness is all
about enjoying what you do AND being good at it.  For those of you who
need to repeat 306, I wish you good luck with it next semester.  Perhaps
a different instructor is the right prescription.

The final exams will not be graded until Tuesday since I do this with 
my TAs and they still have their own exams and projects to complete.
Once the final has been graded and final grades determined, they will be
posted.

Your final exam will be available for you to look at anytime starting
next Wednesday, December 14, and anytime thereafter until the end of 
January.  I strongly encourage you to do so for two important reasons:
(1) seeing what you got wrong can be an excellent learning experience, and
(2) if there is an error in grading, you can bring it to my attention and I
can fix it.

The procedure for looking at your final exam is as follows:

1. Show your UT ID card to my secretary Leticia in her office, 541 ENS,
anytime during normal business hours.  University privacy regulations
require that we make sure we are showing your exam only to you.  If she
is not there, she is probably taking care of some business matter. 
Feel free to wait for her or come back later. 

2. Sign the sheet, indicating when you arrived.

3. Leticia will hand you your exam paper.  You are free to look at it
as long as you wish, but only  in her office.  You may not take the exam
paper from her office and you may not write on it.

4. When you are through examining your final exam, return it to her, and sign
the sheet indicating when you are through with it,

If you feel one or more problems have been improperly graded, tell her that.
She will write this down on a post-it and I will look at it.  If I agree,
I will change your grade on the exam, and if that results in a change to your
grade in the course, I will submit a grade change form.  In any case, I will
send you email on the matter, and we can take it from there.

I should also add that although grading mistakes are very uncommon, they do
occur, and every time I teach EE 306, I do end up submitting one or two grade
change forms.  So, if you believe you were graded improperly, you should
bring it to my attention.  Please do not use this as an invitation to
improperly grub for points.  I will make every attempt to make sure your
exam was graded correctly. 

Finally, there is no urgency as to when you look at your exam, as long as
it is before the end of January.  Stop by at your leisure anytime during the
month of January.

I hope you got a lot out of EE 306, even though I know it was stressful
at times.  I hope to see some of you in EE 360N, which (if I am still at
UT) I expect to be teaching Spring, 2011 and Spring, 2013.

I may continue to send you email over the break as things come up, or
as students ask me questions.  Now that you are about to be "former" 
students, feel free to delete them as you wish. :-)

I look forward to seeing you on campus.  Have a great vacation.  You
earned it.

Best wishes,
Yale Patt