Frequently Asked Questions about Logic I (Phil 279)

General Questions

1. This is a philosophy course at an introductory level. So it's really easy, right?
2. So how much work does it require?
3. What's with the grade scale? 60 points for a D, 93 for an A. That's harsh!
4. Are the marks curved?
5. Why can't I buy the textbook used, or sell it after the class is over?
6. I don't have a computer/I don't like computers. Why do you force me to do all this work on the computer?
7. How do I get overloaded in this course?
8. Do I need a University email account?
9. Who or what are Tarski, Boole, and Fitch?
10. How do I write all these weird symbols in BlackBoard/in email?
    

    Course Policies and Procedures

11. I need an extension/I have a question about the homework mark. Who should I talk to?
12. I can't make your office hours. Where can I get help?
13. Can I just email you my assignment?
14. How do I find out what my current grade is?
15. Since the worst homework mark is dropped, that means I can miss one, right?
16. I just submitted my homework, but I found a mistake. Can I resubmit?
    

    Software Questions
    

17. How do I register with the Grade Grinder?
18. Submit can't connect to the Grade Grinder. What should I do?
19. The Grade Grinder is really slow. Should I resubmit my files or what?
20. I've lost my Registration ID. What should I do?
21. My grade report says that some of my files were "not gradeable"--what gives?
22. I'm in the TRI Lab. Where's the software? How do I find the exercise files?

1. General Questions

This is a philosophy course at an introductory level. So it's really easy, right?

No. This is a course in formal logic. Some people (especially science, computer science, and math majors) find the material easy. Some people (including, surprisingly, many computer science majors) find the material very hard. In terms of work required and "feel" it is much more like a math course than a philosophy course. You don't need to know (much) math to do well here, though, but you do need a certain ability to think in abstract terms.

The average grade is about a C+/B–. The average grade is about a C+/B–. In any given term, roughly 25% of registered students end up getting A-range grades; 25% between B– and B+; 20% between C– and C+; 5% D or D+; 5% of those taking the final exam got F’s; and about 20% withdraw. If you’re worried that only science majors do well here: Some of the top students in previous classes majored in fine art, religious studies, philosophy, and management.

So how much work does it require?

It is not unusual for students to spend 10-15 hours on an assignment. It takes less time if you keep on top of the reading and do the assignments as we cover the material in class. Some students aren't very good at budgeting time and leave assignments to a day before the due date. Then it certainly will take a lot of time, and it will be difficult to complete the assignment.

Even 10-15 hours per assignment isn't that much on average. With six assignments, this works out to about 5-7 hours a week, or about 1.5-2 hours per our spent in class. If you do all the exercises on the homework, you shouldn't need to study much in addition.

What's with the grade scale? 60 points for a D, 93 for an A. That's harsh!

First of all, the scores assigned to the problem sets and exams are not percentages. The oint values of individual problems and the conversion scale are designed to produce approximately the “right” marks. 80 points on a test does not mean that you got 80% of the answers right.

In many courses (including other sections of PHIL 279/377) the grade scale is set so that 50 is a D, and sometimes anything over 90 is an A. In these courses, however, it is much harder to attain these percentages. In this course, your assignments count for 50% of the final grade, in others it is usually much less. It is easier in general to score well on homework assignments: there is no time pressure, you have textbook and notes available, and you can talk to the instructors about the problems. In this course, in addition, you are encouraged to collaborate with your colleagues, and the final score is the average of your five best assignments (lowest score dropped). Also, since about 75% of the problems are done on the computer, you can have the computer check your solutions before you submit them. Thus, for 75% of your assignments, there is almost no reason other than lack of time for you not to get a perfect score. In addition, 5% of your grade consists in participation (in class, on the website). That is another 5% which are (almost) "free".

So, the grade scale, although it "looks" harsh, is in fact just as harsh (or lenient) as in other courses. Experience shows that the grade scale, as it stands, results in a perfectly average grade distribution, and the final letter grades students receive on the whole corresponds closely to the definitions of those letter grades in the University Calendar).

Are the marks curved?

No. The grade scale is based on a fixed scale.

Why can't I buy the textbook used, or sell it after the class is over?

The textbook comes with a software package and license to use an online grading service called the "Grade Grinder". The license is non-transferable, unfortunately, so whoever buys a used copy can't use the software. For the same reason, the bookstore will not buy back used copies of the text after the term.  However, the textbook is significantly cheaper than even used copies of competing textbooks used in other sections of Phil 279, so your overall expenses will be about the same as in other sections of Phil 279.

I don't have a computer/I don't like computers. Why do you force me to do all this work on the computer?

The software runs on any Windows or Mac OS computer (even versions for Linux are available). This includes the computers in open-access labs on campus and the Information Commons. You can take your CD there, and do the work even if you don't have a computer. Perhaps a case can be made that a university education which didn't require you to become familiar with computers is not worth much in this day and age. But if you feel strongly that you shouldn't have to use a computer in a philosophy course, again, you are free to take the course from an instructor who uses a traditional textbook.

Who or what are Tarski, Boole, and Fitch?

They're logicians.

How do I write all these weird symbols on BlackBoard/in email?

In email, you can use some plain text approximation of the symbols (e.g., '->' for the conditional '→'). On BlackBoard you can also use special codes called "HTML4 Character Entity References." These as well as suggested plain text alternatives for the symbols commonly used are listed on a separate page on logic symbols.

2. Course Policies and Procedures

How do I get overloaded in this course?

In general, overload requests will only be granted if you need to take the class this term in order to graduate. However, exceptions can be made in certain circumstances. You should come to my office hours.

If you have no pressing reason to take the class this term, you can hang out and wait for students to withdraw. Usually, space will open up a week or so into the term.

Do I need a University email account?

A course website on U of C’s BlackBoard server has been set up. You should be automatically registered on the first day of class if you’re registered in the class. To access he BlackBoard site, you can either go directly to blackboard.ucalgary.ca and log in with our UCIT account name and password, or you can access it through the myUofC portal at my.ucalgary.ca. To sign up for a UCIT account, see the the Student Computer Support website.

You need an email account for using the Grade Grinder, but any email address is fine. However, you will have to use the same email address for the entire course, so pick an account which you are reasonably sure will work for the entire term (at least).

Note: The BlackBoard site is not where you check @ucalgary.ca email; to check email on your UCS account, go to Webmail or see the IT email page on other options. Hence, if you use your @ucalgary.ca email address for Submit, don't look on BlackBoard for your grade reports. Again, you can use any email address you like for Submit and the Grade Grinder.

I need an extension/I have a question about the homework mark. Who should I talk to?

The homework assignments are graded by the TAs. Please contact your TA if you need an extension or want to talk about the homework mark.

I can't make your office hours. Where can I get help?

If you can't make your TA's or my regular scheduled office hours, ask for an appointment. With advance notice, this is no problem. If my office door is open, I'm also usually able to talk to you about logic without an appointment. If all else fails, post your question on the wbesite discussion board. One of your colleagues will usually be able to answer the question; otherwise, I will. Email is of course also fine, but it usually isn't much faster than posting, and others might benefit from the question and/or the answer.

Can I just email you my assignment?

Please don't. If for some reason you can't make it to campus by the deadline, you can email your assignment as proof that you've done it. You should still give a hardcopy to your TA.

How do I find out what my current grade is?

Marks on assignments, exams, and "current earned grades" are added/updated on BlackBoard as they become available.

Since the worst homework mark is dropped, that means I can miss one, right?

No. You must turn in all six assignments. The lowest mark will be dropped, and that might include a mark of 0 if you handed in the assignment late.

I just submitted my homework, but I found a mistake. Can I resubmit?

Please check your solutions before you submit to "Instructor Too". If you absolutely have to resubmit work, you must submit the entire set of files again. The TAs will not mark electronic submissions that come in bits and pieces; only the most recent complete submission will be marked.

3. Software Questions

How do I register with the Grade Grinder?

Complete the "You try it" exercise on pp. 8-10 of the text. This will walk you through your first submission to the Grade Grinder using Submit. When you Submit your first file, you'll be asked for:

• Your name: Enter your name as it appears on your university records. If your last name is more than one word, use a hyphen. You can leave out middle names unless they are the names you go by. E.g., if your name is "Dana Alex van der Linden" then enter your name as "Dana van-der-Linden".
• Your Registration ID: That's the number on your CD.
• Your email address: Enter the email address you want your grade reports sent to. Don't enter your @ucalgary.ca address unless you check email on that account.
• Instructor name: Richard Zach
• Instructor email address: rzach@ucalgary.ca

Submit can't connect to the Grade Grinder. Why? What should I do?

There are a number of possible causes for this:

• You're not connected to the internet. Make sure you activate your dial-up account before you start Submit. Submit won't dial for you automatically.
• Your computer is behind a firewall. If your browser connects to the web through a proxy, you will have to tell Submit to connect through proxy as well. To find out what your proxy settings are, do this: In Internet Explorer, go to "Internet options" in the Tools menu. Then select "Connections", then "LAN settings". In Netscape, go to "Preferneces" in the Edit menu, then select "Advanced", then "Proxies". Enter the information you find there in "Settings" in the File menu of Submit.
• Your installation didn't work right. Try reinstalling the software.

If none of this helps, you'll have to bring your files with you on a USB stick (or email them to yourself), and submit them from a computer on campus, or from someone else's computer where Submit can connect to the Grade Grinder.

The Grade Grinder is really slow. Should I resubmit my files or what?

Sometimes, especially in the last few hours before a deadline, GG is under heavy load and may take up to a couple of hours rather than the usual 5-10 minutes to process your submission. If Submit told you that the files were received, there is no need to resubmit them. You can use the "GG Status" button to check on your submission. It's a good idea to make a note of the submission ID reported by Submit, just in case.

I've lost my Registration ID. What should I do?

If you've already used the Grade Grinder, you can find your ID in the grade reports you got back. Look for a line that says

"Submission ID: 02.063.20.44.59.L12-1234534"

The part after the last "." is your Registration ID. If you don't have old grade reports, you can have it emailed to you.

My grade report says that some of my files were "not gradeable"--what gives?

Usually this means that you submitted a file for an exercise where no file of that type was required. If, say, Exercise 3.1 asks you to submit a world file, and you turn in a world file and a sentence file (by mistake), GG won't know what to do with the sentence file and complain that it's "ungradeable". Another possiblity is that you misnamed your file. If you intended to turn in World 2.1.5 but named it World 2.15, GG will complain because there is no World 2.15 to submit for exercise 2.15.

I'm in the Arts Faculty Computer (a.k.a. TRI) Lab. Where's the software? How do I find the exercise files?

The software and textbook are installed on the computers in the AFCL Lab (018 SS). To start the programs or read the textbook, go to:

Start > Programs > Math-Stats > LPL Software