GRADING POLICY AND EXAMINATIONS

The grading scale for the course is (in %):         

100‑91 = A

  90‑81 = B

  80‑71 = C

  72‑61 = D

     <61 = F

EXAM WEIGHTING FOR GROSS ANATOMY AND EMBRYOLOGY

 * You must achieve a grade of D or better on the comprehensive final examination to pass the course. 

TOTAL WRITTEN AND LABORATORY EXAMINATIONS GRADE = 100%

* This weighting scheme is to assist you in seeing the relative value of each examination. Your final grade is based upon your performance on the examinations and the percentage each contributes to the total of 100%.

            Written examinations are a potpourri of question types, including, but not limited to, multiple choice, matching, fill‑in‑the‑blank, illustration labeling, and short answer. These examinations are based in large part, but not exclusively, upon material introduced and covered in lectures and handouts, and on structures seen in the laboratory. Exams may include material presented in clinical correlations. Each regional written examination, except the first, will include review questions concerning the region immediately preceding the current unit. We urge you to test yourself prior to the graded examinations. You may want to use exam questions available on the network and software on the computers in the gross anatomy laboratory, and self-test exam questions which may be made available to you by the faculty. The Final Comprehensive exam is cumulative of the entire semester. The distribution of questions by region on the Final is similar to the weighting given the exams for each region.

            Laboratory examinations ("practicals") are based upon identification of structures on prosections that are labeled in the digital images that are distributed for study. However, a number of other questions will be asked in addition to naming the structure including innervation, embryological origin, muscle action, etc. These questions will require knowledge of material contained in lectures and lecture handouts.

            Other questions include, for example, identification of structures on models, bones, and non-invasive images, including computer images. Some questions require short answers related to the structures, e.g., nerve supply. Students must proceed through these exams in a timely fashion.

            Examination dates and times are given in the class schedule. In every case, be prompt for the start of an examination! Excused absences must be in accord with Marshall University policy for Absences from Examinations.

            We ask you to dedicate yourself to honesty and professionalism in your interactions with your classmates, your faculty and yourself. In the Student Oath of Commitment you will make at the White Coat Ceremony you will pledge, in part: “Toward this end, I will conscientiously and cooperatively work with my peers and professors in learning the art and science of medicine. ... I will not compromise myself, nor endanger the welfare of my future patients, by employing unworthy methods in the pursuit of my education. I pledge to perform to the best of my ability and to engage in continuous self-evaluation in an effort to address my limitations.” These attributes are in keeping with several of the objectives stated in this Guide on page 2-3. PLEASE, do yourself, your classmates, colleagues, and faculty a good deed and commit yourself to your pledge and to the goals we have set for the course.