Photo: Colleen Hayes / NBC.

Earning Free Passes

You initially have 1 free pass to use during this course. You will earn more free passes based on your performance on each unit exam:

• 1 free pass for a 90.0 (A−) or higher on a unit exam,
• 3/4 of a free pass for between 80.0 (B−) and 89.9 (B+),
• 2/3 of a free pass for between 73.0 (C) and 79.9 (C+),
• 1/2 of a free pass for between 70.0 (low C−) and 72.9 (high C−),
• 1/3 of a free pass for between 67.0 (low D+) and 69.9 (high D+), and
• No free passes for anything lower than 66.9 (D).

You will also earn more free passes based on each of your weekly quiz grades:

• 1/4 of a free pass for a 90.0 (A−) or higher on a weekly quiz grade,
• 1/5 of a free pass for between 80.0 (B−) and 89.9 (B+),
• 3/20 of a free pass for between 73.0 (C) and 79.9 (C+),
• 1/10 of a free pass for between 70.0 (low C−) and 72.9 (high C−),
• 1/20 of a free pass for between 67.0 (low D+) and 69.9 (high D+), and
• No free passes for anything lower than 66.9 (D).

This means you have the opportunity to earn up to 9 more free passes.

Using Free Passes

1 free pass may be exchanged for any of the following:

• A 24-hour extension for completing a unit exam (in addition to the automatic 36-hour grace period), or
• A 48-hour extension for completing a week’s modules (in addition to the automatic 36-hour grace period).

2 free passes may be exchanged for any of the following:

• Dropping your lowest weekly quiz grade (in addition to those dropped automatically at the end of the semester), or
• Making up for any missed tweets (up to 5) for one week.

4 free passes may be exchanged for any of the following:

• Dropping your lowest 2 weekly quiz grades (in addition to those automatically at the end of the semester).

5 free passes may be exchanged for the following:

• Dropping your lowest unit exam grade (in addition to the one dropped automatically at the end of the semester).

6 free passes may be exchanged for the following:

• Dropping your lowest 3 weekly quiz grades (in addition to those dropped automatically at the end of the semester).

Finally, for each free pass that you do not use by the end of the course, I will boost your overall participation grade by +0.5 point.

So use your free passes wisely!