Question

The following 4 parts relate to this scenario and data.

A professor wishes to develop a numerical method for giving grades. He intends to base the on homework, two tests, a project, and a final. He wishes the final to have the largest influence on the grade. He wants the project to have 20%, each test to have 10%, and the homework to have 20% of the influence on the semester grade.

1. Determine the weights the professor should use to produce a weighted average for grading purposes. (Give answer as a whole number, not a fraction - assume it's a percent)

Final	Project	Test 1	Test 2	Homework
%	%	%	%	%

For a student with the grades below, calculate a weighted average for the course.

Final	Project	Test 1	Test 2	Homework
62	94	69	65	84

2. What is the weighted average of the student's grade? (Round to one decimal place as needed)

This question relates to the question above, with the same data.

Final	Project	test 1	Test 2	Homework
62	94	69	65	84

3. Calculate the unweighted average.   (Round to one decimal place as needed)

4. Why is the weighted average preferable here? Choose the correct answer below.

a. Without weighing a student could get a grade over 100%

b. The weighted average reflects the​ professor's desire for the project to have the most impact on the grade. The weighted average here is closer to the​ student's higher performance on the project than the unweighted average is.

c. The professor is grading on a curve.

d. The weighted average reflects the professor's desire for the final to have the most impact on the grade. The weighted average here is closer to the student's low performance on the final than the unweighted average is.

Answer 1

1.

Weight for Final = 100 - (20 + 10 + 20) = 50%

The weights the professor should use to produce a weighted average for grading purposes is,

Final	Project	Test 1	Test 2	Homework
50%	20%	10%	10%	20%

2.

Weighted average of the student's grade is,

62 * 0.5 + 94 * 0.2 + 69 * 0.1 + 65 * 0.1 + 84 * 0.2

=  80%

3.

Unweighted average is,

(62 + 94 + 69 + 65 + 84 ) / 5

= 74.8 %

4.

The weighted average is preferable because

d. The weighted average reflects the professor's desire for the final to have the most impact on the grade. The weighted average here is closer to the student's low performance on the final than the unweighted average is.