General

Do I have to finish all the modules to pass the course?

No. Your grade is based on the amount of points you gather and the exam. 

I missed a quiz / an essay / a peer review deadline. What do I do?

The deadlines are firm, so you cannot do the activities beforehand or after they have closed. However, there is a possibility for you to make up for the missed assignments by completing one or two of the extra modules. Check the Extra Modules section of the Passing the course and grading page for more information.

What are the grade limits?

The grade table can be found at the Passing the course and grading page.

Where can I see my grades?

On the left of the page, click the blue "Course administration" button, then select Grades.


Quiz

Which of the two quiz scores is my final score?

Your final score is the better of the two attempts. 


Essay

What format should I send my essay in?

You can either attach your essay as a PDF file or submit it in the MyCourses text field. If you submit a PDF, please do not put any identifying information in the file, as the peer review is supposed to be anonymous. Please avoid using other file formats than PDF! 

What are the word limits of the essay?

Essays within 25% of the recommended word count are eligible for full essay points. For instance, if the recommended word count is 700, you should stay within the 525-875 word range to get full points.  

What is included in the word count?

The word count should include the title (+ possible subtitles) and the content of your essay. The reference list is not part of the word count.


Referencing

What source material should I use when writing essays?

Some of the assignments ask you to use for example the module readings as source material. In this case, you are expected to use all of the material mentioned in the assignment. Using further material (articles, information from official web pages, lecture slides) is also allowed, however the use of non-scientific sources such as Wikipedia, is not encouraged. You are not allowed to reference or use text generated by AI. Basing your essay on e.g. the lecture slides alone is not allowed.

Do I have to use references in my essays?

Yes. You need to include references every time you use information that is not your own. This applies to both taking direct quotes from another author and paraphrasing their ideas. Remember also to include an alphabetized reference list at the end of your essay, starting on a new page.

What referencing style should I use?

This course uses the Harvard referencing system. If you are not familiar with this style of referencing, please read the course referencing guide extra thoroughly.

I do not like / am not familiar with Harvard referencing. Am I allowed to use another style?
No. Correct referencing is, unless stated otherwise, one of the assessment criteria in all essays, which is why only one system is used.

I received a lower grade for my first essay because of incorrect referencing. I also made the same mistakes in the following two essays but did not know I was doing something wrong until now. What do I do?

Because of the peer and assistant review periods, the feedback for each essay comes approximately two weeks after the submission deadline. Thus, you might be making mistakes that won't be pointed out until after the 3rd essay submission. This is why reading the course referencing guide thoroughly and adhering to it is extremely important right from the first module to avoid this situation.

Can I use generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) to help me with the exercises?

All text that you submit must be written by yourself. You are not allowed to copy text from the internet or somebody else's exercises, ask a friend to write the exercises for you or use generative AI to produce the text. As stated above, you must reference all sources used in your essays, and ChatGPT (or any other AI-based system) is not acceptable as a source. Please also remember that LLMs often can give incorrect answers and make things up (hallucinate). In the essays, the Turnitin system will be used to evaluate the degree to which AI has been used to produce the text.

Peer reviews

How are peer reviews graded?

The peer reviews are graded as follows:

2: Relevant comments given and reasoning behind them explained

1: Some comments, but no real reasoning for the grade given

0: No comments given

The grade I received is not the average of the three peer reviews. Why?

The peer review grades are moderated by course staff, which means your score will not always match the peer review average.

Where can I see the peer reviews given to me by other students?

Viewing the peer reviews you have received is possible by going to the workshop and clicking on the title of your own essay (under "Your submission"). The peer reviews are visible on the page that opens up.


Course feedback

How does the course feedback module work?

You get 5 points for the feedback module by simply answering the course feedback survey. No other actions are needed.

I have not received the link to the course feedback survey.

The link is a standard Webropol survey link sent from "coursefeedback-no-reply". Remember to check your spam mailbox as well. If you are not an Aalto user and have not received the link, please contact the course staff.

Last modified: Thursday, 7 September 2023, 9:07 PM