Course Policies and Professionalism

Policy on academic misconduct: Cheating, plagiarism or any other form of academic misconduct will be reported to the Academic Conduct Committee of the University Senate for review and may result in failure for the course, university probation, suspension from the university, expulsion or other penalties. The "Academic Conduct" section of the catalog explains your due process rights and responsibilities. See me if you have questions or doubt. (This statement is written by Dr. Alice Horning and approved by the University’s Academic Conduct Committee.)

Attendance: I will take attendance at ALL class sessions. While occasional planned decisions placing other activities at a higher priority than class are understood and at times supported, excessive absences are not permitted. Included in the definition of absence are consistent tardiness and/or more than one early departure from class. If you are not in class, regardless of the reason, you are marked absent. There is no such thing as an ‘excused absense.’ The equivalent of three weeks of absences will result in minus .5 on your final grade. More than three absences will result in failure of the course as detailed in Department policy. You will always have my compassion where appropriate, but compassion does not mean a different policy for you; you must follow the same policy every other student must follow. If you have perfect attendance, I will add .1 to your final grade.

Late Work: Assignments are due on the date specified. Even when absent, your assignments are still due. Early work is always accepted, and you may drop assignments in my department mailbox if you will not be in class. Or you may send an email to show the work is completed and bring a hard copy to the next class session. I will not be responsible for downloading and printing your homework and will only grade your work when I receive the hard copy. However, it is understood that “life happens,” so save your “Life Happens” coupon, which allows you one extra week to hand in the assignment, for cases of extreme illness or unforeseen emergencies.

Classroom Participation: Respect is critical to a positive learning environment, and I expect you to show respect for yourself, others, and the intellectual process. There is a University standard for classroom decorum, and I will not allow for any student to disrupt class sessions. An individual commitment to your own learning and the learning community as a whole is necessary to a positive learning environment. You are expected to be prepared, respectful, and willing to participate in each class session. You are encouraged to participate in all discussions and to ask questions in my classroom. It is understood that your level of participation will vary depending on topics and the size of discussion groups, which will vary from the entire class to small groups and pairs. If you have a question about lecture material, ask it at an appropriate time. Questions or comments about your individual academic standing or personal situation should be reserved for office hours, phone, email, and before or after class. Any student displaying inappropriate behaviors in class will be referred to the Dean of Students’ Office.

Cell Phones and Pagers have no place in a classroom and are not to be seen or heard during class unless there is a compelling reason to leave the device on. If there is a special circumstance, please tell me before class. In addition, the cell phone song and dance policy is officially in place: I hear your cell without warning, and you sing the song of my choice while dancing for the class. (I am especially partial to The Itsy Bitsy Spider right now.) Also, if you text message during class, then your phone will need to sit on my desk during the rest of the semester.

Tape Recorders are welcome under most circumstances. Please notify me as a courtesy and allow me to say no or stop the recording if group conversation and participation are negatively impacted.

Laptop Computers are also welcome. However, be aware of the distraction, or out right health risks, some folks may face from the flicker of the screen. I will say no to laptops if anyone in the classroom has health-related problems. (For example, some people are susceptible to seizures from the flicker, or the flicker can be especially distracting to a deaf classmate.) Again, courtesy for others and respect for the learning environment are paramount. Do sit in the back of the room near a power outlet in order to reduce distraction. And if you are found to be online, IMing, or engaged in some activity not directly related to the class topic, your computer will no longer be allowed in class.

Netiquette: Communication and continuity are important, and the course email and website are critical tools. When sending email, please note if you have a homework question in the subject line: Section, Homework Question. I respond to homework questions before addressing drafts and other topics. You should receive an email within 48 hours, usually sooner; if you do not receive a response within 48 hours, please resend your original message as I may not know you contacted me. Also, be sure you have a professional email address. If the email looks like a spam, I will delete it and never know you tried to contact me. If you would like me to review a paper via email, paste it into the email as I will not open attachments.

Finally, it is ALWAYS preferable for you to come to office hours or call during office hours with questions about assignments, etc. In the past, I have received emails that were sent during office hours, which is illogical when a student could call, have a conversation, and get an immediate answer. Please use office hours as they are intended, for you to speak with my in person or by phone.

Keep All Work
Keep all outlines, notes, quizzes, homework, and essays. If there is ever a question or concern about a grade, you will be expected to produce support for your claim. Furthermore, I encourage you to maintain a file system of course syllabi for future reference. If you ever choose to transfer to another college or pursue an advanced degree, easy access to your course history will be extremely helpful.