CLASSROOM POLICIES

-Dr. Taylor-

Updated: January 5, 2013


Academic Honesty. Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated in this class. As per the “Standards of Conduct” in the Undergraduate Bulletin students will be disciplined if they engage in academically dishonest activities.

I am especially concerned with plagiarism on written assignments.  Sloppiness is not an excuse.   The use of someone else’s work is both stealing (from the original author) and lying (to me by presenting someone else’s work as your own).  If plagiarism occurs, the student will be assigned an “F” for the coursePlagiarism simply will not be tolerated.

I will be utilizing a number of tools, including (Turnitin.com) to check for plagiarism.

If you are unclear on the concept, please note the following definition from Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (available via http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary)

Main Entry: pla·gia·rize
Pronunciation: 'plA-j&-"rIz also -jE-&-
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -rized; -riz·ing
Etymology: plagiary
Date: 1716
transitive senses : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source
intransitive senses : to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
- pla·gia·riz·er noun

Also, I would recommend the following sites for information on avoiding plagiarism

Avoiding Plagiarism by Sharon Williams

Plagiarism Q&A

Americans With Disabilities Act:  Students with disabilities, or those who suspect they have a disability, must register with the Disability Services Coordinator in order to receive accommodations.  Students currently registered with the Disability Services Office are required to present their Disability Services Accommodation Letter to each faculty member at the beginning of each term.  If you have any questions, contact the Disability Services Coordinator at (insert phone number and e-mail address of your campus DSC).

If you are in need of assistance, please contact the Adaptive Needs Program (Wright 226/670-3220 or 3221).

Attendance. To learn the material, it is necessary to be in class. Hence, daily attendance is assumed.

To encourage attendance and to reward those who faithfully attend class, there will be a 3% extra credit award added to the final course grade for all students who have perfect attendance (defined as missing no classes whatsoever—excused or not).

To dissuade students from excessive absences, I will deduct a letter grade for every five (5) unexcused absences (absences are only excused if there is documentation of an unavoidable absence such a note from a university official or a doctor’s note). Please note: for absences to be excused, I must receive documentation on the day you return to class.  Late documentation will not be accepted.

Also note: if you are tardy you may be counted absent from class. I am not going to try and go back in time and remember what days you were really in class at the end of the semester. So, make sure that I know you were in class. Or, better yet, just be on time.

(Above applied to Undergraduates only—if you want to be absent a lot in grad school, well it's your funeral).

Deadlines/Due Dates. I am very serious about deadlines. When an assignment is due on a certain date at the beginning of class, it is due on that date at the beginning of class. If you are tardy to class, points will be deducted (typically one percentage point per minute). If your paper is late (i.e., anytime after class) then your paper will not be accepted.

If you know ahead of time that you will be absent on a due-date, you must turn the assignment in early. Only verifiable circumstances will warrant an excuses late paper (along the same lines as the absence policy above).

If you send your assignment with someone else (for example, you fall ill and your roommate acts as a courier) you are still responsible to make deadlines.

I am willing to accept e-mail submission in MS-Word format (please, no WordPad or MS-Works) but all deadlines remain in force (remember:  e-mails are time and date stamped).  If you submit via e-mail I would recommend sending it to me a little early so that I can send you a confirmation in advance of the deadline.  Let’s just say that the ol’ “it must’ve gotten lost in cyberspace” excuse ain’t gonna cut it.

On the day that papers are due, please plan ahead and print your assignments in plenty of time. I reserve the right to penalize students who come late to class simply because they couldn't adequately schedule the printing of their paper.

Electronic Devices. Cell phones should be turned off/set to silent before class starts. Text messaging and e-mailing is not acceptable behavior during class. You may use laptop computers for note-taking, but nothing else. If you cannot come to class and pay attention, perhaps you ought not come to class. If you choose to ignore these rules you may be asked to surrender your device for the remainder of class, or you may simply be asked to leave class.

Incompletes. A grade of incomplete will only be issued in the event of extraordinary circumstances and must be prearranged. An incomplete will never be automatically granted.

Participation. Students are expected to participate in class and all students should feel free to express their thoughts and ideas as they pertain to class. Depending on a specific class, you may be graded on your contributions to class (or lack thereof).

Review Sessions. Often I will schedule review session prior to exams. Review sessions will always be in a Q&A format. I expect questions–if there are no questions, or very few questions, at a particular review session I reserve the right to cancel subsequent review sessions. Remember: these sessions are for your benefit and you only get out of them what you put in!

Talking in class (or anything other than paying attention). I would greatly appreciate it if students would refrain from whispering to one another or passing notes. It is distracting to me and to your colleagues. If you need something repeated, no matter how trivial you think it may be, by all means raise your hand and ask me. Students are always encouraged to ask questions in class. If I am in the middle of lecturing, simply raise your hand and I will be more than happy to take your question. Classroom discussion is always welcome. Also, if you need to do homework from other classes, read the newspaper or any other non-class related activities, I would prefer that you not come to class at all. Also, naps are much more enjoyable on the sofa at home–it is really quite uncomfortable to sleep in those desks!

Tardiness. Please be on time for class—it is the polite thing to do.  Please note:  the doors do lock, and one simply never knows when I might feel like using them.

Wikipedia Rule. Do not use Wikipedia. For each mention/citation of Wikipedia in anything submitted to me will receive a one letter grade deduction off the assignment per usage of Wikipedia.