COURSE
POLICIES
-
Homework
contributes 50% to your final grade. Homework is due at the beginning
of class on the due date. Homework turned in after class starts on the
due date will not be accepted for credit unless
a "No Questions Asked" coupon
is attached or an extension has been granted for approved absences or extenuating
circumstances.
Each student receives two "No Questions Asked" coupons
that grant automatic extensions to the due date for homework projects
for any reason (e.g., malfunctioning alarm clock, relationship
problems, work schedules, stress over other classes, hangovers, procrastination). One
coupon may be redeemed for a 24-hour extension; homework must be delivered
to the instructor's office the next day. The other coupon may
be redeemed for a 48-hour extension; homework must be delivered to the instructor's
office two days later (work due in class on a Thursday may be
turned in the following Monday). Only one coupon may be used
per homework assignment. Unused coupons are automatically redeemed for extra
credit at the end of the semester.
Homework mini-projects emphasize using research and writing skills and integrating graphics content into scientific presentations. All work must be logically organized, grammatically correct, and typed; charts and diagrams should be composed electronically whenever practical. Grading rubrics for homework assignments include a substantial "pride of authorship" factor. Work that is illegible or below college-level expectations for scholarship and professionalism will be returned with a grade of 0. The instructor will designate one homework assignment for revision and regrading.
-
Attendance
and class participation contribute 12.5% to your final grade.
Attendance and participation are tracked by responses to clicker questions
that may be posed at any time during class.
Your attendance and participation record will be adjusted only if class
is missed because of a University-excused absence, medical emergency, or
other extenuating circumstance that is communicated in a timely way to the
instructor in person, by telephone, or by e-mail and backed up with credible
supporting documentation. No adjustment will be made if you forget to bring
your clicker to class or its battery goes dead during class.
- Quizzes contribute 17.5% to your
final grade. Quizzes, mostly unannounced, are based on props, “key images,” and lecture discussion topics from previous classes.
- The final exam contributes 20% to your final grade. The final exam is a comprehensive response to a statement that will be provided at the beginning of the semester; the response must be supported by Journal entries that are logged during the semester.
- Letter grades are assigned
to numerical grades as follows: A = 87.5 - 100, B = 75.0 - 87.5, C =
62.5 - 75.0, D = 50.0 - 62.5, and E = 0 - 50.0.
- Einstein's Protégés
preceptors and their study group participants in good standing who have
borderline grades at the end of the semester will receive the higher grade
as their final grade in this course. "In good standing" means
that all conditions of
participation as
a preceptor or as an Einstein's Protégés study group member
have been satisfactorily met.
Non-participants
in study groups who have borderline
grades at the end of the semester will receive the lower grade as their final
grade in this course.
- There are no "extra
credit"
assignments in this course to compensate students for failing to turn in assigned
work. This practice does not mimic real life and it is unfair to students who
strive to complete assigned work on time.
- We
will normally negotiate extensions and provide make-up opportunities for
approved University absences, religious holidays, death in the family, accidents,
and medical emergencies. However, students who elect to cut class for non-academic
travel or other personal reasons should submit assigned work early or arrange
to have it delivered by the due date. If
circumstances require you to submit course work electronically, you must
use formats that the instructor can read with existing software
on his office PC computer. Formats include Microsoft Word,
WordPerfect, Excel, Power Point, HTML, rich-text, PDF, ASCII
text, JPEG, and GIF. Electronic submissions
will not be accepted for credit if the file cannot be opened or if it contains
a virus.
If course work
cannot be turned in on time because of unanticipated computer problems (e.g., printer
failure, hard disc crash), students must present tangible, credible evidence
of having worked on the assignment (e.g., electronic files or paper
copies of drafts) as a necessary condition for negotiating
an extension.
- The Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law that protects
the privacy of student education records. One consequence of
this law is that instructors cannot discuss grades in any
type of communication where the identity of the student making
the request cannot be established beyond reasonable doubt. All questions
about grades should therefore be addressed in person with the
instructor or a GTA during regular office hours or by appointment.
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The University's Code
of Academic Integrity covers many forms of academic dishonesty,
but its basic premise is that work submitted in your name must be the result of your own scholarly efforts. This means that
material incorporated into your work from other sources must be clearly
acknowledged with appropriate citations and references. You may study with
classmates, share class notes, and work collaboratively on the problem
solving phases of assigned work, but the work that you submit for academic
credit must be indisputably expressed in your own words even when it is
based on joint intellectual effort. You may not submit material as one's
own work that has been purchased or copied from a book, web site, or other
source, nor may you allow another student to copy or photocopy your work
and submit it independently for academic credit. "Clicker fraud" is
equally unacceptable; that is, you may not use a clicker registered in
another student's name to misrepresent attendance in class or to submit
responses to in-class prompts. When in possession of compelling evidence
that students have violated the Code
of Academic Integrity, your instructor is empowered to impose sanctions
that range from grade penalties on the assigned work to a failing grade
in the course.
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The
lecture hall is an "academic
sanctuary" within which both the instructor
and students are protected from disruptive behavior that interferes
with learning. Instructors are empowered by the University's Policy
on Disruptive Behavior in an Instructional Setting to establish
and enforce reasonable rules of classroom behavior and decorum. Please
pay particular attention to the following expectations for courteous and
respectful behavior in this course:
- You should be in your seat and ready to begin class on time. Students who
arrive late to class disrupt the class unnecessarily and miss essential announcements.
- The instructor will indicate when class is over. Packing up your belongings
prior to the end of class is disruptive to others around you and to the instructor.
Students who walk out of class early disrupt the class unnecessarily and
display inexcusably rude behavior.
- If unavoidable circumstances make you late for class, or require you to
leave early, offer your instructor or a GTA a brief explanation either before
or after class.
- Pagers, cell phones, and recreational electronic devices must be turned
off and remain unused and out of sight during class.
- Laptop computers and tape recorders may be used during class, but only
to record lecture material. The instructor may designate a special seating
area where such devices may be used.
- Classroom questions and discussion should be civilized, respectful to everyone,
and relevant to the lecture material.
The instructor may dismiss a student
who engages in disruptive behavior for the
remainder of the class period. If the disruptive behavior persists, the instructor
may file a Student Code of Conduct Complaint with the Dean of Students Office
which will investigate the complaint and impose appropriate sanctions.
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It is the University’s goal that learning experiences
be as accessible as possible. Students who anticipate or experience physical
or academic barriers based on disability should discuss options with the
instructor or contact Disability Resources (520-621-3268) to establish reasonable
accommodations.
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Students wishing to receive honors credit for this course through an honors contract should speak to the instructor at their earliest opportunity.
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