Syllabus Addendum

INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION:

The best way to reach me is via Email.  Appointments can be made for meeting times on a case-by-case basis.  My final office schedule will be posted outside the instructor area. 

STUDENT CONTACT INFO:

You will be given a contact information form to complete.  It is your responsibility to complete it accurately.  If you provide false information and I am unable to contact you or leave a message you will be responsible for any missed information.

Attendance:

It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor of attendance issues (lateness, leaving early, absence) prior to class.  To this extent it is also the responsibility of the student to make arrangements for making up missed work.  This includes, but is not limited to; missed quizzes due to absence or lateness, leaving early and missed homework assignments.  The following rules shall apply to all missed work unless more detailed arrangements are made with the instructor:

• Missed assignments, even with prior notification, are initially entered as a '0' (zero).  This is an academic grading convention of ITT.  Upon completion of missed assignments the grade will be changed accordingly, with points deducted!
   
• Please note that the ITT Attendance Policy has two primary elements.
  
  When you miss fourteen (14) days of class you will be dropped from the class roster and will not be placed back on unless you have contacted your instructor or chair.
  
  If you are not in class for twenty-one (21) consecutive calendar days (including holidays and weekends), you will be dropped from the class and will not be re-instated for any reason.  This includes holidays during the term or any other days that the campus may be closed either due to scheduled events or non-scheduled events (i.e. snow day).  If you miss twenty-one (21) consecutive calendar days for all your classes, you will be dropped from school. 
   
• You are to be in class at the beginning of class. Tardiness will not be tolerated. It is disruptive and disrespectful to your classmates. What I call the “East Coast Mentality” applies here: If you’re early – you’re on time. If you’re on time – you’re late. If you’re late – it’s a problem.”

LATE ASSIGNMENTS:

• Assignments are due on the date indicated.
• Assignments may be submitted via email to avoid late penalties. Your subject line must include the Class Number (TB 133) and the night of the week that the class meets.
• Unless prior arrangements are made (see attendance section above), the following rule applies:
  • Late assignments may be turned in up to one (1) week from their original due date.  They will be penalized 10% for each week late.  Later than 3 weeks will be a zero (0). 
  • If you miss in-class graded assignments, you may be able to make up the points if prior permission is granted by the instructor. The make up assignment will be a 3 page, typed, double spaced essay on the topic of the instructor’s choice as it pertains to the week’s lesson.
• If you are turning in assignments to my student inbox (located outside the downstairs faculty area) you should have a faculty member initial and timestamp (date and time) the work.  This gives you a witness to your action and tells me when it was turned in.  This precludes any “but I put it in your box” arguments.

TESTS & QUIZZES:

• Quizzes will be given in class, typically at or very near the start of class.  A makeup quiz can be taken only if prior arrangements have been made.  This means before our scheduled class.  The make-up quiz will be different (and probably more difficult) from the one taken by the students that attended.
• All quizzes will be closed book, closed note, no calculator unless instructed otherwise.

GRADING:

• Be very aware of the percentage break down of the grades for your course.
• Categories with the highest percentages will have the most impact on your overall grade.
• Each category (except the final exam) is made up of multiple assignments.  A single failed quiz assignment among ten (10) quizzes will not cause you to fail the course by itself.
  • EXAMPLE
    • If there are 10 quizzes in a course.  The quiz category is 10% of your grade.  If you consistently earn a 50 on the quizzes.  Your overall grade will decrease by 5 points.
• A zero (0) in any assignment always has a major impact on grades.  Turning in a poor or incomplete assignment is far better than ever getting a zero.

Grading guidelines:

The grading of assignments will be based on several categories such as presentation, content, completeness, correctness, grammar, timeliness, and originality.  Grading of all assignments will conform to the following guidelines unless indicated otherwise: 

• All turned-in work should be typed.  Hand written assignments are not accepted.  This includes hand drawn diagrams.  There is ample access to computer software and hardware within ITT.
• Answers to homework questions should be in the form of complete sentences.
• All assignments should have a header containing the following information: Name, Course number, Day of class, and assignment.  Quizzes and tests require name only.  Missing components will be assessed as needed.
• Grammar will be considered in the grading process.  It is unprofessional to submit error-ridden documents. 
• Presentation is comprised of items such as neatness, format, and overall appearance.  Presentation is critical in professional documents and resumes and it is best to learn these traits early. 
• Maximum value for any assignment will be 100 points.  For grading tests and quizzes, each question will be an equal portion of the 100-point maximum unless indicated otherwise on the assignment.

 ORIGINAL WORK:

All assignments are expected to be a product of your original work.  Original work shall be defined as, a final product to be submitted that is not a copy of someone else's work or plagiarism.  This does not mean that you cannot work with others but rather that each individual must produce their own final product.  Some example scenarios are: 

• Turning in identical summary papers of an assigned topic with the only difference being formatting differences and a name change.  ---This is NOT original work.

• Submitting a summary paper that uses the same sources as another but draws different conclusions or highlights different aspects.  ---This IS original work.

• Submitting a printout of an article found on the Internet and claiming it is your summary.  ---This is NOT original work.

•  Turning in a lab assignment in which the system printouts are identical but in no way could be if generated from 2 separate machines.  ---This is NOT original work.

• Collaborating on how to do an assignment but implementing these ideas independently in unique ways.  ---This IS original work.

 All occurrences of plagiarism are reported to the Dean and Associate Dean and will become part of your original file.

 CLASSROOM POLICIES:

• You are responsible for bringing your text book to each class session. You will need a notebook and something with which to write.
• Cell Phones are NOT permitted in the classroom. Be sure to turn off your cell phone before you come into the classroom. There is no text messaging or talking on cell phones during the class period. You may use your cell phone during class breaks, but not during class.
• Food is not permitted in the class. You may have water in a capped container.
• We will have a 10 minute break each hour – this is your time for the restroom, your cell phone, a snack, etc… Be prompt in returning to class.