I run my courses based on established and published policies so that students know just what to expect. If you carefully read this page at the beginning of the semester and then refer to it as needed throughout the semester, you should understand your rights and responsibilities as a student in this course.
If you have questions, of course, feel free to ask them.
Your grade in this course will depend to varying degrees upon several aspects of your work. The specific breakdown is as follows:
Please note that although attendance at lectures is not factored directly into your grade, your attendance will likely have a significant impact on your grades. Please see the attendance policy below for details.
I’m happy to explain my grading practices and policies to anyone who is concerned about their standing in the class, but in short they can be summarized as follows:
I do not count attendance at class meetings toward your grade. However, students who actively participate in class meetings tend to earn better grades on both coursework and exams. They hear the important announcements, experience the material as I present it, and pick up the various hints and pointers I provide along the way—all of which are hard to get from copied notes. Exposure to these sometimes subtle, but often important, insights allows participating students to achieve higher scores.
Also, regular participation in class meetings is the best way to help yourself succeed in the course. I am happy to assist students throughout the semester, but I cannot learn the material for you. You must first take the initiative and do what you can to help yourself. If you have not been attending class meetings regularly and come to me seeking help, do not be surprised if my first suggestion is for you to get the notes you’ve missed from a classmate and start attending.
Your final grade will be assigned based upon how well you perform relative to your classmates. There is a common misperception that this means that students with prior knowledge have an advantage. However, history has demonstrated that participation in class meetings offers a far greater advantage than prior knowledge.
Assignments are due at midnight on the date indicated in the assignment description. Anything submitted after this point will be considered late and penalized as described below:
All of the above is negotiable if you have a valid excuse. However, it is your responsibility to get special allowances from me by e-mail. Even if we discuss such allowances face to face, they will not be considered official until you get me to confirm them in writing. As a general rule of thumb, the sooner you contact me about a difficulty, the more flexibility and forgiveness I am likely to have. And, remember, I will be the one to decide the validity of your excuse, and I will do so in consideration of fairness to your classmates as well as you.
Exams and quizzes will be announced so that you can plan and study accordingly. Makeups may be allowed at my discretion, but only if you contact me before the exam or quiz is administered. Be sure to get confirmation of your makeup from me by e-mail to make it official! I will not drop any exam scores at the end of the semester.
In this course (as with most courses, and indeed life in general) you will be expected to do your own work. All work which you submit and/or display as your own original work must in fact be your own original work. If any portion of the work which you do for this course is an exact replica or derivation of the original work of another, it is your responsibility to obtain the creator’s permission to utilize his or her work and indicate the extent of the creator’s contribution to your work.
Unfortunately, experience has demonstrated that a handful of students find this simple statement ambiguous. Therefore, I have composed a Code of Conduct for my classes. Please be sure you read and fully understand this document. You may be asked to submit a signed copy to me.
It is also your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the University’s Code of Ethics regarding the use of campus computing facilities and adhere to it.
Likewise, you will be expected to act as a good citizen within the networked society you are able to access as a UNH student. Use your common sense and good taste and remember that you will be held accountable for all network activity originating from your account.
Potential penalties for failing to abide by these rules can range from zero scores on individual assignments, to failure of the course, to loss of University computing privileges, to (in extreme cases) legal action.