Examples of Course
Policies
Introduction
As discussed in the Module content, a
number of reasons and types of course policies exist. In all, 14 different
policies were briefly defined. In this section, examples of seven
different types of course policies used by faculty at Kent State
University are provided. See the references for this module for
websites containing additional examples (good and bad) of course polices from a
wide variety of disciplines.
Grading Policies
Example one.
1.
All assignments are due on the date specified in the syllabus. Five
points will be subtracted for each day the assignment is late. If an
assignment is later than one week, and prior arrangements have not been
made, the assignment will not be accepted. NOTE: If you are
overwhelmed or feeling behind, please contact me before the assignment is
due to discuss options.
2.
All students are expected to meet graduate standards by obtaining a
"B" average on all assignments. This graduate standard indicates that the
work was well done, complete, met stated criteria, represents a strong
professional effort, and was turned in on time. Students seeking an "A"
will need to demonstrate superior performance through critical
thinking, exemplary products, positive and supportive interactions with
colleagues, and sustained active participation across course activities.
3.
Any assignment that receives less than an 80% may be
reworked and resubmitted. In order to gain additional points, participants
must indicate what they would like to improve upon and how they plan to do
so. Participants will then have one week following receipt of a grade to
make revisions. Participants are encouraged to work with their peers and
share their work in order to receive feedback prior to due dates.
Example two. There will be two (2) in-term tests which will
cover material from 7 to 8 lectures a piece. The final exam will cover
material from the last 13 lectures. There will be a quiz about halfway
through this last section, because it covers more material and there is a
tendency to "get behind" towards the end of the semester if there is no
assessment.
Feb 12 TEST #1 = 100
March 12 TEST #2 = 100
April 16 QUIZ = 25
May 7 FINAL = 180
Lab = 150
Total 555
points
If you earn 85% (or
more) of the points available for each evaluation you will earn a total of
472 points (or more) and receive an A for the course. If you earn 75% (or
more) of the points available for each evaluation you will earn a total of
416 points (or more) and receive a B for the course. Similarly, if you
earn 65% or 361 total points you will receive a C and if you earn 55% or
299 total points you will earn a D. If you do not earn 55% or 305 total
points you will earn an F.
Example three. The student’s final grade in the course will
be determined by the studio classroom work, independent work, outside
projects created during the current semester and other criteria determined
by the instructor such as active participation, outside reading, class
discussions (constructive criticism), visits to exhibitions, and quality
of completed projects and exams. Various assignments will be designated as
experimental approaches and no grade will be given. As the student
develops a higher proficiency professional level the student will be
informed, in advance, which assignment will be evaluated. See attached
course assignments for specific assignments.
Various self-evaluation
instruments will be used to directly involve the prospective teacher in
ways evaluation may be utilized. Students with questions about their work,
grades, or grading procedures should discuss them with the instructor as
soon as possible—do not wait until the final week of class.
Due dates will be
established with each assignment. Failure to meet due dates will result in
a lowered grade. They will be extended only at the discretion of the
instructor. All work must be completed in order to fulfill the
requirements of the class and receive a passing grade! The use of letter
grades shall be employed in accordance with university policies. Final
grades will be determined using the following scale:
A=100-90
B=89-80
C=79-70
D=69-60
F=59 & below
Example four.
To whom much is given, much is required. I work on the assumption that all
work turned in will be of excellent quality. (It almost always is). If you
will be late or cannot attend class, you should notify your group members
as well as the instructor. Attendance, participation and completion of
projects in a timely fashion are necessary, but not sufficient, for an A
or B in this course. Doing quality work consistently is the key to above
average or excellent performance. Spelling, grammar, sentence
structure, and other aspects of quality of writing are an important
consideration in assigning grades: if you want to be an effective teacher,
you must (learn to) communicate well! The grade for any assignment not
turned in when it is due (in class) will be reduced by one letter per day.
Individual and group work will be assigned a point total and that point
total will be added at the end of the term. 225 - 250 = A; 200 -
224.9 = B; 175 - 199.9 = C; 150 - 174.9 = D and less
than 150 points = F. Please note: If you suffer from
extraordinary adversity (i.e., legitimate medical emergencies, death in
the family) please inform your instructor for further flexibility. Keep up
and apprise me of unusual circumstances as they occur.
Participation Policy
Each student
will be expected to participate fully in all face-to-face and on-line
course activities. Participation is generally defined as working
consistently as a collaborative team member. Participation is also defined
as being a responsive by attending to diverse or individual learning
styles of other members and listening actively during group discussions
and presentations. Lastly, participation is defined as being supportive of
all other participants, the course instructor, and guest presenters by
encouraging critical thinking and diverse ideas. Students are also
expected to participate actively during all sessions. Examples of active
participation include actively listening, commenting, asking follow-up
questions, working collaboratively, sharing resources/ideas, and providing
solutions.
Attendance Policies
Example one.
Students are expected to attend all scheduled class sessions and meetings
related to the course. One point will be subtracted from the students'
over all grade for each class missed. NOTE: If special
circumstances interfere with a student's attendance, they must see me as
soon as a conflict arises so options can be discussed. In general, student
may be excused from one class session if necessary for work, health, or
family reasons without penalty.
Example two. Regular class
attendance is required. Please read your Student Handbook to review the
attendance policy. Students who are unable to attend class more than three
classes should contact the instructor as soon as possible. A student’s
absence from class, tardiness and/or leaving class early will be reflected
in his/her final grade.
Professionalism Policies
Example one.
A key competency related to the program is ensuring that each person
possesses the ability to reflect on their practices, articulate a
philosophy and rationale for decisions, continually self-assess and
evaluate the effects of their choices and actions on others as a basis for
program planning and modification and continuing professional development.
To that end, students and faculty are expected to engage in the
following behaviors over the course of the semester:
§
conduct
themselves in a mature, professional, and civil manner
§
respectful of
ideas presented by people of different cultures, races, genders,
religions, sexual orientations, and national origins
§
exercise the
highest integrity in taking examinations, in collecting, analyzing, and
presenting research data, and in teaching practice
§
take primary
responsibility to inform themselves about the specific regulations and
policies governing their graduate studies at the department and Graduate
School levels
§
manage time
effectively for maximum professional development as well as personal
health and well being, balancing competing demands such as being a
student, a graduate assistant, a parent, a spouse, a caregiver, etc.
§
respect faculty
members’ need to allocate their time and other resources in ways that are
academically and personally productive
§
recognize that
the faculty advisor is responsible for monitoring the accuracy, validity,
and integrity of the student’s work, so that careful, well-conceived
products will reflect favorably on the student, the faculty advisor, and
the University
§
maintain the
confidentiality of the families and children, or community personnel who
participate in related activities
§
ensure
professional development through any of the following activities:
·
participate in
discipline-based activities, such as seminars and conferences
·
participate in
university, departmental, or program governance as a component of
professional development
·
uphold the public
service mission of the university at an appropriate level
Behaviors were adapted from the
University of Wisconsin's Graduate School's Guidelines for Good Practice
in Graduate Education.
Example two.
A
distinguished, now retired, professor of teacher education once told his
class, “In a few short years, you will be charged with molding the minds
of young people: this is deadly serious business.” This class in an
important part of your professional preparation. I intend to treat your
time here with the respect and seriousness it deserves. In return I expect
you to behave in this class as if you were a professional educator.
Copyright and Plagiarism Policy
Across course assignments (e.g., research projects,
applied projects, or group projects) you will be asked to review,
synthesize, and reference relevant sources. In the beginning, locating the
sources is the greatest challenge, but later, the difficulty comes in
synthesizing and summarizing the work of others. As you begin or continue
developing scholarly skills, please understand that honest learning
mistakes are accepted, but deliberate cheating or fraud will not be
accepted. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you are not sure about
how to appropriately site the work of others or how to incorporate your
review of the literature into your products.
The following is a brief description of what
plagiarism is, how to avoid it.
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to,
representing the work of others as your own and not providing full and
correct credit/citations for the work of others. It is important to note
that copying materials from other students, authors, or the WWW, and
pasting them into your work without permission or full citations, will
result in the assignment not being accepted for credit.
The following websites provide more information about
plagiarism and how to avoid it.
http://sja.ucdavis.edu/avoid.htm
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html
Resources for students on plagiarism
http://www.library.kent.edu/plagiarism/bibliography.html
Site with information and resources regarding
copyright laws and fair use
http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/online/copy.htm
Please review KSU's policy on cheating and plagiarism
http://docwhiz.educ.kent.edu/digscap.html#scap
For a copy of KSU's digest of rules see the following
http://docwhiz.educ.kent.edu/digtoc.html
The following is a list of things you should do when
completing assignments for this course.
- Share ideas with others.
- Gain feedback from others (i.e., have them edit
drafts of your work).
- Ask questions.
- Feel free to incorporate knowledge, sources,
information, and products created in other classes as you create,
refine, or revise products for this course.
- Do expect to make mistakes and receive feedback
from others and me.
- Use different strategies when creating products.
For example, use a different colored font when directly quoting the work
of others and then go back and try to reduce the number of direct
quotes, or find a way to elaborate upon the work of others. Also, try to
write before, during, and after your review of relevant literature.
- Cite all materials created by others used in your
products (including PowerPoint slides). Use APA Vol.5 guidelines when
citing the work of others.
Statement of
academic honesty. An institution of higher education is
fundamentally concerned with the free exchange of ideas and thus, depends
on the academic integrity of each of its members. In the spirit of this
free exchange, the students and faculty must recognize the necessity and
accept the responsibility for academic honesty. A student who undertakes
such education thereby agrees to respect and acknowledge the work and
ideas of others in his or her coursework and to abide by those regulations
governing coursework stipulated by the instructor in accordance with
policies and procedures specified in the University Policy Register. Any
student who breaks these regulations, misrepresents his or her own work,
or collaborates in the misrepresentation of another's work, has committed
a serious violation of this agreement. Students are to report violations
and alleged violations of this agreement. Such reports are to be submitted
in writing to the instructor within 48 hours of the alleged violation.
Failure to return a test or exam at the end of the
testing period or after viewing the test (exam) in class or during an
office visit will result in the score for that test being an automatic
zero
I have read and understand the above Statement of
Academic Honesty.
__________________
__________________ _________
Printed Name
Signature Date
Registration Policy
It is the
student's responsibility to ensure proper enrollment in classes. You are
advised to review your official class schedule during the first week of
the semester to ensure proper enrollment. Should you determine an error in
your class schedule, you need to correct it with the advising office. If
registration errors are not corrected and you continue to attend
this class although you are not officially enrolled, you will not
receive a grade at the conclusion of the semester. Further, in order to
avoid the $100.00 late registration fee or a re-registration fee due to
nonpayment, all fees must be paid before (insert date).
See the following websites for additional information.
http://finance.kent.edu/bursar/spring/paymentDeadlines/
http://www.registrars.kent.edu/home/info/AboutReg.htm
Students with Disabilities Policy
In accordance with University policy, if you have a
documented disability and require accommodations to obtain equal access in
this course, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the
semester or when given an assignment for which an accommodation is
required. Students with disabilities must verify their eligibility through
the Office of Student Disability Services (SDS) in the Michael Schwartz
Student Services Center (330) 672-3391.
http://www.registrars.kent.edu/disability/default.htm
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