2 Attendance and Grading Policy

2 Attendance and Grading Policy

2.1 Course grade

Your course grade will be based on the following table:

2.2 Grading Scale

Your final grade in the class will be based on this table:

2.3 Y Option

If the class has a final exam at the end of the semester you will have an opportunity to specify the lowest grade that you want. If your class does not have a final exam you may request that I submit a Y grade for you if your earned grade is lower than the lowest grade that you want. If you earn a lower final grade, I will submit a Y grade for you. This is not a good option for a variety of reasons. Please drop the class if you can instead of exercising this option. A Y grade is not available to students involved in plagiarism, cheating, or other violations of the student code of conduct.

The "Y" grade description on page 32 of the 2005/2006 college reads as follows:

Y Special Withdrawal: All students are informed of the possible
negative effects of the Y grade.  The decision to grant the 
special withdrawal is based on what is best for the student.

It is my understanding that the "Y" grade does not affect your Pima Community College grade point average and that all in-state universities honor this. Some institutions outside of Arizona treat this grade as a failing grade or "F".

2.4 Student Centered Learning

This class will use "student centered learning". There will be less lectures and more class discussion than is many classes you may have taken in the past. I will expect that when you arrive at class that you are prepared. Prepare for class by reading the associated material prior to the class. Also use the Internet to look at related material. Each section of the class will start with a short quiz. Discussion of the material will take place after the quiz.

2.5 Attendance

Your attendance in class will help you learn the material covered. You are expected to attend all classes and participate in class discussions. Some times I will take attendance. Non-attendance and late arrival may result in missed quizzes. If lack of attendance and participate in class discussions becomes a problem, attendance and participation may be incorporated into the quiz portion of the class grade.

2.6 Quizzes

• Plan on reading one or more chapters from the textbook prior to each quiz in preparation for the quiz. The quizzes are with closed book and no notes.
• The quizzes will be will be short 15 question mark-sense quizzes. Bring a pencil and an eraser to class on quiz days. Normally the quiz will be given at the start of the class, but not always.
• The three lowest quiz scores will be discarded.
• There may be a time limit on the quizzes.
• There will be no make up quizzes except for circumstances deemed exceptional by the instructor.
• If you arrive more than five (5) minutes past the start of the quiz, you will not be allowed to take the quiz. If you arrive late, you must finish your quiz prior to the last student that arrived on time.
• If you are going to miss a quiz because of a religious observation you will need to notify me at least one week in advance so that accommodations can be made for you to take the quiz early.
• Cheating is never acceptable. If you are caught cheating you will receive a score of -15 points for that quiz. This score will not be discarded. See the Student Code of Conduct for other possible outcomes.

2.7 Reports

The computer field changes so fast that regardless of what you learn in this class some of it will be out of date shortly. The only way to stay current in regard to computers is to read and research constantly. To communicate what you have learned, you need to write. Reading, writing, and research are important in the "white-collar" workplace as well. This importance is reflected in this class by the class requirement of a written report(s). The reports I am asking for are short, between 3 and 6 pages. They need to be proofread by the Learning Center. (I am not a writing instructor.) This is to help you with your writing skills and technique. As with many things in life, practice helps, time on task helps, and assistance helps. Writing is no different.

Now some thing you should already know:

The reports must be original writing done for this class. The reports must be done with a word processor, and must be proof read. This must be done by the writing lab. All reference used must be cited completely. If a quote from someone else's work is used, it must be placed in quotation marks and given a complete citation. You may NOT paraphrase someone else's work and call it your own. Plagiarism is not acceptable. If you plagiarize or copy the work of others you will receive full negative credit for the report.

The Learning Center is located West Campus Santa Catalina building (C), second floor, north end in room C217 (Hours: Monday through Thursday 8:00 AM -- 8:00 PM, most Friday 8:00 AM -- 2:00 PM, and no Saturday or Sunday hours. Phone: 206-6819).

When you turn in your report attach the version of your report that was marked-up by the Learning Center to the back of your final document. This marked-up version is required.

I do NOT like binders. Staples are preferred. Thanks. The Learning Center will, in addition to marking up your draft document, date and sign the first page and initial all of the other pages. If they don't do this, please ask them to.

Please double space the draft of the report that you take to Learning Center. This will assist them in proofreading your report.

The length of the reports is expected to be between 3 and 6 pages, single spaced, 12 point type (NOT counting cover sheets). If your report is less than 3 pages you need to do more research and write more about your topic. Avoid excessive quotations. (Excessive quotations don't count as part of the reports length anyway.)

You are STRONGLY encouraged to turn your completed reports in early. Extra credit will be given if your report is at least a week early and well done. Failure to turn a report on time will result in the loss of 1% of your class grade per office day that it is late.

Reports must be turned in at West Campus, Rincon building, first floor, room H-112, Division Dean's Office. Reports are due prior to the close of the business day. If the door is shut, please slide your report under the door. Make sure my name (Louis Taber) is on the outside of your report. They are open Monday through Friday: 8:15 AM -- 4:45PM PM, Saturday & Sunday: none. If you do talk to someone when you turn your report in, please remind them to time-stamp the report.

2.8 Plagiarism

The Webster's II New Riverside University Dictionary[34] defines plagiarize as follows:

When writing your reports it is certainly necessary to reference the work of others. It is also important to give credit. As you can see above, I used the dictionary, but there is no doubt about where I got the information. Most issues of plagiarism can be resolved simply by giving credit where credit is due.

The Internet with its search engines has made it both easier to plagiarize and to spot plagiarism. Locating and then copying from a web can take just a few seconds. Re-locating the same work takes, perhaps, even less time. In the past only a very well read individual could locate a plagiarized passage, today both Internet search engines and specific tools make it easy to check for plagiarized passages. For example, a Spring 2006 student plagiarized from an Internet site for their report. To find the original with Google I simply searched for 4 country names in the order that they appeared in the report. Google's first suggestion was where the material came from.

Check out google print when you get a chance. Google Print is truly an amazing research tool.

Certainly use the Internet to help you research your topic, or whatever you are researching or writing about, but give credit where credit is due. If you use someone else's phrase, quote it and cite it. If you use an image or drawing in a paper, again, give credit where credit is due.

It is my understanding that seven (7) identical consecutive words in two different documents is usually considered to have been copied. At first glance this seems like it would be impossibly strict. It isn't. Any natural language has so many possible combinations of words that it simply doesn't happen very frequently by accident.

Please note that simply rewriting someone else's work is still plagiarism. It is just much harder to find.

In summary, do your own work. Certainly feel free to include someone else's work, but make sure that there is no doubt about where the material came from, what was used, and who created it.

2.9 NetTutor proofreading options

Weekend classes also have the option of using NetTutor to have there paper(s) proofread. If you are going to do this you need to:

• Set up an account at NetTutor. Use the following access code: 0285770807
• Place your e-mail address on the title page of your paper before you submit it.
• Get a verification code from the NetTutor that you used there services. Write this code on the final version of the paper you turn in.

Be aware of the hours that the NetTutor keeps:

• Monday through Thursday -- 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM
• Saturday -- No hours
• Sunday -- 12:00 noon to 9:00 PM

Also realize that it will take several hours at a minimum to have your paper proofread and returned.

2.10 Americans with Disabilites Act

Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Students with disabilities requiring special accommodations are strongly encouraged to notify the instructor at the beginning of the semester so that appropriate verification and identification of reasonable accommodations may be made in a timely manner. (Accommodations cannot be made without verification of need.)" ²

2.11 Class Calendar - Monday/Wednesday

2.12 Class Calendar - Tuesday/Thursday

2.13 Class Calendar - Weekend class

2 Attendance and Grading Policy