Deadlines for assignments will be strictly enforced!
- You may turn in projects BEFORE the deadline, but answers will not be published until the deadline for receiving points has passed for the project.
- Late work will be accepted up until 48 hours past the deadline and WILL have points deducted for being late. THREE points will be deducted when projects are 1-24 hours late. SIX points will be deducted when projects are 25-48 hours late.
- Work that is sent past the 48-hour late deadline will be checked off as completed, but you will not receive any points for it.
- To receive an "A" for the course, you must complete all projects, even if you turn them in too late to receive points. It will be difficult to accumulate enough points to earn an "A" for the course if you turn in projects past the deadline.
So, for each project it is important to turn in SOMETHING!! If you are unable to complete the entire project, turn in what you have done. Guess if you have to, but answer at least one question to show that you looked at the assignment and made an attempt to learn something. Start the assignment early so that if something unexpected happens just before the deadline, you will still have something to turn in. Many assignments build on the previous assignment. So, if you miss turning in an assignment, it is possible that you will not be able to do the next project until you do go back and complete the previous work.
This course requires quite a bit of time "online." You must have a reliable, reasonably fast connection to the Internet. The "beginner" student in previous semesters has reported they spent approximately 2-4 hours per week working on projects. This is a reasonable amount of time to expect for a 2-credit hour course. Have a backup computer (Parkland's labs, friends, family, work) available if your primary computer should develop problems. Having problems with your computer is not a valid excuse for late work.
You are encouraged to go to the class web page, print the assignment and get started early to be sure that you allow enough time to complete the assignment by the deadline. You may turn in work BEFORE the deadline! If you experience any difficulty with finding/understanding the project instructions, it is your responsibility to report these problems as soon as possible. Occasionally web servers will be "down" for short periods of time. If this should happen during the semester, notices will be sent to your Parkland student email account for what to do. If Parkland's email is "down" notices will be put on the class web page. You will also have an email account at Yahoo for this course. Notices may be sent there if Parkland's email server is "down" for more than a few hours. Never assume that server problems will postpone a deadline!! If any server problems develop, I will find an alternative way to provide any information you need to work on projects. Deadlines are FIRM in this course to keep everyone moving through the material at a steady pace and to allow time for evaluation and feedback on projects.
It is your responsibility to check the class web page and your student email frequently for updates or possible corrections/changes to the assignment. When you email me the assignment, I will send a confirmation that I received it. It is your responsibility to check for this confirmation before the deadline and resend me your project if you do not receive my confirmation. Saying that you sent the assignment but "something must have happened to it," so it never made it to me is not a valid excuse for late work. After sending work, you must watch your email for the confirmation. I send a confirmation for EVERY email that I receive from you! Therefore, if you know that you will be out of town or away from your machine near the deadline for a project, be sure to allow time to receive your confirmation before you leave.
If you have an extended illness or other extreme conflict for meeting a deadline, you will need to schedule an appointment to meet with me in person, on campus to discuss your progress in the course. You must contact me as soon as possible if you are having difficulty meeting deadlines. You may be required to provide documentation for any illness, death in the family, or conflict.
TESTS:
A Midterm and Final Exam will be given on campus. Times and dates will be announced on the class web page. The midterm is scheduled for the week of February 27. The final is scheduled for the week of May 8. If you have a serious conflict that prevents you from coming to campus at the scheduled time for the exam, it is your responsibility to make arrangements for taking the exam off-campus. You must contact the instructor at least 2 weeks before the exam to receive approval for taking the exam at a different educational institution with someone to administer the test off-campus. For testing, you will be required to use Internet Explorer software even if you have used another browser to complete lab projects. There is no makeup for the final exam. If you do not take the final exam, your semester grade is automatically dropped two letter grades.
APPROXIMATE GRADING:
Each project is worth 20 points.
Points |
Criteria |
20 |
Perfect. No errors |
19 |
Nearly perfect. Small error. |
18 |
Excellent with small errors. |
17 |
Very good with a major error or a few small errors |
16 |
Good with 1-2 major errors or several small errors |
15 |
Average with 1-2 major errors AND small errors |
14 |
Less than average. Several major errors or many small errors |
13 |
Poor. Many major errors. |
12 |
Very poor. More things incorrect than correct! |
11 or less |
Failing. Too many errors to show comprehension of project. |
Projects = 50%
Midterm and Final Exam = 50%
A = cumulative score of 90% and above, all projects turned in, at least 80% on exams.
B = cumulative score of 80-89%, at least 70% on exams.
C = cumulative score of 70-79%, at least 60% on exams.
D = cumulative score of 60-69%
PARKLAND'S STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC HONESTY
Parkland College believes that the basis for personal and academic development is honesty. Personal commitment, honest work, and honest achievement are necessary characteristics for an educated person. Dishonesty is unacceptable.
Cheating, fabrication and plagiarism are unacceptable at Parkland College. The process of determining the consequences of academic dishonesty begins with the instructor and may proceed to include the department chair or vice president for academic and student services. Any action beyond the assignment of a grade, e.g., a recommendation for suspension from the course, will be referred in writing to the vice president for academic and student services.
Definitions: Cheating, fabrication, and plagiarism are defined as follows:
Cheating: Using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic activity.
Fabrication: Falsifying or inventing any information or citation in an academic activity.
Plagiarism: "Presenting someone else's words, data, work, and ideas as one's own. The rule applies not only to the actual material of the original, but to the structure of its ideas and to those ideas themselves, even in paraphrase. A student must always identify the source clearly and acknowledge the fact that the material is borrowed. What this means is that simply copying such material is not sufficient proof of academic development and achievement on the part of the student. Independent work is always encouraged and expected" (Triton Manual 52).
REPERCUSSIONS OF VIOLATIONS:
The consequences of a violation of the expectations of academic honesty begin with the concerned instructor. The instructor will inform the student privately of his or her findings and attempt a resolution of the problem. Depending on the nature of the case, such resolution could carry the penalty of a failing grade for that assignment, or for the course. The instructor will notify the student of his or her decision and will file incident reports with the respective department chair and vice president for academic and student services. Thereafter, any student discipline must follow regular procedures for academic matters.
Any actions beyond the assignment of a grade, e.g., a recommendation for suspension from the course, will be referred in writing by the instructor to the vice president for academic and student services as an incident report.
AMERICAN DISABILITIES ACT:
If you feel you have a disability for which you need an academic accommodation (including special testing, auxiliary aids, or non-traditional instructional formats), please inform the instructor as soon as possible and/or contact one of the
following for assistance:
Learning Disabilities-Evelyn Brown, Room X148, 351-2587
or for Other Disabilities-Marilyn Ryan, Room A-258, 351-2364.