OFFICE HOURS: 10 - 11:30 Mondays
OFFICE: G26 Annenberg
Welcome to COM 202. This statement provides policy guidelines that will help create a positive learning environment where we can explore communication technologies. Please read them carefully.
Attendance – Attendance in this course is mandatory. There will be a sign-in roster each day to verify your attendance. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have signed the roster. There are no excused absences. The only acceptable excuses for missing class are family emergencies and illness (these excuses must be verified by a doctor’s note). I allow one unexcused absence across the entire course.
Tardiness – Tardiness is defined as arriving after the class has finished signing the sign-in roster. Being tardy or leaving early from class three times will count as one absence. Again, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have signed the sign-in roster. If you arrive tardy on a day that a classmate is giving a presentation please wait outside the door until the presentation has finished and enter the room before the next speaker begins.
Grading -- Assignments will be graded on a 1 to 10 scale with 10 being a perfect score. Quizzes will be graded as a zero, check, and check plus. A zero means the student was not present for the quiz. A check signifies the student completed the quiz, but with the wrong answer(s). A check plus means the student completed the quiz correctly.
Assignments – Late work will be docked one point per day and will not be accepted 48 hours after the due date. Assignments are due at the start of class on the date indicated on the assignment sheet. Assignments turned in after the class has signed the attendance sheet will be considered late. No exceptions. Late assignments may be returned later than assignments that are turned in on time.
Respect – Both the instructors and the students are entitled to respect. I will treat you with respect and I expect you to extend that courtesy to your classmates. Disrespect will impact your participation grade. The following behaviors will not be tolerated:
- Reading the newspaper (includes sudoku and crosswords)
- Sleeping
- Doing homework for other classes.
- Leaving class early. We will leave as soon as class hours are over so please do not prepare to leave prior to the end of class. If you need to leave class early please notify me prior to class. The decision on whether you can leave class early is mine.
- Discouraging or disrespectful comments to your classmates.
Violating these rules will impact your participation grade.
Grades – I am willing to discuss your grades with you but not in the classroom. If you would like to discuss a grade please come to my office hours or make an appointment to meet with me outside of class time.
I will never discuss other student’s grades. Additionally, please wait 24 hours after I return an assignment to discuss a grade with me. My desk is in the PhD office in the basement and my office hours are from 10:00 to 11:30 on Mondays. I will only change a grade if I believe that I have made a mistake in grading. If you wish to discuss a grade please come prepared with specific reasons based upon what we have learned in class as to why the grade is inappropriate
Participation –Participation points in this course are earned in three ways. First, assignments must be saved in the proper computer file format (MS Word) and labeled according to the directions provided by the instructor. Second, it is required that each student reads at least 15 minutes worth of technology news a week and is prepared to discuss what he or she reads at the beginning of section. This can be found on wired.com, google news, etc. Lastly, be prepared to discuss both the lecture and reading material in section.
Supplies – Nothing is required for this class! However, our learning environment will be enhanced if you bring your laptops, cell phones, blackberries etc. You are encouraged to look things up, to test out features and software, and to share interesting information about communication technologies.
I hope that you find this discussion section to be an enjoyable experience. Please remember that it is designed to connect what we have learned in class to your everyday work and play. As a result, the more you participate in class the more you will benefit and grow. Please feel free to come to me with any suggestions for ways you feel the section could be more enjoyable.
