Course Policies
(Consider this document an extension of the syllabus)

Academic Dishonest:  I encourage students to work and study together whenever possible. However, students must hand in their own work for individual assigments. If you are caught engaged in academically dishonest behavior in this class, you risk failing the course and being subject to academic discipline including the imposition of university sanctions. Whatever the severity, all cases of academic dishonestly will be reported. A description of the forms of academic dishonesty and possible sanctions may be found in the Student Code .  The following definition and descriptions are taken from the Student Code (PPM 6-22 and go to  IV D2):

...As members of the academic community, students shall:

1. Maintain academic standards including Institutional, School/Department/Program, and individual course standards.

2. Maintain academic ethics and honesty; to this end, the following activities are specifically prohibited:

                                a. Cheating, which includes but is not limited to:

1) Copying from another student's test paper.
2) Using materials during a test not authorized by the person giving the test.
3) Collaborating with any other person during a test without authority.
4) Knowingly obtaining, using, buying, selling, transporting, or soliciting in whole or in part the contents of any test, without authorization of the appropriate official.
5) Bribing any other person to obtain any test.
6) Soliciting or receiving unauthorized information about any test.
7) Substituting for another student or permitting any other person to substitute for oneself to take a test.

                                   g. Infringing on the copyright law of the United States which prohibits the making   
                                       of reproductions of copyrighted material except under certain specified conditions;

Attendance:  Class attendance (Face-to-face clases) or engagement (Online classes) is required and will be monitored. If a student is judged to be absent or disengaged for at least 25% of the classes, the student will be counseled to withdraw from the course.

Class(less) Behavior I work hard to create a positive learning atmosphere in my classes and have little patience for students' inappropriate or rude behavior.  I will discuss the issues with any offending students to help them understanding them. But students repeatedly engaging in rude or inappropriate behavior will be counseled to drop the course.  

For Face to Face classes: If you arrive late to class, please wait at the door until I invite you to sit down. If you must leave early on a particular occasion, please let me know beforehand. Do not make a habit of arriving late or leaving early as many (including me) find it very distracting. The following behaviors are rude when they take place during class time: a) holding private conversations, b) sleeping, c) reading other material, or d) doing other work.

For Online Classes:  As an online course is mostly verbal, online etiquette or netiquette (http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html) focuses on the use appropriate language for an educational environment:

1. Use complete sentences
2. Use proper spelling and grammar
3. Avoid slang and uncommon abbreviations
4. Do not use obscene or threatening language
5. Remember that the WSU values diversity and encourages discourse. Be respectful of differences while engaging in online discussions.

Completing all Work:  All assignments (papers, presentations, projects, quizzes, simulations, etc.) that are not embedded in online modules (in an online course) must be completed in order for students to pass the course.  Students will receive a grade of I (incomplete) if any work is missing when the final grades are computed.  The grade of I will turn into a UW if the work is not completed in a timely fashion. 

Computer Requirements for Online Students: Students are assumed to have the sufficient computer equipment by enrolling in an online course.  These requirements are outlined at the following CE web site: http://departments.weber.edu/ce/distancelearning/computerrequirements.aspx

Core Belief Statement:  According to PPM 6-22 IV, students are to “[d]etermine, before the last day to drop courses without penalty, when course requirements conflict with a student's core beliefs. If there is such a conflict, the student should consider dropping the class. A student who finds this solution impracticable may request a resolution from the instructor. This policy does not oblige the instructor to grant the request, except in those cases when a denial would be arbitrary and capricious or illegal. This request must be made to the instructor in writing and the student must deliver a copy of the request to the office of the department head. The student's request must articulate the burden the requirement would place on the student's beliefs.”

Disabilities: Any student requiring accommodations or services due to a disability must contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) in room 181 of the Student Services Center. SSD can also arrange to provide course material (including the syllabus) in alternative formats if necessary.

Emergency Closure (fact-to-face classes):   If for any reason the university is forced to close for an extended period of time, we will conduct our class via Canvas.  Look for announcements on canvas and wildcat mail.  Code Purple is a good way to be alerted to campus closures, and you are encouraged to sign up for it.

Grading Issues:  Rubrics are made explicit for all assignments that are grades.  The rubrics are explicitly or implicitly tied to the course goals which are similarly aligned to the Psycgolgoy Department program outcomes.  If you feel those connections are not explicit enough, plase do not hesitate to xcomtact me.  Also, I am very comfortable with grade challenge which I treat as opprotunities for better communication about the course goals and how they are imstantiated in the grading rubrics. For any given assignment a he range of grades (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, etc.) or points (depading on the value) will be applied. Final grades will also be based on cumulative percentages in the following manner:

         A...93-100                           A-...90-92                                 B+... 88-89                       
        B...83-87                             B-...80-82                                 C+... 78-79
        C.. 77-73                             C-...70-72                                 D+...68-69                      
        D...63-67                             D-..60-62                                  E......00-59

Late Assignments:  Assignments are due on a particular day and at a particular time.  If there is not designated time, assume that  time is midnight on the due date.  An assignment being completed any later than on the assigned time on the assigned date will be considered late and penalized 1 point for each late day (including weekends and holidays, etc.). A student can request an extension without penalty for any assignment (except for module assignments in online courses), but such a request must be received prior to the due date. My policy is to grant an extension with no questions asked for the first request. But, you must OK it with me first by signing a contract specifying the date it will be handed in (download contract). A late assignment must be handed in by 1 calendar week, with the signed contract attached to the assignment. If the assignment is later than the contracted date, the penalty will be assessed from the original due date. Subsequent requests to hand an assignment in late will require evidence of a medical problem, personal emergency, or some other excuse. It is up to me and me alone as to whether or not an excuse is acceptable. A late paper (whether authorized or not) can not be rewritten.

Make-up Exams:  There will be no make-up exams. You must make arrangements to write exams on day(s) that they are given, or have permission from me to take them on an alternative date. Permission will never be given after the scheduled date of the exam for a student to take a late exam.

Rewriting Policy:  If you are unsatisfied with your grade for written assignments or exams, there is a rewrite policy for you to not only improve your grade, but also learn why you made mistakes.

1. Rewriting written assignments I will grant a request to rewrite a written assignment during the semester. If you are dissatisfied with a grade on an assignment and wish to improve your understanding of it, feel free to take advantage of this option. Correctly rewritten assignments will improve your original grade, but not substantially. Also, the option to rewrite written assignment is available only for one calendar week following the return of the assignment in class. Late assignment rewrites will not be accepted!

2. Rewriting exams Students will be granted the opportunity to improve on poor exam grades (for all but the final exam) by reviewing the multiple-choice section, and, for each mistaken question, writing a short account of why the wrong option was selected. Each corrected question will be worth about approximately 1/3 of a final percentage point on your exam grade. The option to rewrite exams is available only for only one calendar week following the return of the exam. Late exam rewrites will not be accepted!

Syllabus:  All dates and topics on the syllabus should be consider tentative. I am committed to following the syllabus but there is no guarantee that I will. Altering the syllabus may also mean changing the nature or timing of assignments.

Turnitin Policy:   WSU subscribes to Turnitin.com, an electronic service that verifies the originality of student work.  Enrollment in this course may require that some or all of your assignments be submitted to Turnitin this semester.  Documents submitted to Turnitin are retained, anonymously, in the company’s databases.  I do follow the WSU best practices in using Turnitin, see  http://wsuonline.weber.edu/plagiarism/best_practices.asp