Assignments   Including specifics on grading, attendance, absence, special privileges...  Fall 2005   FYE

Evening Class
Day Class

Special Privileges

Alternate Assignments:  It is important to me that assignment be relevant to you and assist you in your academic and personal evolution. Therefore, I am open to alternate assignments, such as creating handouts, brochures, PowerPoints,  Web work,, bulletin boards, writing poetry, doing an oral presentation, taking surveys…  I look forward to hearing your creative ideas. (I have approved almost every proposal submitted to me and have enjoyed them tremendously!)

Extra Credit: A great predictor of academic failure is poor class attendance, late assignments & incomplete assignments.  Therefore, to support and encourage students in their quest to cultivate good habits of time management,  2 points extra credit will be awarded for perfect attendance and 2 points extra credit will be awarded for having all assignments turned in on time. This means that if your semester average is 86% (B), your extra credit point can raise your grade to a 90. 

Quizzes:  8 quizzes will be given this semester.  I will delete your lowest quiz grade.  If you are absent on the day a quiz is scheduled, that will be your deleted grade.  There are no makeups.  Quizzes count for 14% of your grade.

Late Assignment:  Even though I do NOT like late assignments, I will accept late work - as these are a reality.   Students will receive 50% credit for work that is submitted one week late.

If you re absent, I will allow to to email (Lnwalkup@sbcglobal.net) assignments to me. You must  include "First Year Experience" in the subject line. I do NOT accept attachments. I will also expect you to place a "hard copy" of your assignment in your homework folder. If you snail mail your work to me at Three Rivers, Mahan Drive, Norwich, CT, I will look at the postal date rather than the received date.

Journal Entries. You are expected to complete 28 journal entries & will receive 14 points for these.  The text has 31 entries.  You are exempt from 3 entries.  Staple exemption coupons below to your blank page - or write, "First Exemption," "Second Exemption" and "Third Exemption" on blank journal pages.  I will log the exemptions in my grade book.

Instructor reserves the right to revise this weekly assignment form.

*Class Participation 
Students participate when present either by active listening or  by making positive contributions.
Students are not participating positively  when absent, tardy , whispering, or disruptive. 

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Success Journals

Your Success Journal provides an opportunity to explore your thoughts and feelings as you experiment with the success strategies presented in On Course. By carefully examining each strategy in your journal, you will discover which ones will assist you to create a rich, personally fulfilling life. Although I will be collecting your journals and looking through them, write your journal for yourself, not for me. You may occasionally share your journal entries with your classmates. 

Evaluation of Success Journals:

I will collect each journal on its due date. Your entries will provide me with a sense of the issues you are working on.  With this knowledge, I can be of greater assistance to you this semester.

If you want my comment on a specific part of your journal, simply turn down the corner of the appropriate page.  On that page, write a note about the response you desire from me. 

Privacy:

Occasionally you may write a journal entry that you wish to keep private. If so, simply fold the appropriate pages over and stable them closed at the top and bottom. You have my word that I will respect your privacy.  You may lock up to two journal entries. 

Remember that you are exempt from 3 journal entries. Don't hesitate to use your three exemption coupons.

 Journal Points:

You will be awarded full credit for your entry if it fulfills the following two criteria:
  1. The entry is complete (all steps in the directions have been responded to).
   2.  The entry is written with high standards (an obvious attempt has been made to dive deep).

Review the instructions on the back cover of your text:
1. Copy the bold print directions for each step into your journal
2. Be spontaneous
3. Be honest
4. Be creative
5. Dive deep

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  Comments on Assignments & Grading:

Class Participation Grade:
Students participate when present either by active listening or  by making positive contributions.
Students are not participating positively  when absent, tardy , whispering, or disruptive.  Do not expect full credit for participation if you are tardy

Due Date Policy:
Academic responsibility to be one of the primary aspects of this course and will be unfailingly strict on this point.

Due dates for assignments are listed on this handout. These are not  "suggested" dates.  Therefore, it is incumbent upon each student to discipline himself to turn in assignments on or before the due date.  Keep in mind that I am happy to accommodate your schedule and urge you to submit assignments at your most convenient time, provided it is before the stated due date.

If, however, you run into a serious problem getting an assignment in on time, contact me prior to its due date. (This does not mean right before class or the day that it is due.)  We will discuss the status of your assignment.  The granting of an extension is not automatic and is up to my discretion.

Absences
 If a student is unable to be in class on the scheduled exam date, he should contact me prior to the exam to make arrangements to take it earlier - with no penalty. If an exam is made up after the exam date, there will be a grade penalty - unless there are extenuating circumstances.  All exams must be made up within one week. Similarly, even if you are absent, I expect your assignments to be mailed or emailed to me. I look at the postmarked date rather than the received date. 

Any emailed ( Lnwalkup@sbcglobal.net ) assignments  must be clearly labeled in the subject line . This means you must  include "First Year Experience" in the subject line. I do NOT accept attachments. I will also expect you to place a "hard copy" of your assignment in your homework folder. If you snail mail your work to me at Three Rivers, Mahan Drive, Norwich, CT, I will look at the postal date rather than the received date.

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