A.
General:
Assessment
of the lab grade will be primarily by means of lab reports and
examinations.
The point values of each will vary. A percentage of the final
grade will be added to the lecture grade to produce the final
course grade.
B.
Lab Reports:
Individual
lab “reports” consisting
of drawings, answers to questions, data, short interpretations
of those data, etc., will be handed in at the end
of most lab periods. You receive an individual grade for
each
report. Group lab reports consisting of longer and more
detailed drawings,
answers to questions, data, interpretations of those data,
computer output, etc., will be done several times
throughout the semester. In these situations you work as
a small group
of individuals
who combine their data and write a single report. Each member
of the group receives the grade achieved on the report.
Only people whose names appear on the report will receive
a grade
on the report,
meaning that the group decides who contributed significantly
to the report. (In this way, you are responsible not only
for your
own grade but for the grade of the group as well.) A grade
of zero will be recorded for any report not handed in. In
general,
because of the nature of the lab and the necessity of setting
up equipment, no lab report makeups will be allowed. NOTE:
No materials will be accepted after graded materials have
been
handed back.
C.
Examinations:
There
will be two major examinations during the course. One exam will
be a midterm exam about halfway
through the course, the date of which will be announced.
The other exam
will be a final exam given during the last lab. Material
covered on lab examinations will come primarily from work done
in
the lab. This includes the introductory lecture, questions
and information
found in the lab manual, procedures learned in the lab, etc.
A grade of zero will be recorded for any examination not
taken. (See make-up policy, below.)
D.
Quizzes:
Occasional,
unannounced quizzes may be given on material covered in the previous
lab(s) or on the material for that day's lab. (This
is
to encourage
you to keep up with the work and not wait until the
last minute to
study for an examination and to make sure that you prepare
ahead of time for working in the lab.) A grade of zero
will be recorded
for any missed quiz. There are no make-ups given for
missed quizzes. (This is to encourage you to come to the lab.)
E.
Taking Exams:
A lab examination will not be given to an individual earlier or
later than the date scheduled. This is particularly true of
final exams. Every attempt should be made to schedule appointments,
travel arrangements,
and
other such things at times other than those during class or
examination
periods. Having two exams on the same day is a nuisance, but
is not a valid reason for requesting a change in the date of an
examination.
F.
Make-up
Exams:
Make-up examinations will be given only under exceptional
circumstances.
A request for a make-up examination, stating the reason for missing
the original exam, must be made in writing. The written
request must
be made before
the first lecture period following the exam; only then will the
giving of a makeup be considered. If such a request is not
received within the specified time period (or if a message is not
received
requesting an extension
of this
deadline), then no make-up examination will be given. You may be
asked to furnish additional proof of the reason for needing a make-up
(such
as a valid
note
from a doctor, a note from the Dean's Office, an obituary, etc.).
If it is decided that a make-up examination is to be given, then
that make-up examination
will be worth only 85% of the original examination. (For example,
if in taking a make-up examination you score a 100 out of 100 your
grade
will
be 85. If
you score 80 out of 100 your grade will be 68.) This policy is
in place to be fair
to those who did take the examination when scheduled by compensating
for the
extra study time available to the person taking the exam later
than scheduled. (This policy may be modified by the instructor,
depending
on individual
circumstances.)
G.
Canceled Classes
If
classes are canceled officially by the school, such
as for storms or some other emergency, and an exam is scheduled
for that day, the
exam will be given during the next class meeting.
According
to the college: “Official
College announcements regarding the cancellation of classes
due to inclement weather are available, when possible, by
6 a.m. for
day
classes and by 2 p.m.
for classes beginning at 4 p.m. and after at 456-9500.
These announcements are also carried over WPRO (630 AM, 92.4
FM),
WHJY (FM 940), WHJJ
(920 AM), WSNE
(93.3 FM), and WXIN (580 AM). The television stations that
will be notified are WLNE Channel 6, WPRI Channel 12, and
WJAR Channel
10.
The Cancellation of Classes
Policy can be found on page 39 of the Student Handbook
and on page 65 of the Rhode Island College Telephone Directory.”
H.
Spelling and Grammar:
Because
communication of information clearly and accurately
is a fundamental requirement for the sciences
(or any other discipline, for that matter), the misuse of grammar
and spelling will be taken into account in the grading process.
I.
Academic Dishonesty:
Cheating,
plagiarism, stealing, or other similar acts will result in disciplinary
action, including,
but not restricted
to, a reduction
or loss of the grade.
J.
Course Difficulties and Disabilities:
Don’t
put off coming to see me if you seem to be having difficulties
with
the course. The earlier
we identify the problems you may be having the sooner
we can correct them. Also, please let me know as early as
possible
in the semester
if you have any physical
or learning disabilities that may interfere with your
academic activities in this class so that we can take the
appropriate
steps to deal with
them.
According
to the college: “Rhode Island College is committed
to making reasonable efforts to assist individuals with
documented
disabilities. If
you are seeking reasonable
classroom accommodations under the American with Disabilities
Act, and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973, you are required
to register with the
Student Life Office. The S.L.O. is located in Rm. 127
in Craig-Lee hall. Phone is 456-8061. To receive academic
accommodations
for this class, please obtain
the proper S.L.O. Forms and meet with [the director]
at the beginning of the semester.”
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