Policies & Procedures

Below are the policies and procedures I use in all of the classes I teach.  I have tried to be as specific and clear as possible so that students know what is expected of them during the course of the semester.  Please familiarize yourself with the following policies and let me know if you have any questions regarding anything that may still be unclear or is not addressed below.

 ***These policies and procedures serve as a contract between us as professor and student.  Please make sure you read everything.***

Teaching Style and Philosophy

There will invariably be some students who love my teaching style and others who won’t.  Different people have different styles of learning – something that one person finds helpful, another person may find boring and unnecessary.  I try to do the best I can to make things as clear as possible for you and to adapt my style as best I can.  My goal is to be as approachable and open as possible so that you feel comfortable coming to me with any questions, concerns or suggestions you have, either in class or out.  I value what I can learn from you too!  I rely on your feedback, advice and suggestions to constantly help me improve my teaching.  Try to remember that I am only human and will make mistakes, have bad days and not always be super-entertaining!

I believe that students are more likely to benefit from a course when the subject matter is interesting and the class meetings are pleasant and diverting.  Making this class enjoyable requires work on BOTH our parts though.  Your enthusiasm, participation in discussions, suggestions and feedback are all essential to the success of this class!

My Approach to Students

I feel as though I can learn just as much from you as you can learn from me.  Since you are all coming to the class with difference experiences and opinions, I really look forward to hearing your ideas and interpretations of things we will talk about in class.  If you've had a bad experience with professors in the past, let me know what your fears are.  I will never intentionally embarrass anyone in class or make him/her feel stupid (If I do, please realize that is never, ever my intent!  Pull me aside and let me know if I ever do so I can be more aware of how I come across if that's the case.)   I truly want to foster an atmosphere of mutual respect, understanding and tolerance in all our interactions.

Attendance

• My theory on attendance is that this is your education and how you choose to spend your time and tuition money is up to you.  You are adults and I think it is important for professors to treat you as such.  Part of being an adult is that you can now make your own decisions in life and the consequences from those choices are something you hold responsibility for.  Not showing up to class is a decision that has consequences.  It always seems kind of silly to me when students don't show up to class when they are paying so much to be here!  Since I am assuming you WANT to be in college and WANT to learn, I do not really "enforce" attendance (but I am aware of who is always in class and who isn’t).  Students who regularly attend class tend to do far better on exams/quizzes/papers and have a clearer understanding of the course material.
• If you are in a class that is extremely "hands on" and participation-oriented (such as a video production class or performance class), I pay extra close attention to student absences. Participation and attendance is absolutely mandatory for these types of classes because missing just one class results in a student missing a lot of important "hands on" knowledge. In many cases, fellow students are relying on you to be there because there is a lot of teamwork and group projects.
• Please be aware that missing a lot of classes will have a negative effect on the "Participation/Attentiveness" portion of your grade. You do not need to inform anyone if you intend to miss class, UNLESS others are relying on your attendance to do a project (ie. In the television studio or another production-related team project or presentation).  Please be responsible and only miss a class if you are seriously ill or have a true emergency.  All other times, I expect you to be there.  Please schedule your appointments and other obligations (work, doctor's appointments, eating lunch, etc.) AROUND class.
• Please note that if you do happen to miss a class, YOU are responsible for finding out what you missed from a fellow classmate.  I won't repeat everything we did in class for you simply because you were absent. Get the missed information from a classmate. You have the class listserv and student email addresses on the class website at your disposal for this purpose.  If you don’t know anyone in the class, make a friend who can serve as your “communication buddy” if you are absent.
• Please do not come to class if you will be sleeping, closing your eyes or subtly chatting with friends in class (yes, I notice it even if you think you are being discreet in doing so).  It is extremely distracting for me and other students, so please show courtesy for the rest of the class and present yourself in a way that does not reflect poorly upon you.  If necessary, I will ask you to leave the class if this behavior is chronic.

Lateness

Come to class ON TIME!!!  I realize that everyone may have days that are more hectic than others or that you may be commuting to campus, but I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ON TIME FOR CLASS.   It becomes extremely distracting to both myself and the other students in the class when people straggle in late.  You are also missing important announcements or course material at the beginning of the class that I will not repeat.  If you encounter traffic on a regular basis, leave earlier.  If your alarm doesn't go off, get another one.  These aren't excuses for lateness.  I may be able to understand an occasional lateness, but I lose patience when students are CHRONICALLY late.  Please be aware that it will negatively affect the "Participation/Attentiveness" portion of your grade if you are consistently late.

Communication

• I expect you to check your email EVERY SINGLE DAY.  If there are changes or announcements that I need to make to the class (such as a change to our class schedule or notifying you if I am out sick), I will do so via email.
• Email is, by far, the fastest way to get in touch with me because I check it several times a day on most days.  If, for some reason, I have not responded to an email you sent me and you are expecting a response, email me again to see if I got your original message or try to call me.  In most cases, you can expect to hear back from me within 24 hours.
• You can also try sending me a text message to my cell phone if you have a quick question or are trying to locate me.
• In general, be HONEST with me and keep the lines of communication open.  I am generally easygoing and appreciate it when students are forthright in relating any questions or problems that they have.
• Please feel free to provide me with feedback about what you feel is or isn’t working in how I run the class.  Sometimes it is hard to gauge what is effective and/or what isn’t working.  I want to provide you with the most effective instruction possible and, as such, I rely on student feedback for this.  Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have a suggestion or comment regarding class – I won’t take it personally!  I will try my best to incorporate your suggestions and input.  You can use the anonymous feedback form on our class website if you like or just tell me in person.

Participation

Don't be afraid to speak up in class (even if you are typically more introverted - I was when I was in college too!).   Class will be the most interesting when each person contributes to class discussion and adds his/her own perspective to a topic.  I expect students to do the required readings for the class and to be prepared to have something to say.  Ask questions, challenge ideas you disagree with, offer your opinion - nothing is a stupid question or comment.  The purpose of the class is to learn more about the topic, explore new ideas and to clarify confusion!  There is nothing worse for me than standing in front of a class where students just sit there and have nothing to say!  I want everyone to feel as though the class is a safe haven to assert whatever questions or ideas you have without fear of appearing stupid or out of place!  A spirited and respectful debate in class is always welcome too!

Consultation/Office Hours

My office hours for this semester are posted on the first page of your syllabus and on my office door (and on the contact info page of my website).  You are more than welcome and encouraged to come see me if you have any problems, concerns or questions throughout the semester.  Every attempt will be made to stay rooted in the office during walk-in office hours; however, please keep in mind that when the office is open and the phone is connected, there may be intrusions.  During office hours, the door is usually kept open; while it is okay to let us know that you’re waiting, please do not interrupt other students who have arrived before you.  If, for any reason, your walk-in session is forestalled, we will try to schedule another meeting as soon as possible.  Of course, email is the very best way to obviate problems as I can get back to you any time during the day/night and have a written record of your question or concern.

Handing in Papers and Assignments

• You are STRONGLY encouraged to make use of the Learning Resource Center on campus to help you with your writing.  Don't wait until the last minute though because they get booked up!  Take a rough draft of your paper to them several days before it is due to have them help you fine-tune your writing - that's what they are there for!  They are happy to help!
• All papers MUST be stapled (no paperclips or dog-eared papers! – I will take 2 points off your paper if you don’t hand it in stapled!).  Please don’t ask me if I have a stapler.  This shows me you aren’t prepared.  It is your responsibility to take care of this before class.
• Hand in EVERYTHING you submit to me TYPED (unless stated otherwise on the assignment).  Submitting something hand-written indicates you threw it together at the last minute.  You will receive no credit AT ALL for the assignment if you do this.
• All papers should be double-spaced in an easily readable font with reasonable margins.
• Please number your pages.
• All papers must be handed in ON TIME.  If, for some reason, you are absent from class on the day an assignment is due, I STILL expect you to get it to me on the due date!!!  I will only grant extensions if you come to me in ADVANCE of the due date to make a case to me as to why you could use more time.  Unless you obtain permission from me to hand in an assignment after its due date, I will take 5 points off for EACH DAY a paper is late.  In other words, if a paper is due on a Monday and you get it to me on Tuesday, you will have 5 points taken off.  If you hand in a paper to me a week after it is due, you will have 35 points taken off.
• If, for some reason, you are absolutely unable to attend the class when a paper is due, I will allow you to send me your paper via email as a Word document – this will serve as a time marker that you have a paper done on time (ie. If you are sick, but have your paper done, you can email it to me as a Word document attachment as proof you have it done by a certain date).  If you do this, make sure you obtain an email BACK from me confirming that your email and paper attachment are received. 
• Please note, I will NOT print out your papers for you.  If you end up submitting a paper via email, you are STILL expected to get me a hard copy of the paper by the next class meeting.  I WILL NOT GIVE YOU A GRADE ON AN ASSIGNMENT UNLESS I HAVE A HARD COPY IN FRONT OF ME – so even if you have emailed it to me by the due date, if I don’t get a hard copy from you as soon as possible, it will receive a zero.
• You may rewrite a paper or short assignment IF you do the following:
  • hand in the original paper on-time to begin with; if you submit a paper late, you do not have the option to rewrite it
  • submit the rewrite within one week of when the graded assignment was handed back to you; I will not accept rewrites handed in any later than this one week time period
  • submit the original graded assignment along with the rewrite so I can see the changes you made
• Please note that rewriting an assignment does not necessarily guarantee you a higher grade. There should be significant improvements made in the rewrite for me to consider raising your grade and it is at my discretion as to whether you deserve a higher grade or not for the rewrite.
• Please review the writing tips section of our class website and proofread your papers for commonly made mistakes!

Exams

• Make-up exams are not permitted unless the situation is TRULY extraordinary (ie. You are deathly ill and you are able to provide convincing verification of the reason why you needed to miss the exam) and you communicate this to me as soon as possible (ie. You don’t wait until weeks after the exam has been taken).  If this happens, I reserve the right to give you a different (more difficult) exam and/or writing intensive exam in lieu of the missed exam.
• I usually provide you with study guides for exams.  I will post these study guides on our class website at least one class prior to the exam.  I will send out a message to the class listserv once a study guide is posted.  Please remember these will ONLY be study GUIDES.  There could very well be material on the exam that is not explicitly mentioned in the study guide.  You are responsible for studying ALL of the chapters and notes that will be covered on this exam…not just what is mentioned in this study guide.
• You will be made aware of the general format of an exam (multiple choice, essay, short answer, etc.) at least one class prior to the exam.
• Please write LEGIBLY AND CLEARLY on exams.  If I can’t read it, you won’t get any points for your answer.  If I give you a multiple choice question, please make sure you write your letter choice clearly.  If you come to me and tell me that you wrote an “e” but I thought it looked like a “c”, you won’t get credit for that question.
• This should go without saying, but never EVER leave a multiple choice question blank.  If you don’t answer it, you get 0 points, but if you make an educated guess, you at least have a CHANCE of getting the points for the question! (You would be surprised how many people simply don’t answer multiple choice questions!)
• An interesting article to check out: The Dead Grandmother/Exam Syndrome (www.jenmintzer.com/deadgrandmother.pdf)

Quizzes

• When I do give quizzes, they will usually be take-home reading quizzes.  Take-home quizzes are designed to make sure that you keep up with the assigned readings so that you will come to class prepared to discuss key ideas.  Quiz questions will help you pick out some of the more important points in the readings.  Please be aware I require that take-home reading quizzes be submitted at the BEGINNING of class on the day they are due and I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE QUIZZES because we will often be discussing the answers in class on the day a quiz is due.  If you don't get it in at the BEGINNING of class, it will have to be one of the quiz grades you get to drop (in most cases, you will be allowed to drop your lowest two quiz grades for the semester).
• On the very rare occasion that I give a quiz to be taken while in class, it will be announced in advance either in class or over the listserv…so make sure you check your email every night before class so you aren’t surprised the next day when you end up having a quiz in class!

Extra Credit Policy

Don't expect any extra credit assignments.  My general rationale is that since I often provide you with study guides, allow you to rewrite papers and am available for outside help, I provide you with all of the resources you need to do well throughout the course of the semester.  If you are conscientious in your studies, there is no need for extra credit.  Furthermore, I don’t like to give extra credit assignments because, out of fairness, if I offer extra credit to one student, I have to offer it to all students.  As such, it is simply not feasible for me to grade a ton of extra credit papers at the end of the semester when I am already bogged down with other grading.  This is my extra credit policy and I expect you to budget your time and prepare early in the semester so that you don’t run into this bind to begin with.  In the event that something comes up (ie. a film festival, a guest speaker on campus) that pertains to class, I may give a few extra points to those who attend, but we will agree upon that as a class if a relevant event arises that may merit a few extra points to your grade.

Special Needs

Please don't hesitate to see me if you have a documented learning disability, if English is not your native language, if you have a learning style of which you would like me to be aware or if you are experiencing difficulties in the course.  Students with disabilities should also speak with Mary Walsh who is the Director of the Learning Resource Center on campus (her phone # is 617-731-7181 and her email is walshmar@pmc.edu).

Plagiarism & How to Cite References

Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of another person's ideas, words or assistance.  There are many forms of plagiarism:  repeating another person's sentence as your own, adopting a particular phrase as your own, paraphrasing someone else's argument as your own, or even presenting someone else's line of thought as though it was your own.  It is perfectly acceptable to use the ideas and words of other people, but you MUST give appropriate credit to the originator.  All sources must be identified clearly, accurately and thoroughly as possible. When in doubt about how or whether to identify a source, consult one of the websites below or ask me.  Be aware that I do routinely use various online resources to verify the authenticity of students' work.

• Annenberg Library Citation and Bibliography Guide (http://community.pmc.edu/library/reference/citation/biblio.html)
• Plagiarism: What it is and how to recognize and avoid it (www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html)
• Guide to Writing Research Papers (http://webster.commnet.edu/mla/plagiarism.shtml)
• Citation Guides (http://www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/Memorial/citing.htm)
  Provides links on APA, MLA, Chicago and other citation styles
• ONLINE!  Citation Styles (http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/citex.html)
  Provides ways to cite a website, an email message, a web discussion forum posting, a listserv message, a newsgroup message, real-time communication and Telnet, FTP and gopher sites in a variety of formats

Academic Ethics and Integrity Policy

You are responsible for reading and understanding the “Academic Ethics and Integrity Policy” in the Pine Manor Student Handbook.  More specifics on what is considered plagiarism, cheating and other ethics violations are detailed there.

Asking for Extensions/Student Excuses

Invariably, each semester a student will come to me and say “I know you have your specific policies, but…(fill in the blank with an excuse why something wasn’t done on time and/or an exam was missed).”  While I am generally easygoing and understanding if you come to me early regarding a concern/problem, please be aware that I’m not going to “baby” you.  You need to take responsibility for due dates and to be aware of all that is expected of you in class.  You KNOW when something is a lame excuse or not.  You KNOW when you are pressing your luck.  Use your own judgment.  Take responsibility for yourself and your actions.

Also, if you have slacked off early the semester and/or aren’t handing things in on time, please don’t come to me late in the semester asking how you can raise your grade.   If you aren’t handing in assignments and are begging me to allow you to hand in work late so you can pass the class, it’s just not going to happen.  If I allow one person to do that, I have to go back and let all the other students in the class do that as well…and this is not something I am going to do.  There is absolutely no reason why you cannot get an A or a B in my classes if you are handing in assignments on time and truly are making an effort to take suggestions and revise your writing as needed.  I am far more willing to work with you if you hand in something and want to rewrite it for a higher grade than if you simply ignored due dates to begin with.  I will not give you a passing grade if you aren’t handing things in or are handing in things extremely late – regardless of the sob stories you tell me about how you can’t fail the class.  It is YOUR responsibility to make sure you get things in on time OR if you have a true emergency or problem/conflict preventing this, to make me aware of it as soon as possible.  I am more than willing to give extensions IF you come to me IN ADVANCE of an assignment’s due date to explain why you could use more time.  I’m not unreasonable, but I certainly ask that you budget your time accordingly throughout the semester and be responsible when it comes to handing things in on time and showing up for class on time.

Bad Weather Policy

• Some news websites to check for Pine Manor College class cancellation in the event of bad weather:  www.wbz1030.com, www.necn.com, www.thebostonchannel.com, www.whdh.com
• In the event of questionable weather, I will send out a message to our class email listserv to indicate whether or not I will be holding class.  If you don’t receive an email, class is still on.  Feel free to call my cell phone if you don't have access to email from home.
• If it is snowing heavily and/or the roads are extremely icy and you commute to campus, use your own judgment to decide whether it is safe enough for you to come to class.  I would rather you be safe than have you feel you must make it to class if the roads are extremely bad.  If the roads seem to be getting bad, I will likely cancel class (even if the college is “open”).  Make sure you check your email to know what the contingency class plan is if this is the case.  We may decide as a class to meet at another time to make up for a missed day if that’s the case.

Asking Me For A Recommendation

• I will gladly write a student a recommendation if he/she has gotten a B-range grade or higher in one of my classes (or has a B-range grade or higher average in a current class).  If you are conscientious in your studies and working hard in the class, there is no reason you cannot obtain a good grade.
• If you ask for a recommendation, you are responsible for providing me with:
  • an addressed, stamped envelope where I can send the recommendation
  • a deadline date for when the recommendation is due (please get me your recommendation request at least one week prior to when it is due)
  • any information you have regarding a program or graduate school you are applying to so I can tailor the recommendation to address your suitability for the program

Other (Important) Stuff

• Please try to remember to turn off your cell phones in class (or at least put it on “vibrate” if it is absolutely necessary to have your phone on in class).  I have a no-tolerance policy when it comes to using your cell phones in class (unless an emergency necessitates it).  If you are text messaging, two-way paging or making and/or answering calls during class, I will IMMEDIATELY give you a zero for the "Participation/Attentiveness" portion of your grade for the entire semester and ask you to leave the class.  Please be respectful to me and to your fellow classmates - keep your cell phone in your bag or pocket during class or leave it in your dorm room.  I should never, ever even SEE your phone in class.
• If we have a class where we are in a computer lab, you should ONLY be using the computer to do assignments relating to our class.  You should NOT log on to your email, an instant messenger program or any website that does not relate to class.  Please remember that class time is not your personal computer time.  Again, I have a no-tolerance policy when it comes to doing this.  If you are seen doing something you shouldn't be doing during class time,  I will IMMEDIATELY give you a zero for the "Participation/Attentiveness" portion of your grade for the entire semester and ask you to leave the class.
• You are responsible for making sure the grades I record on Gradenetwork.com are accurate. Please get in the habit of checking your grades regularly to make sure I did not make any typos when entering grades and have not made any errors or oversights. If you find an error, please bring it to my attention as soon as possible and please save all of your graded assignments until the end of the semester should there be any discrepancies. I need to be able to verify the change by seeing the actual graded documents. If you cannot produce the graded document, it is at my discretion (and memory!) as to whether the change gets made.
• I don't mind if you bring food or drinks to class (if it's allowed in the building/room we have class in), but please be mindful of those around you and remember to take your trash with you.
• If, for any reason, I am late for class (this will theoretically not happen, but forces of nature may dictate otherwise), I ask that you wait 15 minutes before disbanding.  I would appreciate it if someone would try to call my cell phone to see where I am.
• As much as I love kids, I kindly ask you to please not bring your children to class.  It is distracting to me and to the other people in the class to have your child in the classroom even if he/she is quiet.  The classroom is an adult environment and it is not appropriate for you to bring children to the classroom.  Please make arrangements for their care while you are in class.  If your child-care or babysitter falls through, you will simply have to miss class and accept that that is just one of the responsibilities of parenthood.
• You don’t need to ask permission to go to the bathroom in college classes – you can just get up and go to the bathroom whenever you need to.

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