ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AND INTEGRITY VIOLATIONS
GENERAL COURSE AND CONDUCT EXPECTATIONS
![]()
It is the student’s responsibility to familiarize themselves with the student’s learning management system, Canvas, as well as the student’s online skill assessment, SIMnet (McGraw- Hill).
Announcements
Announcements are sent throughout the semester through Canvas. Announcements contain information about the course, upcoming assignment due dates, help with projects, as well as information about SIMnet. If you cannot view the videos in the Announcements, please update Flash to your specific browser.
To receive announcement notifications through email, you will need to modify your Canvas account notification settings. Click on “Account” in the top left corner, then select notifications. Locate “Announcement” and then click on the check mark and verify it has a green box around it to push the notification to your preferred email address.
Students may be notified of pop quizzes through the Announcements.
Assignment Help and Course Questions
Questions are welcome!
- Avoid emailing instructor about general course information
- Review the FAQ found on the Front Page of Canvas for quick answer Questions should be:
- Specific
- Not generalized (“I am confused and do not get it”)
- Answered within 24 hours during work week
When having assignment difficulty (be sure this is not a computer or software issue):
- Email instructor with the specific issue
- Send a screen-shot before the assignment due date
- Refer to rules under “Contacting Your Instructor” in syllabus
If the problem is on the instructor side, then the instructor should resolve the issue within 24 hours and will provide extra time if there is instructor error. No special consideration will be given to students who do not provide a screen shot and email before the assignment due date.
If you as the student choose to wait until the day the assignment is due and experience problems, you bear the responsibility of your choices.
Students waiting to complete assignments at the last minute, do not receive “grace”
because of computer glitches (this includes thunderstorms, tornados, loss of electricity), software issues, and/or connectivity issues, unless there are campus-wide difficulties.
For extra help such as Tutoring for specific MS programs, please check with the Student Success Center, room 186 in Corinth.
Assignment Schedule
The course schedule provides a chart of when assignments are due. Assignments will not be due on the same day of the week, refer to course schedule and announcements to verify due dates. Please print a copy of the course syllabus for your records. Students are encouraged to print and keep a copy of the assignment schedule.
Classroom Behavior
The expectation is that you, as college students, will learn to modify the behavior of your peers through the channels available in your contextual universe. If the instructor is forced to manage your behavior such will be accomplished via the following procedure:
-
- You will be warned by the instructor that your behavior is not acceptable
- You will be told to leave class and not return until:
- You have met with the Dean of Students (Dr. O. John Maduko)
- You have signed a letter of probation
- The Dean of Students notifies the instructor that you have done ‘a’ and ‘b’, and
that you may return to class.
-
- A third event will result in your probation becoming suspension and you will be removed from the class permanently
Face-to-face/Hybrid classes: No cell phones out when instructor is lecturing. Student may be dismissed from class and/or be counted as absent for the day.
Computer Issues and Help Desk Information
Canvas - When having difficulty with software or your computer, keep in mind the instructor cannot fix your computer or the software utilized. If you have difficulty opening Canvas:
SIMnet - If a student is having access issues with SIMnet:
- Contact SIMnet by calling 1-800-331-5094
No special consideration will be given to students that do not provide a screen shot of the error message/problem (must include time stamp) and provide a reference number or copy of email that assistance has been requested before the time the assignment is due.
Contacting Your Instructor
Students are expected to observe appropriate online as well as face-to-face communication etiquette when addressing fellow classmates as well as your instructor. Your instructor understands the frustration of trying to figure out assignments, difficult instructions, and wants to help you out. If you have a question about an assignment:
- Send an email through the Canvas Inbox
- It is inappropriate to send an from a personal email or school email The Canvas Inbox allows your instructor to:
- See your name
- Which course you are in
- Does not get lost in spam
It is inappropriate to email the entire class!
- A reply is sent only to the one who sent the email
- Your problem is none of their business and vice versa
- Other students do not need extra emails to filter through
- It is a form of collusion (Scholastic Dishonesty issue)
- It is their responsibility to send an email on their behalf Before sending an email to your instructor:
- Address instructor appropriately (Mrs. or Professor)
- Use appropriate grammar
- No emails resembling text messages
- No playing the blame game
- Be mindful of the tone your emails present (it is a written record)
Your instructor works to answer all emails within a 24-hour time-frame during the work week. If an email has not been answered within the time-frame stated, please resend the email.
Course Information and Software
College education is intended to broaden the student’s knowledge base. Any and all material read, discussed, heard, or observed is subject to being referenced on an examination. Do not expect the body of knowledge to be narrowed by “reviews” from which test questions will be selected.
Dropping/Withdrawing from a Course
Dropping a course is completed before the official date of record. Withdrawing from a course is done after the official date of record and will result in a “W” on the student’s transcript. The decision to drop or withdraw from a course is a personal decision.
Before dropping the course:
- Contact your instructor to let them know
- Verify the drop date
It is the student responsibility to initiate withdrawing from the course, not the instructors, even for excessive absences. Students may go to http://www.nctc.edu/current-students/drop- withdrawcourse.html and review steps to be completed in order to drop or withdraw from a course.
Exam Information (absent for exam and extra time)
A student that is compelled to be absent when a test is given:
- Will petition the instructor, in advance (before exam is given)
- Must provide original documentation for an excused absence for permission to take the exam at a different time
- If student does not keep the newly assigned time to retake exam, then student forfeits right to retake exam
Practicum exams are closed book. If a student needs extra time for an exam, then the student must contact instructor prior to taking exams and schedule a time to take the exam with instructor on the Corinth campus.
The 100 questions exams are not re-opened to offer additional time/attempts for students who run out of time. Students who have familiarized themselves with the eText, read through the PowerPoints, and used the tools provided by the instructor should be well-prepared for the exam and the time provided.
Make-up exams are not considered late assignments. Please refer to the paragraph Late or Make-up Assignments found in this section below.
Final Exam
The final exam will be a MOS certification exam. The exam is mandatory and is 10% of the overall grade. A MOS certification exam demonstrates content mastery, meets industry standard and is a marketable skill. The certification looks great on your resume and it is a global certification. Students have the choice of taking one software unit exam for either Word, Excel, or Access for the final exam. It is the student responsibility to purchase the MOS voucher. The exam must be taken at an authorized Certiport testing facility. NCTC Corinth campus has an authorized facility. More details will be available in Canvas
Grades
- Grades will be posted in Canvas
- SIMnet grades should sync within 30 minutes in Canvas
- If there is a technology glitch, allow a few days for grades to sync
- Allow up to two weeks for Discussion Forums and Final Project to be graded
- No extra credit or redoing of assignments unless instructor initiated for all students
Leeway/latitude is built throughout the course by:
- Dropping the lowest practicum exam grade
- Ability to submit the first three projects twice before due date
- Two chances during practicum exam per skill set
- Redo assignments for online students
- Bonus points for face-to-face students
It is the student responsibility to keep track of their grades during the semester. There are two grades that will have a full letter grade each impact on student grades, which are:
- Final Project - Emerging Technology
- Approximately 13% of the overall grade
- Directions found in the PowerPoint 2016 module
- Read all directions
- Review FAQs about the Final Project
- MOS Certification (choose one: Word, Excel, Access)
- Must be taken at an authorized Certiport Testing Facility (one on Corinth campus)
- Required
- Student responsible for purchasing MOS voucher
If you have a question about an assignment grade, email instructor through Canvas.
- Students should verify grades as they are posted
- Contact instructor within 48 hours after grades are posted
- Instructor will review discrepancy in grades and respond within 48 hours
If grades are not posted after allowed time, please email instructor through Canvas. Refer to the grading scale found under Grading Criteria on the second page of this Course Syllabus. The grading scale is final. No more rounding will be allowed.
Students emailing and requesting extra credit or bumping of their grade at any time during the semester will receive the following response to their email,
“The request for extra credit, resubmitting an assignment, reduction of points for late submission, submitting a late assignment, making up an exam, and/or bumping your grade is inappropriate. This appeal asks the instructor to provide you special favor over other students. This is a class integrity issue and against policy. Students should not reduce their own integrity by requesting an instructor to modify policy via an unfair request.”
Keep in mind, your instructor does not give grades, your instructor records grades and all students should be held to the same standard.
Late or Make-up Assignments
- No late work accepted!
- No make-up or redo assignments
- All course assignments (except exams) opened at the beginning of the semester with staggered due dates
- Required work not completed by due dates will not be allowed after due date
· Students will receive a zero for any and all late assignments.
Each semester, students email a minute or two after an assignment deadline has passed. It is unfair to other students for me to accept late work, regardless of pleas about how "hard" you worked and "it's only a few minutes" late. To hold all students to the same standards, one minute late = late = zero.
SIMnet and IncludEd
“Inclusive Access is a partnership between NCTC and McGraw-Hill Education, to provide the best learning resources on the first day of class. Students can gain access to McGraw-Hill’s adaptive online platforms with the latest version of the eBook at a discount. If students would like to purchase a physical copy of the textbook, they can order a discounted loose-leaf version through the bookstore.”
SIMnet works best with Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Do not use Internet Explorer to complete SIMnet assignments. Students must verify that Adobe Flash is downloaded and available for use in their preferred browser. This is true for videos added to the Announcements and Discussion Forums.
Google Chrome requires students to take it a step further by granting permission through Google settings. Once you have downloaded Flash while in Chrome browser, select the menu option (3 vertical dots) next to address bar located at the very top right corner, then select "Settings" from the menu options, click on "Show Advanced Settings" at the bottom, under "Privacy" select "Content Settings", and finally scroll until you find "Flash" and click on the radio button option "Allow Sites to Run Flash" (see image below to show settings).
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered. All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies as determined by the instructor. It is the student responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgement by the faculty member.
Approved college sponsored activities are the only absences for which a student should not be held liable and only when provided by a college official ahead of the absence. Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work. Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless they have reasons acceptable to the instructor. A student who is compelled to be absent when a test is given should petition the instructor, in advance if possible, for permission to postpone the exam. Student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to
preclude meeting the course’s objectives. Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered sufficient cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)
Absences
Students absent (excused or unexcused) for TEN classes may receive an “F” for the course or be
dropped from the course for classes that meet twice a week for a full semester.
Students absent (excused or unexcused) for FIVE classes may receive an “F” for the course or be dropped from the course for classes that meet once a week for a full semester or twice a week for an 8-week semester.
Online Students: Chapter Lesson assignments and Exams will be used to determine regular attendance for online students and the FIVE classes missed will apply for absences.
Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the student handbook and published online.
Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, academic falsification, intellectual property dishonesty, academic dishonesty facilitation and collusion. Faculty members may document and bring charges against a student who is engaged in or is suspected to be engaged in academic dishonesty. See Student Handbook, “Student Rights & Responsibilities: Student Conduct ([FLB(LOCAL)]”.