INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

CLASSROOM HOURS

OFFICE HOURS Room 313:  8/27 through 10/19 (1^st 8 weeks)

OFFICE HOURS Room 313:  10/22 through 12/7 (2^nd 8 weeks, no office hours Finals Week)

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog

GRADING CRITERIA

COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE (Major Assignments, Due Dates, and Grading Criteria)

Students will observe appropriate online communication etiquette when addressing fellow classmates as well as your instructor.  It is the student’s responsibility to familiarize himself or herself with Canvas, chosen web hosting company, and Adobe CC.

Announcements 

Announcements will be 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.

Assignment Help

When having assignment difficulty (be sure this is not a computer or software issue), email instructor with the specific issue, send a screen-shot, and the helpdesk reference number, before the assignment due date.  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 that do not provide a screen shot of the error message and provide a reference number or copy of email that assistance has been requested.

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 Adobe programs, please check with the Student Success Center, room 186 in Corinth.

Assignment Schedule

The course syllabus provides a schedule 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.  The instructor also provides a copy of an assignment schedule arranged by assignment type as well as arranged by due date.  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:

1. You will be warned by the instructor that your behavior is not acceptable
2. You will be told to leave class and not return until:
   1. You have met with the Dean of Students (Dr. O. John Maduko)
   2. You have signed a letter of probation
   3. The Dean of Students notifies the instructor that you have done ‘a’ and ‘b’, and that you may return to class.
3. 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, please contact https://ecampushelpdesk.nctc.edu/hc/en-us/categories/200109234-Students helpdesk.  If the NCTC webpage is down, you can still access Canvas by going to https://nctc.instructure.com. 

No special consideration will be given to students that do not provide a screen shot of the error message/problem and provide a reference number or copy of email that assistance has been requested.

Contacting Your Instructor

If you have a question about an assignment, please send an email through the Canvas Inbox to your instructor.   The Canvas Inbox allows your instructor to see your name, which course you are in, and does not get lost in spam.

When sending an email to your instructor, be sure to send the email to the instructor only and not the entire class.  If an email is sent to the entire class, then a reply will be sent only to the student who asked the question.  While other students may have similar difficulties, other students do not and should not have to filter through emails that do not pertain to them.  We all deal with information overload!  If another student has the same question, then it is the other student's responsibility to ask for or request more information on an assignment. 

Please reread your emails before sending to your instructor.  Emails received may be unintentionally rude and disrespectful.  Your instructor does understand your frustration trying to figure out assignments, difficult instructions, and wants to help you out.

Your instructor works to answer all emails within a 24-hour time-frame during the work week.  Emails sent after 12:00 p.m. on Friday may not be answered until Monday morning. 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.  All Exams are closed book.

Course Questions

Questions are welcome! Please avoid emailing instructor about general course information (review Announcements for general course information and Modules for assignment information), schedule, or syllabus. If the student question is not covered in Canvas, then email instructor. 

Questions should be specific and not generalized, such as: “I am confused about the assignment.” Please allow up to 24 hours for instructor to answer an email Monday thru Thursday, emails sent after 12:00 p.m. on Friday should be answered by the following Monday morning.  If instructor has not responded to email within the aforementioned time-frame, please resend.  Please send emails through Canvas mail.

Dropping/Withdrawing from a Course

Dropping a course is completed before the official date of record (approximately 2 weeks after classes begin).  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 your decision to drop.  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, for permission to take the exam at a different time.   To retake exam, absence must be an excused absence (student must provide original documentation).  

All 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. Exams are not re-opened to offer additional time/attempts for students who run out of time.  Students who have familiarized themselves with material should be well-prepared for the exam and the time provided.

Grades

Grades will be posted in Canvas.  SIMnet grades should be immediately updated in Canvas; in case of technology glitches, allow a few days for grades to sync.  Please allow up to two weeks for assignments to be graded.  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. 

There is no extra credit or redoing of assignments unless instructor initiated for all students.  Leeway/latitude is built into this course through redoing of assignments for online students, and bonus points for face-to-face students. Students emailing and requesting extra credit or bumping of their grade at the end of the semester will receive the following response to their email, “The request for extra credit, resubmitting an assignment, submitting a late assignment, 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.

It is the student responsibility to keep track of their grades during the semester.  If you have a question about an assignment grade, email instructor through Canvas.  Students should verify grades as they are posted.  Please contact instructor within 48 hours after grades are posted if there is a discrepancy in the grades, this includes the final semester grade to review for potential changes to grade.

Late or Make-up Assignments

No late work accepted!  There are no make-up or redo assignments.  All course work, except exams, are 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.

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.  

IMPORTANT DATES

Labor Day Holiday – September 3^rd college closed

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is November 8^th 

Thanksgiving Holiday – November 21-24 college closed

Final Exams – December 8-13

Commencement Ceremonies and Term Ends December 14^th

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides support services for students with disabilities, students enrolled in technical areas of study, and students who are classified as special populations (i.e. single parents).

Support services for students with disabilities might include appropriate and reasonable accommodations, or they may be in the form of personal counseling, academic counseling, career counseling, etc.  Furthermore, OSD Counselors work with students to encourage self-advocacy and promote empowerment. The Counselors also provides resource information, disability-related information, and adaptive technology for students who qualify.

If you feel you have needs for services that the institution provides, please reach out to either Wayne Smith (940) 498-6207 or Yvonne Sandman (940) 668-4321.  Alternative students may stop by Room 170 in Corinth or Room 110 in Gainesville.

CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA (For classes in the Core)________     

          Communication

          Mathematics              

          Life and Physical Science

          Language, Philosophy & Culture

          Creative Arts

          American History

          Government/Political Science

          Social and Behavioral Sciences

          Component Area Option

             Critical Thinking

             Communication

             Empirical and Quantitative

             Teamwork

             Personal Responsibility

             Social Responsibility

COURSE TYPE

STUDENT HANDBOOK

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY