Welcome to my living document, i.e. you're reading rules and regulations formed after multiple encounters with students just like you. I plan to help those who help themselves and so I've detailed my Academic Honesty Policy, Attendance Policy and Missed Assignments Policy to help you know what to expect from me. Your responsibility includes reading everything here and in your class syllabus. Sign the contract and return by the third class meeting if you intend to stay in the class. If you have questions, consult the syllabus then consult me. General Class Polices Index: ETHICS || FEEDBACK || e-MAIL || WebCT || DEADLINES || ATTENDANCE || ELECTRONIC DEVICES || ACCOMMODATIONS The university supports an environment of ethnic, religious and cultural diversity. It neither endorses nor tolerates statements, behavior, tokens or insignias that deride or disparage an individual or group because of race, ethnicity, creed or personal lifestyle. Any disruptive conduct which interferes with the goals and objectives of the course will not be tolerated. The Student Handbook's Student Conduct Code defines disorderly conduct as "any behavior which disrupts the regular or normal functions of the University community, including behavior which breaches the peace or violates the rights of others." (For more information, read about the University's conduct code and the disciplinary sanctions). Once a problem begins, University sanctions begin, i.e. for every action, a consequence. Academic Honesty Policy Media credibility depends on truthfully communicating with people each and every day. People in a democratic society can only make sound decisions with good information. No matter what field of communication you plan to enter, you must be credible to keep your job. As such, I just want to remind you that I expect you to do your own work. Plagiarism, cheating or other academic dishonesty may result in a failing grade or disciplinary action, or both. UAM defines plagiarism as the use of ideas or thoughts of another, which are not common knowledge, without acknowledging the source(s), or, when applicable, identifying direct quotations. In other words, plagiarism means:
REMEMBER: Becoming a
Famous Plagiarist
would not be something to make your mother proud.
I realize it's easy to work together on take-home assignments. I also realize the Internet provides convenient information, but it should be properly cited. You should know I've been at this long enough to know when people cheat; I periodically verify sources and I use the latest technology to catch cheaters. I take this issue very seriously and have not failed to confront students on this issue in the past. Believe me, it's not worth the extremely unpleasant experience of taking an accusation of plagiarism or academic dishonesty to the administration. Please don't force me to do so. But if you do, realize I will impose the harshest penalties possible, i.e. I reserve the right to drop any student with an F for plagiarism and/or academic dishonesty. I also reserve the right to recommend further sanctions as may be appropriate. Please consult the Student Handbook for more information. By accepting this syllabus, you indicate you understand and will abide by the Academic Honesty Policy. General Class Polices Index: ETHICS || FEEDBACK || e-MAIL || WebCT || DEADLINES || ATTENDANCE || ELECTRONIC DEVICES || ACCOMMODATIONS FEEDBACK AND PARTICIPATION "What you bring to this class is yourself and your desire to participate and what you do in here depends finally upon that." - Paul Baker
Remember, more than anything, I want you to succeed. You can provide commentary on the course through individual meetings, e-mail or through WebCT surveys. Comments may be used to modify the course. E-mail allows quick comments and the opportunity for me to help you though I'm not physically present. WebCT surveys at midterm let you give anonymous input to indicate questions and problems with the course. When in doubt, come see me! Individual meetings during scheduled office hours or through appointments provide face-to-face discussion between us. We'll schedule mandatory individual meetings for each class at midterm. Failure to attend the individual meeting at the scheduled time will result in a 10 percent deduction from your overall grade at the end of the semester. You cannot make up a missed individual meeting.
In short, I consider class participation the same as showing professionalism, which indicates:
Immediately report Web links that do not work. If I'm alerted in a timely manner, I can solve the problems. Because your skill and knowledge increases as the semester progresses, I cannot project grades before the drop date. Final grades depend upon task completion from the beginning to the end of the semester. By the drop date, you'll know whether you've attended class and devoted the appropriate amount of time towards the course. I'll have no way of determining what you'll do for the remainder of the course. The few grades you will have by drop date will be minimal in determining final course grades. General Class Polices Index: ETHICS || FEEDBACK || e-MAIL || WebCT || DEADLINES || ATTENDANCE || ELECTRONIC DEVICES || ACCOMMODATIONS You must use your free campus e-mail account (not your roommates' or siblings'), available upon enrolling at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (including the Crossett and McGehee campuses). Go to Campus Connect on the campus homepage to find your e-mail address and password. Put your password in a safe place so that you will never lose it. You must use campus e-mail not only to receive class updates, but also to receive information about jobs, internships, etc. I answer my e-mail daily and am open to questions concerning class or the media in general. While not replacing in-person communications, this enhances your access to me. I send explanations and course updates to your e-mail address periodically, so you should expect to check your e-mail at least three times a week if not more. If you're worried about an overloaded mailbox, ask someone in Information Technology to explain filtering systems to you. Netiquette
WebCT allows you to track your grades over the course of a semester and tracks your usage of the system, allowing professors to know how often and at what time you access information or complete assignments. If you're concerned about taking a course using WebCT, sign up now for the CIS course dedicated to getting the most out of WebCT. All assignments in a WebCT course MUST be submitted via WebCT. I use WebCT to post quizzes and your grades, as well as occasionally passing along class information and posting information helpful to the class. Contact me about class happenings through WebCT e-mail to make sure I get it. Set up your WebCT e-mail to alert your campus e-mail when information appears there. Take the opportunity to test your knowledge through quizzes via WebCT. Quizzes cover University knowledge, assigned readings, lectures, class discussions and current events. Spelling counts. Some classes will also take AP style and grammar quizzes. Current event quizzes will include information from articles appearing on the class Web page. Prepare yourself by keeping track of state, national and international news. Test yourself by taking the Who's Who and What's What quiz during the week. You may drop your two lowest grades of the 12 quizzes taken via WebCT. You may take them at any time within the 24 hours they appear. Quizzes may not be made up (for information about pop quizzes, see electronic devices).
The opportunity to check your grades via WebCT should be helpful as UAM no
longer mails grade reports to all students. You may access your grades at the end
of the semester through Campus Connect. To have your grades mailed to you, complete the
grade request form available in the Registrar’s Office in Monticello or the
Student Services offices in Crossett and McGehee. The Web notes help the motivated student prepare for evaluations. However,
you cannot learn the material by sleeping on it and hoping for osmosis.
Complete the First-day Survey by our next meeting. When you upload a picture, it should be in a gif or jpg format. If you have problems, contact Dr. Sitton.
General Class Polices Index: ETHICS || FEEDBACK || e-MAIL || WebCT || DEADLINES || ATTENDANCE || ELECTRONIC DEVICES || ACCOMMODATIONS DEADLINES AND MISSED ASSIGNMENTS:
I typically teach courses as though
you are employed by a publication like any newspaper, public relations or
broadcast job. In essence, you're receiving "on-the-job training" as you
will begin performing before mastering the craft. This process of guided
discovery goes through three stages: teaching, application and evaluation. You
get better the more you do it. Even
though you're learning on the run, you can control one variable that will help
your grade: submitting assignments on time.
Don't wait until the last minute to
schedule interviews -- do it as soon as you get your assignment. Plan ahead because you will encounter problems
trying to speak with people while they're trying to do their job. Don't wait
until the last minute to start on your assignment; you will not do your best work at the last minute. I know; I tried and
failed many times before I understood.
Grading and recording assignments poses a sizable record-keeping task; therefore, no late work will be accepted for full credit without prior arrangement with the instructor.While you won't be fired for missing the deadline, you will face consequences for missing a deadline.
Missed Assignments Policy
Remember: Your grade depends on you completing the opportunities presented in
this class in an acceptable fashion.
Be
responsible for keeping up with your materials.
To be
sure your assignments aren't lost along with your USB key, send a copy to yourself via e-mail to an
off-campus account, e.g. hotmail, gmail, yahoo, etc. By accepting this syllabus, you are indicating that you understand
and will abide by the Missed Assignments Policy.
General Class Polices Index: ETHICS || FEEDBACK || e-MAIL || WebCT || DEADLINES || ATTENDANCE || ELECTRONIC DEVICES || ACCOMMODATIONS
Media professionals must be reliable.
When you're not in class, you miss quizzes,
lectures and other elements of the educational experience. If you cannot make it
a priority to attend class, please drop now to let a more serious student take your spot.
I check attendance daily to let Financial Aid know when
people quit coming to class. People commit fraud when they take financial aid but do not attend class, which costs taxpayers like you
and me. So I report fraudulent activity to help catch them and save us money.
For more
information on the university's attendance policy, consult your
Student Handbook.
I only accept notification of absence from the individual who
missed class; i.e. I don't want word of your absence from a classmate, roommate,
friend, fraternity brother, sorority sister, teacher, boss, parent or preacher,
rabbi, minister, reverend, etc.
However, I may excuse an absence if you inform me prior
to class by phone or e-mail.
So what might I excuse? Those things I can verify, which journalists must do to
hold everyone accountable since the journalist will be held accountable for the
information produced for a newspaper, radio or television station, Web site or
blog.
If ill, please stop by
Student
Health Services to make sure you're not contagious. If contagious, please
stay away from my class, but contact me to let me know why. While at SHS, sign a
release allowing me to call for verification. Verification means more than a note saying "student
visited the health center today" or something along those lines. If a death occurs, I need a copy of the
obituary and a tribute to them, i.e. a summary of the things that made this
person important to you. Writing helps put death in perspective, especially for
those who have limited experience with the phenomenon.
I encourage you to participate in
university-sponsored events. According to the
Student
Handbook, the activity sponsor must provide a memo that
includes a list of campus participants, name of the university event, and dates
and times of the event
that will cause you to miss one or more class meetings. You must
bring me the memo and a phone number where I can reach your sponsor. You and I
will discuss the work and the class(es) to be missed at least one week prior to
the anticipated absence. I hold you responsible for all materials covered and
any class activities during the absence.
In case of
inclement weather and emergency situations,
I hold class if the University is
open. Inclement weather provides a great opportunity for communication (as
well as great photos and articles)! That being said, use a little common sense.
If you're likely to break your neck trying to reach class, contact me instead
and I'll excuse it.
So what's not excused? "I value time. To be late for anything is one of the most disrespectful things you can do to somebody else." -
former SEC coach Sylvester Croom If you must withdraw from the course, be aware of University policy and the deadlines. Please consult the Student Handbook and the campus calendar for more information. You
must officially withdraw from a class. Students who simply stop attending will receive no credit for unfinished assignments and will be graded accordingly. To recap, practicing journalists must be where they say they'll be at the time they said they'd be there. If you have an absence, find out what you missed and pick up your graded assignments and/or handouts. And remember:
By accepting this syllabus,
you are indicating that you understand and will abide by the Attendance
Policy. General Class Polices Index: ETHICS || FEEDBACK || e-MAIL || WebCT || DEADLINES || ATTENDANCE || ELECTRONIC DEVICES || ACCOMMODATIONS In writing courses, work often requires use of Microsoft Word. While some basic instruction on the computer will be provided, if you need help go to the The Writing Center. In today's world, many of you have cellular phones, iPods, PDAs, Blackberries, pagers, etc. As these items may disturb other students, turn them off or on vibrate during the class period. I understand your need to feel connected, but everyone paid for this class and their financial commitment deserves your respect. The only thing I should see in ears are earrings. When I hear an electronic device, I give a pop quiz. By the same token, if my electronic device rings, I give the class a quiz grade.
The University of Arkansas—Monticello accommodates individuals with disabilities pursuant to federal law and the University’s commitment to equal educational opportunities. Students must inform an instructor of any necessary accommodations at the beginning of the course, i.e. the responsibility lies with the student, not the instructor. If you require accommodations, please contact the Office of Special Student Services located in Harris Hall Room 120; phone 870 460-1026; TDD 870 460-1626; Fax 870 460-1926. They will issue a card detailing the information necessary for each professor. If you don't understand something in this Web note, please e-mail Dr. Sitton. ©Ronald W. Sitton 2009 Revised 082809 http://www.uamont.edu/FacultyWeb/sitton/crz/index.html | |||||||||||||||||||||