(These pages outline my usual policy. In some classes, I opt to make small changes in these policies. Whenever there is a discrepancy between the policies below and the class syllabus or course assignment instructions, follow the class syllabus or instructions.)

Attendance Requirements for All Dr. Casal’s Classes (except distance learning):

Plan to come to class on time and stay in class through the whole class session.  If you have family, work or other commitments that will make it difficult for you to attend the whole class at this hour, you should not enroll in this class.

The maximum allowed number of absences (for any reason) for regular semester courses is two weeks' worth of classes.

• For classes that meet three times a week, this means six (6) absences.
• For classes that meet twice a week, this means four (4) absences.
• For classes that meet once a week, this means two full absences (four half-classes).

For summer courses meeting four times a week, the maximum allowed number of absences for any reason is three (3).

These allowed absences are to cover illness, personal and work commitments, court dates, tornados, traffic accidents, etc. University excused absences (for sports, band, debate, etc.) should also come out of these allowed absences. (Should university excused absences exceed the allowed number, you must contact me  immediately to arrange for make-up work in place of grade point penalty.)

Attendance starts counting the first day of classes. Students who register/transfer into class late will lose some of the "allowed absences" above. (For classes that meet once a week, and for summer classes, being absent the first day of class counts only as a half absence.)

Arriving more than 10 minutes late or leaving more than 10 minutes before the end of a class that meets 2 or more times a week will count as an absence. (For classes that meet once a week or for summer classes, lateness/early exit of 20 min or more means a half-absence.)

My  penalty for absences exceeding the allowed number is 10 point off the attendance/class participation grade per absence (10 points per half class/20 points per class for classes that meet only once a week).

If a student has unusual and unexpected health or other problems during a given semester, I may modify or forgive the penalty for excessive absences. However the student must bring me proof that all his or her absences were justified, and it is up to me to decide whether the proof is sufficient and whether the absence was indeed justified.  (For more information about what I consider "justified" click here.) Furthermore, no matter how good the student's reason for being absent, not being in class will hurt the "participation" portion of the grade. If you must be absent/tardy to class more than four weeks total, regardless of your reason, consider dropping the class and taking it another semester.

Please note that even after the deadline for dropping has passed, students with special health or other personal problems may get permission to drop if they can justify/explain their need. Please keep in mind that in some cases, dropping a class will make you ineligible for continued scholarship/financial aid. It is your responsibility to keep track of  financial aid enrollment (and other) requirements.

The maximum allowed number of tardies and early exits is 2 weeks' worth for the whole semester. After that, every two tardies will equal one absence.

For classes that meet once a week and for summer classes, I will take attendance twice (once when class begins and once when break ends) and count each half-class as one attendance unit. (Thus students will not lose a whole class if they are 30 minutes late, only a half-class.) However, leaving for break early and/or returning late from break will be treated as additional tardy/early exits. 

Class Participation Requirements:

Class participation is important.  I want students to come to class prepared to exchange ideas and analyze what we are reading. Although I can make allowances for shyness and occasional exhaustion, I expect students to give signs of having read and thought about the texts and ideas we are discussing. There are no dumb questions, only dumb silences.

Courtesy towards others is expected of all students. This includes staying awake and attentive throughout class and listening respectfully to others’ ideas. Please avoid doing things that will distract or annoy others. Eating in class is not allowed. Do not get up to leave the room unless you absolutely have to.  If you have a beeper or cellular phone, turn it off or to vibrate during class. You may not text-message, e-mail or otherwise communicate with people outside the class during class.

If a student is behaving discourteously (this includes eating, texting and sleeping as well as being rude to classmates or teacher) s/he will get one warning. The second time a discourteous act from the same student occurs, s/he will be sent out of class and marked absent for that day.

Deadlines and Make-Up Policy for all Classes:

Deadlines are listed on the Schedule of Assignments for each class. The usual penalty for turning in a writing assignment late is 5 points (for classes that meet at least two times a week) or 10 points (for classes that meet only once a week) per class day. Some assignments will not be accepted more than a week late.

For "checked" work (that doesn't get a grade, only a check mark) the usual penalty is a "minus" for the first class day that the work is late, a 0 on the assignment afterward.

Unless otherwise stated, the deadline is the beginning of class. If the you arrive late for class, the work is late also. (Usually in such cases I am lenient and take off only 3 points if you were only 5 or 10 minutes late.)

In cases where I allow students to turn in work after class, the usual procedure for getting credit is to put the material in the box outside my office by a specified time. (If it is after that time, the work is late.)

Only students in online courses may routinely e-mail assignments. For regular classes, I do not accept faxed or e-mailed assignments except in special circumstances or when the assignment is specifically an e-mail assignment.

To get credit for work, you must have your name and the course and section number in a prominent place on the title page or first page header.

University-excused absences are not a reason for turning in an assignment late, since you would ordinarily know that you were going to be absent ahead of time. In such cases you should make arrangements to submit the assignment at the end of the previous class or have it in my box no later than the deadline.

If you miss a quiz because you were late or absent, you may not make up the quiz. In the case of a university-excused absence, the quiz will not count (other quizzes will weigh more).  In most classes, the lowest quiz grade will drop for all students.

The usual penalty for missing an exam is 10 points for the first class day, 20 points per class day after that. Exams missed due to a university-excused absence will not be penalized if you have made arrangements for a make-up ahead of time.  For me to excuse absence from an exam, you must bring me proof (that I consider acceptable) that the absence was unavoidable.

If your delay in turning work in/taking an exam is due to illness or other unavoidable circumstances, I expect you to make-up the work as quickly as possible. Contact me as soon as you are able to discuss extensions, excuses, etc. (E-mail is probably better than voice mail if you don't get hold of me in person.)

All undergraduate students are allowed to turn in one writing assignment one class day late (for classes that meet at least twice a week) or 3 calendar days late (for classes that meet once a week or for distance learning courses) without penalty unless the work is due on the last day of classes. Graduate students get an automatic one calendar day extension on the first late assignment and lose three points per day afterwards unless they have made arrangements for an extension.

Late work turned in after the last day of classes will suffer a 10 point penalty if I accept it at all. (I will decide whether I can accept it based on the amount of other work I have to grade and how late the assignment already is.) Absolutely no work can be accepted after the day of the final exam unless you make arrangements for an incomplete.

If I state in syllabus or assignment instructions that an assignment will not be accepted late, or if I specify different point penalties or conditions from those stated above, what I state in class syllabus or assignment sheet is what goes.

In all cases, you may talk to me about why you think an exception should be made in your case. (I'm usually sympathetic when you can prove that you were in the hospital with tubes sticking out of you or something like that.) However, you need to talk to me (e-mail is usually better than voice mail if you can't get me in person) as early as possible so that we can decide whether you should make up the work immediately, take an incomplete, or drop the course.

 

IMPORTANT: Please note that it is better to get a lower grade because of turning work in late than to get a failing grade because of academic dishonesty.  DO YOUR OWN WORK. CITE RESPONSIBLY. PARAPHRASE CAREFULLY.

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