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last updated Friday January 18, 2008 10:58:06 AM
This general information applies to all of my courses. See your course specific page for information regarding Meeting Times, Textbook, and Topics Covered.
THIS IS YOUR SYLLABUS! IF YOU WANT A PRINTED COPY,
PRINT THIS PAGE AS WELL AS YOUR SPECIFIC COURSE SPECIFIC INFORMATION.
My to date contact info, including office location, phone and email is on my homepage at www.ivcc.edu/kwiatkowski. Below the course information is a table displaying my hours for this semester. If my office hours do not meet your needs, please contact me for a private appointment. Note: I am not normally at IVCC on Fridays, but usually can be, if necessary, for a private appointment.
Illinois Valley Community College (IVCC) mandates students attend all class meetings. This includes both lecture and lab. Attendance may be taken in the form of a pop quiz, so bring a pencil (or pen) and paper with you to every class. These pop quizzes exist primarily to provide me an assessment of how well you are grasping the course material. Quizzes may be given at the start or end of lecture.
You are expected to attend for the full lab period. You may be excused, with permission, when you have completed ALL of your homework (not just the nearest due). I have been known to give pop quizzes at the end of lab without a prior announcement. You may be marked as absent if you leave with being excused.
If you come in late, remind me that you were late BEFORE we leave class that day, preferably before I leave the podium. This is so I may give you half credit for attendance. Failure to do so will result in you being marked absent for that day.
We may do assignments during class. If you miss that class, you will NOT be able to make it up.
Class participation is required from ALL students. You WILL be called upon in class. This is not to embarass or shame you but to ensure that you are part of the discussion. Be prepared to answer questions on the current topic of discussion. This is part of your grade. Enough said.
According to IVCC, you may withdraw from this course with instructor permission.
You may withdraw from this course for any reason you like. I shall not shame you nor chide you for dropping the course, but I may inquire why.
For Spring 2008:
Wednesday, January 23 is the last day for refund.
Tuesday, April 8 is the last day for student withdrawl.
Personal advice: Education is not a race. There is no shame in strategic retreat. Drop the class in which you are performing the worst in, not the one you like the least. Always aim to keep your grade point average high as it will take you farther than how long it took you to complete your degree/certificate/program.
You will be graded by percentage of points earned.
100 points each. Approximately one per Chapter.
Details of individual assignments vary by class but most assignments have a short answer (true/false, multiple choice) part and a hands-on part.
300 points
300 points
Usually 4 points per week, not including shortened weeks.
If there are 2 class meetings, each meeting is worth 2 points.
If there is just 1 class meeting, it is worth 4 points.
In order to get full attendance points for the meeting, you must be present during role call.
90-100% A
80-89% B
70-79% C
60-69% D
< 60% F
Note: Grades are not rounded up or down. Example: if you end up with an overall course grade of 89.99%, you have earned a B.
You will be expected to compose solutions for many assignments. If you do not have Microsoft Office, as an IVCC student, you can get the ultimate version of Microsoft Office for $59.95 (as of 12/25/2007) from http://www.theultimatesteal.com/home.asp . This is a great deal as the suggested retail price is $600! However, you will need an email address ending in .edu to take advantage of this offer. Go to www.ivcc.edu/crc to find out how to use your IVCC email address. This offer is scheduled to expire on April 30, 2008.
You are REQUIRED to purchase a thumb drive of at least 512M. I recommend SanDisk or Kingston but NOT Memorex or any other that attempts to install software automatically when plugged in.
Use this to store your files as you work. This is so you may easily bring your work to me if you have a question. Back up your thumb drive to your U: drive frequently in case you lose your thumb drive or it is damaged. I suggest doing so at least every time you are about to leave the lab or bring me a question.
As always, only YOU are accountable for the integrity your equipment.
I rely heavily on Blackboard for my courses. As a student, you are expected to review the Blackboard guide found here. Also, some notes about Blackboard:
When submitting a file via Blackboard, you are required to fill out the comments section with your name, all team member names (for group work), the class, and what are you submitting (ie, HW 8 Part 2)
1. You are expected to keep your contact information, including phone number and email address, up to date in Blackboard.
2. When taking an online assignment in Blackboard with True/False, Multiple Choice, etc. questions, remember to save your work frequently (at least every 5 minutes). Also, you must successfully submit your work when finished. You will know if your submission was successful if you either receive a grade for the assignment or an exclamation mark ! . If you do not receive either, you need to try again or call the help desk. Unsuccessfully submitted items are given a grade of zero. You are responsible for your usage of Blackboard.
3. Sometimes, you may see a grade of -1 on an item. This does not mean you have a negative score. Rather, a -1 means I have received your work and have not completed grading it. You will NEVER receive an actual score lower than 0.
4. When submitting files, you are allowed to submit only once. Make your submissions carefully.
5. Do NOT submit via email unless directed to. Improperly submitted items receive a grade of 0.
I will sometimes distribute class information and announcements via phone or email. You are responsible to keep your phone number and email address in Blackboard and WebAdvisor up to date and accurate.
Please try to check your account within an hour of coming to class as I intend to send notice of unforeseen, last minute changes via email.
Personal recommendation. You may use whatever email service you like. I use Gmail from Google because it has a web interface and over 5.7 gigabytes of account space. See gmail.google.com for further details. If you don’t have a cell (mobile) phone, I can send a Gmail invite to you via an existing email address.
You may expect 1 homework assignment for each topic in class. Absolutely no late assignments will be accepted for any reason. Assignments turned in after after the due date are considered late and will be given a grade of zero. No exceptions.
Even if you have an excused absence, you are still responsible to turn in materials on time. If you know you are going to be absent, you can submit prior to the deadline via Blackboard or email. Blackboard and email are open 24/7.
Spelling, punctuation, and grammar always count.
All work submitted shall have your name, class, and assignment number at the top of the assignment.
You may submit in Word 2007, Word 2003, Rich Text File, or plain text format unless otherwise instructed. Remember that If I can't open it, I can't grade it, so I give you a grade of zero. It is then YOUR responsibility to get with me to resolve the issue.
I usually send an email when an assignment is graded. It is your responsibility to promptly check your grade and read the feedback I have left you so we may discuss any issues you have with your grade.
There will be a total of 2 exams during the semester, one at the midterm, and one at the end of the semester. Exams are normally given online. However, I highly suggest that you bring a #2 pencil in case we have a written exam and you need to make corrections.
I reserve the right to assign seating and to change seating.
When handwriting, always bring your best penmanship. Illegible answers will be given zero credit.
Calculators, PDA's, Cell Phones, and other aids are not allowed during exams unless otherwise specified.
Spelling, punctuation, and grammar always count.
When "Time's up" is called, you are to stop and submit your work no matter how far along you are. If you are caught writing (even your name) after time is called, your exam will immediately be thrown away, and you will be given a grade of zero.
There are no “make-ups” for exams. No exams are dropped.
You are expected to attend all class meetings. If you are unable to attend class for some reason, you are expected to phone me A.S.A.P. and explain why you were absent. Failure to do will result in an unexcused absence. Be sure to leave a number at which you can be reached. Email is unacceptable as we need to discuss what you have missed. Do not expect attendance points for missed classes.
Additionally, you may not be considered excused depending on the reason. Examples of inexcusable absences include:
1. I was out of town on vacation
2. I was sick (and you have no doctor's note),
3. I overslept.
Remember, the more considerate you are towards me, the more considerate I can be towards you.
If you have 3 unexcused absences of any combination class activity, (HW, quiz, lecture, etc.) your course grade becomes F. Just because you stop showing up for class does not grant you a grade of I (incomplete) or W (withdrawn). You must promptly contact me in order to receive a grade of I or W.
Policies regarding cheating may be found under the heading of “Academic Integrity” in the IVCC Student Handbook. Students should become familiar with these policies and abide by them.
Furthermore, don't even think about cheating. Cheating is not tolerated at all. Although I encourage you to collaborate and discuss ideas and concepts from this class with others, you are responsible for your own work. A common example of cheating is to work together collectively in a group and each member turns in his/her copy of the same document. This is completely unacceptable.
When you cheat, you insult my intelligence.
As your instructor, I am expected to assist you with questions about the class. I am also expected to be punctual. This includes starting class on time, and not keeping you late. However, lecture may run late on occasion to cover necessary material. You should also expect your work to be graded promptly. Expect 1 week for me to return materials to you.
Lecture shall begin promptly at the assigned time. I ask that you refrain from asking me questions before lecture starts, as I am usually setting up. I ask that you defer questions about HW assignments to lab (if possible). This is so the full class may hear your question and the answer as other people may have the same question. You can expect lecture to last until the assigned end time. Do not immediately begin packing up your belongings before the end of lecture. This is rude and inconsiderate and I will deal with it harshly. In the event that lecture does run late, I will stay late in lab to cover the extra time spent in lecture.
This is where you are expected to work on your homework and labs. Also, this is where I answer questions about your HW. Lab is conducted “University style”. That is, I usually sit at one computer and you bring your work to me. I do not come to your computer. You may expect to need extra time outside of lab to complete your assignments.
You are advised to save files on your flash drive and back them up to your U: drive. Through the miracle of technology, you may access your U drive from off campus. Directions for off campus U: drive access may be found at http://www.ivcc.edu/crc/Computer_Accounts.html under the section Accessing Files Via NetStorage.
You are expected to bring your textbook(s) to all class meetings.
You may opt to also work on your homework assignments at home. This is fine, but know that:
1. If you have a question or a problem with the assignment, we may not have time to meet to solve your problem before the assignment is due.
2. You are responsible for the operation of your equipment. This means that you will not be given any special treatment if it your hard drive crashes, printer malfunctions, etc.
3. I do not debug over the phone or via email.
4. You are still expected to attend lab.
5. People who work on their assignments in lab tend to achieve higher grades than those that work at home.
If you need support or assistance because of a disability, you may be eligible for academic accommodations through the Special Populations office. Stop by office B-204 or call (815) 224-0284.
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