Evaluation, Grading, and Determination of Final Grade

• Quizzes:
  • Quiz questions are worth one point each.
  • One day after the the module closes, your score and the correct answers will be available.  Some people may ask, "Why can't I get my score right after I finish the quiz?"  In previous semesters I sent student scores out immediately after the quiz was completed.  However, students have suggested it would be helpful if they received the correct answers as well as their quiz scores; this way quiz questions can be studied in preparation for the final.  Since it would be unfair to release quiz answers before all students have taken a quiz, the best solution is to release student scores and correct answers only after the modules close.
• Written Assignments:
  • Short answer questions are worth five points.
  • Essay answer questions are worth twenty points.
  • See the Important Class Information module for more detailed instructions on answering written assignments.
  • I try to grade all written assignments before you submit your next assignment, but sometimes it may be longer.
• Discussion Board:
  • Posts are worth a total of one hundred points!
  • Twice during the semester you will select some of your best post for grading.  Fifty points will be awarded approximately half-way through the class based on posts to date.  At the end of the semester, the remaining fifty points will be awarded based on second-half-of-semester posts.
  • See the Class Schedule for the First Half Discussion Assessment and the Second Half Discussion Assessment due dates.  You will only have about forty-eight hours to submit each assessment, so keep your eyes on the Class Schedule.
  • Detailed instructions on submitting posts for grading will appear on the class website's Modules page.
• Test:
  • The test is worth one hundred points.
  • Approximately forty percent of the Test questions are taken from the quizzes.
  • The test is not returned.
• Life Happens Points:
  • Unexpected events occur in all our lives.  Sometimes our schedules are interrupted with rather insignificant events such as a last-minute work schedule change, a power outage, or a vehicle malfunction.  Other times the unforeseen event is serious; a close friend dies, a loved one is diagnosed with a serious illness and must spend time in the hospital, or you might be in an accident.  Events such as these might result in you missing some class work.
  • Therefore, since life happens, at the end of the semester, I will add ten points to everyone's grade.  If you complete all the module quizzes and written assignments, these added points will be extra credit points.  If, for whatever reason (including adding the class from the Wait List after the first module), you miss a quiz or written assignment, you will be able to maintain your grade in the course.
  • This means there are no make-up quizzes or written assignments - no matter how tragic the circumstance.  Remember, the Life Happens Points won't let you fall behind if you miss some work.
• Grade Breakdown:
  • Quizzes              = 140 points   ≈ 31.8%
  • Written Assignments  = 100 points   ≈ 22.7%
  • Discussions          = 100 points   ≈ 22.7%
  • Final                = 100 points   ≈ 22.7%
  • Total Points         = 440 points   ≈100.0%
• Final Grade Determination:
  • Grades are based on the quality of the work submitted - not on the amount of effort put into the work.  Now, there is often a correlation between how hard one works and one's grade, but simply working hard does not guarantee any particular grade.
  • At the end of the semester I will add up each student's grades.  Students who earned 90% or more of the total possible points will receive an "A," 80% or more equals a "B," 70% percent or more is a "C," 60% or more is a "D," and below 60% is a "F."
  • You can determine where you stand anytime during the semester by doing some simple math.  To find your percentage, multiple the points you have earned by 100 then divide the result by the maximum possible points at that time.   That will give you your percentage in the class.
  • The instructor has absolute and final discretion in awarding grades.

Class Policies

• Attendance:
  • Students are responsible for logging onto the website at least three days each week.
• Class Participation:
  • While this is an online class, it is not an independent study class.
  • Class participation (through discussion board posts) is a critical part of this class.
  • See my previous comments concerning the Discussion Board.
• Computer Requirements and Literacy:
  • Students should have access to a computer capable of quickly and reliably searching websites and sending and receiving emails. It is expected that students enrolled in this class know how to use their email software and navigate through websites.
  • While this does not happen often, you may be asked to go to a website requiring a high-speed connection.  It is the students responsibility to access these sites.
  • You are responsible for knowing how to use Etudes.
• Self-Motivation:
  • One key difference between taking a class online compared to a traditional class is that the online class requires significantly more self-discipline.  The student is responsible for monitoring her or his own progress.  If you are not self-motivated and self-disciplined, it would be better for you to take this course in the traditional way.
• Missed Quizzes or Assignments:
  • Print out a copy of the Class Schedule (found in the ICI module) and keep it handy.
  • Because you know all the due dates far in advance and because you may take the quizzes and submit the written work anytime during the period we are discussing the module, late work is not accepted.
  • Since quizzes, written assignments, and the final are open over an extended period of time, there is no reason for work to be late; if you have a computer that crashes or there are electrical storms in your area, submit work very early so you will have time to fix any problems or find another computer on which to submit work or take quizzes if an issue arises.
  • Power outages and computer crashes are not excuses for late work.
  • Being without a textbook (for whatever reason) or having the wrong book is not a valid excuse for late work.
  • Adding the class late is not a valid excuse for late work.
  • Attempting to submit work or take a quiz and receiving a message of "Server is too busy," or some other error message, is not an excuse for late work because quizzes, written assignments, the test, and other work are open over an extended period of time during which the work may be submitted. Warning, do not wait until the last minute (or hour or even day) to submit your work.
  • The class website can slow down when many people are online at the same time. Inability to access work, submit work, complete work, or the like because of a slow connection is not an excuse for late work. Submit your work early to avoid such troublesome issues.
  • It is your responsibility to know how to use the world wide web and Etudes.
  • If you miss a quiz or two, all is not lost.  See my previous comments concerning the Life Happens Points.

College Policies

• Drop Policy:
  • IT IS THE STUDENT'S RESPONSIBILITY TO DROP THE CLASS.  You must notify the Admissions Office if you want to drop the class.
• Withdrawal Policy:
  • IT IS THE STUDENTS' RESPONSIBILITY TO WITHDRAWAL FROM THE CLASS.  You must notify the Admissions Office if you want to withdrawal from the class.
• Students on the roster at the end of the semester will be assigned a course grade.
• I may drop inactive students - particularly during the first two weeks of class to make room for students seeking to add the class.  This, however, in no way guarantees I will drop inactive students.
• Incomplete Policy:
  • College's Policy: "Incomplete academic work for unforeseeable emergency and justifiable reasons at the end of the term may result in an "I" symbol being entered in the student's record." (College of the Siskiyous Catalog)
  • Dave's Policy: In addition to the above requirements, to be consider for an Incomplete you: (1) must make the request after the last day to withdraw from the class, (2) must have completed all work, or missed no more than one quiz or one written assignment, due in the class before the day you request an Incomplete, and (3) must have at least an 75% grade average on that work.
• Academic Honesty:
  • Please read the "College Behavior Guidelines" found in the College of the Siskiyous Catalog.
  • Disruptive, abusive, or threatening students will, at the minimum, be dropped from the class.
• Accommodation of Disability:
  • Students have the right to request reasonable modifications to college requirements, services, facilities or programs if their documented disability imposes an educational limitation or impedes access to requirements, services, facilities or programs. A student with a disability who requests a modification, accommodation, or adjustment is responsible for requesting necessary accommodations by identifying himself/herself to the instructor and, if desired, to the Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSP&S) office in Eddy Hall 1.
  • Students with a print disability — a visual or reading difficulty that limits access to traditional print materials — may request printed materials in alternate media. Examples of alternate media formats include electronic format (e.g., text on CD), Braille, tactile graphics, audiotape, and/or large print. Students can make alternate media requests through the Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSP&S) office in Eddy Hall 1, 530-938-5297.
  • Students who consult or request assistance from DSP&S regarding specific modifications, accommodations, adjustments, alternate text or use of auxiliary aids will be required to meet timelines and procedural requirements established by the DSP&S office.
  • Verification of the disability is required to determine and provide appropriate services.
  • If you feel that you will need academic accommodations in this class due to limits imposed by a disability you must contact the Disability Student Program and Services Office (530-938-5297 or 888-397-4339 or TTY: 530-938-5358 or DSPS@siskiyous.edu) to make the necessary arrangements.  For more information, visit the DSPS website.

Tentative Course Sequence

• The Class Schedule has all the due dates for the semester.  This is an important document; keep it handy.
• Please print out a copy of the Class Schedule.
• To access the Class Schedule click on "Modules" in the left-hand-column menu.  Then select "Important Class Information."  Then click on "Class Schedule."

Disclaimer

• The above is subject to change at the discretion of "The Decider."

Read this Syllabus again.

Why attend a history class?  Besides obtaining GE units, it is impossible to fully understand the present without knowledge of the past. Over two thousand years ago the Roman statesman and author Cicero expressed this point when he wrote, "To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child."