Academic Standards

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Academic Standards:  

Attendance - Students are expected to attend all sessions of their courses.  Excessive absence may result in the student being dropped from class by instructor.  Excessive absence is defined as the number of unexcused absences equal to the number of meetings of the class per week plus one day, i.e. 3 days if MW Math 120 or TTh Math 400, 2 days if Math 120 Hybrid, and 2 weekly discussions if Stat 360.

Academic Environment conducive to learning - Math can be a very unfriendly, tense and frustrating subject. The classroom environment needs to be focused on mathematics - silence your cell phones and personal discussions. Come to class prepared - expect to participate in the class, and expect to support your fellow classmates.

Responsibilities  and Honesty - Admission to college assumes the expectation that the student will be a responsible member of the college community.  

Academic honesty as applied to taking exams -- no cheating. Copying from someone else's paper, using notes  or text (unless expressly allowed by the teacher), altering an exam for re-grading, getting an advance copy of the examination, or hiring a surrogate test-taker are all flagrant violations of college policy.  A first offense consequence is to receive a grade of zero on given exam with no option to retake.  A second offense related to cheating will be directed to area dean -- possible dismissal from class.

Academic honesty as applied to collaboration.  Educators recognize the value of collaborative learning; students are often encouraged to form study groups and assigned group projects. Group study often results in accelerated learning, but only when each student takes responsibility for mastering all the material before the group. For example, suppose a calculus study group is working on a set of homework problems. Little would be learned if each student worked only one or two problems and merely copied answers for the rest. A more beneficial approach would be for each member to work all problems and be assigned the task of explaining a few problems to the group.  Lack of preparation and misuse of collaboration options will result in student/teacher discussion to remedy misinterpretation of expectations.

Suggestions:

The temptation to cheat can be eliminated by developing effective time and stress management skills and practicing sound study habits, by making good use of the academic support resources at the University, and by engaging in educational planning with the help of academic counselors.

Certain common patterns in student behavior increase the temptation to cheat: falling behind in coursework or leaving large projects until the last minute; working too many hours to keep up with courses; taking too many difficult courses at once; encountering emotional or health problems that distract from studies and interfere with concentration. Here are some tips for preventing or dealing with these situations.

1. Get in the habit of planning your education. Academic counselors can help you determine your educational goals, plan your classes, keep your semester  load manageable, and find a reasonable balance between work and school. Advising sessions are confidential and the privacy of your student record is guaranteed by federal law.
2. Don't work too many hours while in school. Unfortunately, you are either a student first or an employee first; you must choose between the two.
3. Adjust your study habits to the demands of college. First, this means studying more. While many students report that they had no homework in high school, most college professors expect you to study two hours for each hour you spend in their class. In other words, it's a full-time job. Second, the pace of college coursework demands that you don't fall behind in your classes. Learn to schedule your weekly assignments, and learn to break large projects down into manageable pieces and schedule intermediate deadlines for yourself. Third, learn a good array of study techniques and practice them. The Counseling Center offers short study-skills workshops. Contact counselor  for more information.
4. Learn to manage your time. There is enough time to study hard, work, and play hard too, if you handle your day in the right way. 
5. Deal with personal and health problems. One of the worst mistakes students make is to deny that they're overloaded or unable to cope. You may need to lighten your load by dropping a class, you may decide to leave school for a semester - or you may just need to re-negotiate a deadline with your instructor. If a personal problem is keeping you from concentrating on your studies, discuss the situation with a counselor or professor, and work out a solution.

NOTE:   Portions of the above statement were borrowed from Committee on Academic Conduct in the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Washington.

Sandy McKaig Mathematics		Instructor's contact information Email:mckaigs@arc.losrios.edu Phone: 916-484-8601 FAX: 916-484-8025 About the Instructor	ARC Homepage	ARC Library
Office Location: Howard Hall 128	Office Hours: MW 4 - 5 pm TTh 1:30 - 3 pm

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