Virtual Fall 2020: August 24 to December 11, 2020

Policies

Communication Policy

- I love hearing from my students! Please use the Canvas inbox to email me. You will hear from me within 24 hours, usually much sooner. There is nothing too trivial to email me about!
- Our regular group collaborations are a key component of this course. All of them are opportunities to dive deeper into the course content and to share your experiences in the course with both myself and with other students. I look forward reading your group's findings and viewing your group summary recordings. I am confident I will learn from you as you share your experiences as well.
- The semester goes quickly and life happens! For that reason, it's really important to log in multiple times per week, ideally on a daily basis and keep up with the material. It helps to do a little every day if possible. Don't leave assignments until the last minute!
- Please communicate with me and your group if you know you will be absent from the online environment for more than a couple of days, and let's work together to ensure that you can stay on track.
- I will also offer virtual student hours. You can find the secure link in Canvas. Also, feel free to suggest a time or two that is convenient for your and I will do my best to accommodate you.

Participation Policy

Online courses turn the idea of attendance on its head. Online, you can "attend" class in your pajamas at 2 am in the morning, or sitting in your backyard on a sunny day. Attendance is not marked by your body being in a class, but rather by your participation within the class activities.

In this class we function as a team – teaching and learning together in small groups that we will most likely keep throughout the semester. Consequently, throughout the term, you’ll become increasingly vested in the success or failure of your classmates and vice versa. As a result, when you miss a collaboration, your group members will try to “catch you up” rather than moving forward with the lesson, and the entire group will fall behind. So, your participation to every scheduled collaboration is important and your ability to get “caught up” ahead of time is ideal.

The college policy states that the instructor may institute an excessive absence drop. I understand that life unexpectedly gets in the way of class on occasion. So, if you know you are going to be absent from an online learning environment, please email me and your “squad”. However, if at some point during class, you find that you will not be able to commit, please use PAWS to drop yourself to avoid getting a failing grade.

Late Submission Policy

In this math class, the content you're learning is building on prior knowledge and content from the class and doing your individual preparations and allows you to practice these skills and ask questions if you hit a roadblock along the way. Studies have shown us how important active learning and problem solving are in developing long term memories and skills, therefore the best learning experience is one in which you keep pace with the posted due dates to aid with deeper understanding.

For those reasons, I am encouraging to utilize these tips to be successful in this class:

Complete your exercises (homework) for one unit before you start the next unit
Seek help in topics you may struggle with by attending to my office hours, tutoring center and reaching out to your squad
Keep in mind that while you learn it is normal and expected that you will struggle and make mistakes and that is ok!
Think of your obstacles as a growth opportunity and don't give up!

However, I recognize that you have a life that involves other events besides our math class. Occasionally, you may have a need to turn in late work. The important thing is to talk to me about it so that I can support you. If you know that you are going to be absent or unable to meet a deadline or an emergency arises, please let me know and we can devise a plan that is manageable on your end and still ensures your success in the class. I am here to support you; please don't hesitate to reach out!

Additionally, I’ve built in some safeguards so that if you do miss something, your overall grade will not be severely harmed.

Grade-saving safeguards:

You have an unlimited number of attempts for your unit activities. Your final grade will be the average of all your attempts.
Always take advantage of the built in hints and full solutions and keep trying!
The lowest unit grade will be dropped so that if you unexpectedly miss a deadline due to illness or personal reasons, your grade will not be harmed.
All unit activities will remain unlocked for you to complete until the quiz for each module.

Online Etiquette -- let's be collegial, ok?

Often referred to as "netiquette," here is a gentle reminder of the interaction practices and rules we'll follow in all our interactions in this course. If you ever feel that someone is not following these rules, please send me an email using the Canvas Inbox and describe your concerns.

View a text-only version of The Core Rules of Netiquette in a new window.

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