General Policies, Rules, and Regulations

Ethics and Honorable Behavior

All Penn State, Eberly College of Science, and Astronomy Department policies regarding ethics and honorable behavior apply to this course. These can be found at the following links (they open on new pages)

In this particular course, you may collaborate in a limited way with your classmates in small groups on homeworks and other assignments, unless you are instructed otherwise in the syllabus. Specifically, you may exchange ideas (brainstorming) but you may not share your report or final solutions of homework problems. The project is a collaborative activity during which you will work in small groups and in the end present the work of the entire group. In all other exercises and activities (in and out of class), you have to work individually and present your own work in your reports, unless instructed otherwise.

Class Etiquette

Students are expected to be civil and considerate in class. They should refrain from any actions that distract their classmates or the instructor or otherwise disrupt the class. A specific example of disruptive behavior is using cell phones and other electronic devices unrelated to the class session: such devices should be turned off and put away during class.

The Eberly College of Science has a Code for Mutual Respect and Cooperation This code embodies the values that the college hopes the faculty, staff, and students possess and will endorse to make The Eberly College of Science a place where every individual feels respected and valued, as well as challenged and rewarded.

Learning Assistance And Resources

The Eberly College of Science is committed to the academic success of students enrolled in the College's courses and undergraduate programs. When in need of help, students can utilize various College and University resources.

Disability Accommodation

Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities. This page provides information about the available resources and this page gives a list of campus disability coordinators.

In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, students must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation: the documentation guidelines are here. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.

Educational Equity and Reporting of Bias

Consistent with University Policy AD29, students who believe they have experienced or observed a hate crime, an act of intolerance, discrimination, or harassment that occurs at Penn State are urged to report these incidents as outlined on the University's Bias Response web page.

Counseling and Psychological Services

Many students at Penn State face personal challenges or have psychological needs that may interfere with their academic progress, social development, or emotional wellbeing. The university offers a variety of confidential services to help you through difficult times, including individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, consultations, online chats, and mental health screenings. These services are provided by staff who welcome all students and embrace a philosophy respectful of clients' cultural and religious backgrounds, and sensitive to differences in race, ability, gender identity and sexual orientation. Here is how to find out more about these services:

COVID-19 Matters

The mode of instruction at PSU at any given time may be adjusted and a number of health measures may be implemented depending on the COVID-19 Community Levels, as determined by the CDC. The University status and other relevant announcements can be found at the University Status web site.

The University still provides resources and help to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, as described in the online article at this link. In this article you will find guidelines and advice on vaccines, masking, testing, and quarantine and isolation. As the article notes, ``Students who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or those who are concerned they may have been exposed to COVID-19, should not go to class or participate in other activities. Instead, these students should seek out symptomatic COVID-19 testing through UHS, their campus health center or another health care provider.'' See also the Testing, Contact Tracing, and Quarantine guidelines at this page. If you are sick, and especially if you suspect that you have COVID, let your instructor know as soon as you can.

The University strongly recommends face masks be worn indoors on campuses in counties designated by the CDC to have high COVID-19 Community Levels. Even on campuses in counties with low or medium COVID-19 Community Levels, the University encourages anyone who wishes to wear mask indoors on these campuses to continue to do so. Employees at Penn State who work in their own individual offices may request that visitors wear masks while in their private offices, and faculty may request that their students wear masks during classes. The University asks that community members cooperate respectfully with these requests.

If the instructor has to isolate because of COVID-19, the course will shift to virtual (on-line) mode until the instructor is able to resume teaching in person. In such a case the students will get information on when and how to make the transition. Virtual mode will involve lectures on Zoom. If the instructor becomes seriously ill and cannot even teach the class remotely, the backup instructor (see top of the first page of this syllabus) will take over.

If the instructor has to isolate because of COVID-19, the course will shift to virtual (on-line) mode until the instructor is able to resume teaching in person. In such a case the students will get information on when and how to make the transition. Virtual mode will involve lectures on Zoom following a style very similar to the office hours. If the instructor becomes seriously ill and cannot even teach the class remotely, the backup instructor (see top of the first page of this syllabus) will take over.