Expectations

For each class meeting, you will be assigned a reading to complete and accompanying lectures to watch. These readings will introduce new concepts and terms, while the lectures are designed to expand on the concepts by explaining them and going into more depth with examples. All of this information will be vital to your ability to participate in class as well as your ability to succeed on the assignments in the course.

Class attendance is not only mandatory, but also incredibly essential for your success in this course. Class meetings in this course will be devoted to exploring in depth the concepts covered in the readings and lectures through a mix of review activities and discussions. As such, you are expected to come and ready to engage in class activities and discussions. This includes arriving on time, bringing all required materials, remaining engaged (e.g. not sleeping, not on social media), and staying for the entirety of the class (packing up early is the same as leaving class early).

Attendance will be recorded at the beginning of class. If you arrive late, it is your responsibility to check in with me. You are allowed to take two unexcused absences. Each unexcused absence beyond that may lower your final course grade by one level (e.g. from A to A-). Excused absences should be consistent with UF policies (https://catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/academic-regulations/attendance-policies/). Additionally, students must provide documentation (e.g. doctor’s note) within two weeks after the absence for an absence to be excused.

Time management is one of the most essential skills you need to develop during college. This includes planning your work-life balance so that you can meet all your deadlines. Every assignment in this course has a deadline that you will need to meet. However, I understand that "life happens". Because of this, late work will be accepted with a small penalty of 10% of the grade for each day it is late. After 3 days, however, late submissions are no longer accepted. Extensions (without penalty) are possible in the event of circumstances out of your control (e.g. sickness, religious holidays) that you can provide documentation for (e.g. doctor's note). 

Canvas (https://elearning.ufl.edu/) will be our primary communication channel when not in class. All class resources (e.g. readings, presentations, worksheets, handouts) will be stored in Canvas. Assignments will be submitted to Canvas unless otherwise stated. Feedback on assignments will also be submitted via Canvas. For these reasons, make sure you know how to upload assignments, view feedback on those uploads, and receive notifications and announcements. Additionally, checking the Canvas homepage regularly will be essential for success in this course. 

I cannot stress this enough: if you need to communicate with me, do not hesitate to reach out. I am here to help you succeed and am willing to work with you to make that happen. E-mail me, send me a Canvas message, or visit my office hours. If I don't respond within 24 hours (except weekends), try again. See Communication Plan for more information about communicating with me.  

You are expected to follow the Netiquette Guidelines when interacting with me via e-mail or other forms of communication.

I expect you to do your own work and follow all rules concerning testing and assignment submission. As a student of the University of Florida, you are bound by The Honor Code. The Honor Code specifies a number of behaviors that are in violation of this code and the possible sanctions. Furthermore, you are obligated to report any condition that facilitates academic misconduct to appropriate personnel. If you have any questions or concerns, please consult with the me. 

I always welcome professional and respectful feedback on all parts of my instruction and the course (for guidance on giving professional and respectful feedback, click here). I take this feedback seriously and use it to improve my teaching and how I set up my courses. You will have multiple attempts to give me anonymous feedback throughout the semester as well as at the end of the semester through Canvas as well as the Gator Evals system. In addition, you are always welcome to message or e-mail me with any additional feedback you may have. You can also see the feedback previous students have given me here.

College can be a challenging time. In addition to studying for multiple courses, students face a host of social, mental, and physical challenges. It is important that you take care of yourself, both physically and mentally, so that you can not only survive, but thrive. See the Additional Help page for resources available to you as a UF student.

Students with disabilities requesting accommodations should first register with the Disability Resource Center (https://disability.ufl.edu/). Once registered, students will receive an accommodation letter, which must be presented to the instructor when requesting accommodation. Please follow this procedure as early as possible in the semester.

Technology, for all its benefits, doesn't always work. So, it's important for you to have a Plan B. Save files on your computer as well as Google Drive or Dropbox. Be prepared to submit assignments earlier than the last minutes in order to avoid possible internet issues when submitting assignments. If you're having issues with UF technology (e.g. Canvas), contact the UF Computing Help Desk. Worst comes to worst, contact me and let me know your situation and we can work something out.