All major writing assignments in this course have been assigned due dates. The due dates are designed to help you stay caught up and progressively move through the course. You will get the most benefit from the activities and the course if you can complete your assignments on time.

However, if you do occasionally fall behind, please don’t be discouraged. I understand that many of you are very busy and have a lot going on in your lives and that there may be times that you fall behind. Thus, for this course, I do accept late assignments because one of my main goals is to help all of you successfully complete this course.

Learning a language requires active engagement and participation. The more you practice, make mistakes, and learn from them, the more you will learn. In order to learn, your brain needs to practice the new language. In order to maximize your learning and potential in this class, I have made the following policies.

• Complete your assignments on your own, even if that means they will include mistakes (mistakes are great! We learn from them). Do not use a translator to write your assignments. Do not copy from the internet.

• Do your work first. Then, if you want, you can have your family or friends review it to give you feedback and advice. This way, you can learn from the process. Don't have someone else do your homework for you from the beginning, or you won't be learning.

• Use quizzes and exams as an opportunity to check your own learning. Do not get help during quizzes or exams. This way, we can use the exam as a check-in to see what you need to work on.

Copying or having someone else complete your work is considered cheating by the college and can have negative academic consequences. Remember that our goal as a class is for you to improve your language skills, so embrace the mistakes you will make in the language learning process and work to maximize your learning by letting your brain workout.

I understand and respect that we all come from various backgrounds and belief systems. We all bring with us our unique backgrounds and perspectives on the world, and this diversity enriches our classroom experience.

In order to create an inclusive environment, we will all be kind and gracious to each other and not discriminate against another based on but not limited to, the following: race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, political affiliation or beliefs, marital status, parental status, legal status, age, lifestyle, weight, economic status, and nationality.

I know that sometimes life gets complicated, and it can be hard to find time to dedicate to your studies. I understand. If you get to a point where you feel too overwhelmed to continue this course, you can do the following things.

• Contact me. Together we can create a plan to help you catch up or take a need break.

• If you missed 1 or 2 weeks, that doesn't mean you have to stop the course. It's okay. Just review the topics you missed and start back in the course.

• If you know you just can't finish the semester, you can:

  • • drop the course yourself or ask me to drop this course for you.

    • stay registered for this course. You may want to review topics as you have time even if you can't keep up with everything, and that's okay. I don't mind you staying registered even if you can't complete the course; however, please let me know if you want to do that because if you haven't attended class for more than 4 weeks, I may drop you from the class.