Ground Rules

Spring 2009

Read me first! CLAST Exam requirement repealed in Tallahassee

On May 8, 2009, the legislature in Tallahassee repealed the law that required A.A. students to take the CLAST (College Level Academic Skills Test) in mathematics and communication (reading/writing). New requirements have been put into place for anyone graduating with an A.A. after July 2009. 

That means two things. First, the CLAST exam will not be offered after June 30, 2009. Students who have not yet satisfied their College Level Academic Skills requirement (with passing CLAST scores or by exemptions) are strongly encouraged to take the appropriate CLAST subtest by June 30, 2009. The last paper and pencil CLAST test will be administered on June 6, 2009.  The deadline to register is May 22.  Any questions about the testing should be directed to the Dean of Student Affairs. Secondly, other than passing the CLAST before June 30th, AA degree-seeking students must meet the current CLAST exemptions in order to graduate. The exemptions include earning a 2.5 GPA in 6 credits of specific courses (ENC1101 and ENC1102 for the language/essay portion of the CLAST) or achieving the requisite scores on the SAT or ACT. If you didn't take either test and did not meet the 2.5 GPA for ENC1101/1102, you must take/retake the SAT/ACT at your own expense in advance of graduation to show passing scores.

Right now, assuming your haven't taken or did not pass CLAST already, it comes down to this:

ACT/ SAT	2.5 GPA*	Award AA?
Passed ACT or SAT Math - 500 or above on recentered score scale, or its equivalent on the original score scale, meets Computation requirements Verbal - 500 or above on recentered score scale, or its equivalent on the original score scale, meets Reading , English Language Skills and Essay requirements	Met GPA	Yes
Passed ACT or SAT English Language Skills and Essay: 21+ on the enhanced ACT in English or 20+ on the original ACT Language skills and essay Reading: 22+ enhanced ACT in Reading or 20+ Composite of the original ACT Math: 21+ on the enhanced ACT in Math or on the original ACT	Did Not Meet	Yes
Did Not Take or  Pass	Met GPA	Yes
Did Not Take or Pass	Did Not Meet	No*

Neither option is particularly easy, but the GPA option can at least be drawn out over of two semesters . . . if you're willing to do the work. A 2.5 GPA for ENC1101/1102 means that you need to earn at least a B in one of the courses; then, you can afford a C in the other one. Since ENC1102 is the more difficult class, if I had to satisfy this requirement in order to earn my A.A. degree, I would aim for the B in ENC1101. 

Earning a B means you have good writing skills. This includes: good essay structure, well-developed ideas, good vocabulary, logical thinking, and effective grammar and punctuation. Achieving this may require some students to spend a lot of time getting extra help from a tutor in the Writing Center, Room 2207, and doing more than one revision in Criterion for each essay, but it will be well worth the time spent. Speaking of time, time management is also an important skill for students to learn, especially if they are in their first semester of college. When you get your copy of Formulas for Composition, read Chapter 1 on time management. In addition to being done well, essays also need to be done on time, while meeting all the requirements for each assignment. In fact, just to cover yourself, you should aim for at least a B in both courses. 

If you finish all the courses in your program, but do not satisfy this requirement, you will not graduate. So, if you want to earn your degree, pay attention to what needs to be done in class, which includes following the 12 Ground Rules listed below.

* Waivers may be available at the college level for students with documented specific learning disabilities and other extenuating circumstances.

Ground Rules

1.  Participation: 

• Know what's happening: Use the online course schedule for your class and  get notes from a fellow students.

• Be prepared: Bring pen (with plenty of ink), paper, and your textbook when topics from the book are listed in the online course schedule.

• Get around the book thing: Until you can buy the book, request a short-term loan through the Dean of Students office, Bldg. 3, or  use the book on reserve in the Writing Center until you can get your own book. Photocopying the whole book violates copyright laws, so don't even think about it!

• Notes: Take notes and use them. One of my professors at Brown University once told my class that notes should include, "Every word I say, every note I write on the board, and everything I project on an overhead or screen." OK, I agree that's a bit crazy, but you get the idea.

• Homework:  Assignments are listed on the online course schedule along with their due dates. An assignment with no due date listed is due by the next class. Assignments are either completed on paper or in Angel. You must earn credit in all major grades categories in order to pass the course. Finally, you always have homework even if none is listed: study your notes. Once assignments are completed, I post grades in Angel.

2.  Attendance: 

• Regular attendance is best if you want to earn a passing grade.

• The college requires that I take attendance, so I take it. If you do not sign the sign-in sheet, you are absent. It is your responsibility, not mine, to make sure you are signed in for each class (see the Favor Bank in Ground Rule #3). If you're late, sign the sheet when the class is finished, not while other things are going on.

• There are consequences for excessive absenteeism, all of which can effect your grade in a negative way.

  • You will miss things you should know about.

  • You probably won't know what's going on when you return.

  • You may miss a grade, which cannot be made up.

  • If your average drops below passing (70) because of absences or missing assignments, I may withdraw you from the course. I will not sign you back into the course after I withdraw you. Shortly after mid-term, I will no longer withdraw students who are not passing, and they will have to accept the low grade they have earned.

  • I will answer any questions about the work we covered or assignments we have, but not questions like "What did we do?" or, my all-time pet peeve, "Did we do anything?" We always go over something you need to know; it's just a matter of how much you value the course. The first questions tells me that you're not doing your part in the course because you're not paying attention to the information in the online course schedule. The latter question implies the course has no value to you, and I would suggest that because the course is something you decided to take, it should have some value to you. 

• There are no excused absences. 

• If you're absent when I return papers, you will have to come to office hours to get your paper.

3.  Assignment submissions, due dates, and make-ups:

• Assignments:

  • Assignments are due on the due date listed in the online course schedule and cannot be made up unless you have an documented emergency. See "Emergencies" below.

  • To get your paper evaluated, assignments must be:

    • Word processed following MLA format requirements (see Ground Rule #5)

  • To earn a grade higher than 65 (D), you must:

    • Complete at least one revision in Criterion based on your "Feedback Analysis." I look at everyone's report in detail before I start grading papers to determine if the revision was completed. If I determine it was not done, I apply the automatic 65 grade and move on to the next paper.  You can get help using Criterion at the Writing Center, Room 2207.

    • Submit your essays electronically to TurnItIn.Com by the due date and before class starts. Before I start grading, I match the essay you submit in class with your submission in TurnItIn. If you have no submission for a given essay, again, I apply the automatic 65 grade and move on to the next paper.  

    • Submit your paper in print in the first 10 minutes of class on the due date

  • Do not email your assignment to me instead of bringing it in. I will not print it for you. 

  • Do not slip your paper under my office door or put it in my mailbox instead of bringing it to class on the due date. Papers are due in the first 10 minutes of class.

• Favor Bank: 

  • The Favor Bank allows you to earn credit in the first half of the semester to request a favor after midterm. 

  • Earn Credit:

    • You have no absences because you have always signed the attendance sheet.

    • You have submitted all your work on time, including quizzes.

  • Redeem the credit you have earned:

    • In-class submission of Essay #2 or Essay #3 late by the next class without losing credit.

    • Submission of Essay #2 or Essay #3 to TurnItIn.Com by the next class without losing credit; you must bring your file to my office during office hours for me to upload for you.

    • Get excused from taking one quiz (Exception: the post-test is not a quiz and, therefore, must be taken)

    • Submit you request in writing through email <vlague@mdc.edu> before the assignment's due date. I will not approve last-minute requests in class. Be sure to give your name, your course and the time it meets in your email request.

  • Your essay will be put at the bottom of my grading pile, and you will have to wait until I have time to get to it. 

  • Additional favors are not available.

  • If the paper submission goes passed the next class period because of sickness or an emergency (see below), you need talk to me during office hours (don't take up class time) and bring some written third-party documentation.

• Emergencies:

  • Examples of emergencies:

    • Your own illness that makes you go to the emergency room, including H1N1 Severe Symptoms  (third-party documentation: the hospital’s paperwork)

    • An accident on the way to campus (third-party documentation: a police report)

    • Talk to me during office hours if you're not sure your situation fits these examples (sometimes I make exceptions based on the situation) or if you're not sure how to document your emergency

  • Examples of non-emergencies:

    • The fact that your sister is due to have her baby during class time is not an emergency; at least it is not your emergency.

    • A doctor’s appointment in your doctor’s office that could have been scheduled at a time that does not conflict with class is not an emergency. The same goes for a dentist’s appointment.

    • A vacation that you scheduled before registering for class is not an emergency. If you know you’re going away, you should take the course through the Independent Studies Department or Virtual College.

    • Lack of planning, like running out of printer ink or getting up late, is not an emergency.

  • Submitting a late essay because of a true emergency:

    • Send me an email message (I want it in writing) as soon as you can to let me know why you are absent.

    • You must submit the late essay during office hours with a photocopy of your third-party documentation stapled to the back within one week of returning to campus. Bring your file so that I can upload it to TurnItIn.Com for you. 

    • Submitting documentation for a late essay does not change your attendance record.

 4.  Disruption: I may tell you to leave if you disrupt the class.

• Turn off your cell phones, iPods, etc., when you walk in and stow them away out of sight. Don't take them out during class.

• If you have a family emergency that necessitates leaving your cell phone on, tell me about it at the start of class.

• If you are late, come in quietly without disrupting the class, preferably through a back door if your classroom has one.  Don't walk between the students and the professor if you can help it.

• The Five Great Don'ts:

  1. Don't wander in and out of class. Take care of business before you come in.

  2. Don't chat with your friends in class while a film is running. This is annoying to everyone around you.

  3. Don't block everyone's view of the film screen for any reason.

  4. Don't try to sign the sign-in sheet until the end of the period if you're late.

  5. Don't stand between the professor and the class for any reason when the professor is talking to the class.

5.  Assignment Requirements:

• Submission requirements: See Ground Rule #3 

• Help with Microsoft Word: Computer Courtyard technicians or the Writing Center tutors, Room 2207

• Help with Criterion: The Writing Center, Room 2207

• MLA Format Requirements for college papers:

  1. White, regular weight 8.5” X 11” paper

  2. Black ink

  3. Double space all the lines, including the "heading" (see below)

  4. 1-inch margins on all edges of the paper

  5. “Times New Roman” as the font, sized to 12 point

  6. Page number inserted in the document’s “header” in the upper right corner (format: your last name, one space, page number)

  7. "Align left” (straight column only at the left margin) all lines (except the title; see k. below)

  8. "Heading” that includes the following items (double-spaced) on the first page only, not in the document’s “header” 

     • Your name

     • Your professor's name (spell it right!)

     • Your course (for example: ENC1101 Mon./Wed. 1:25)

     • The due date (for example: October 1, 2007)

  9. New paragraphs indented ½-inch from the left margin

  10. Staple all pages together in the upper left corner (I never have a stapler with me in class.)

  11. If you give your paper a title, the title you choose should have something to do with the content of your paper. By this, I mean don't use a title like Comparison Essay. Instead, keep it short and write something like Toyota Camry vs. Honda  Accord for an essay comparing the two cars. As far as format is concerned, maintain the double spacing and center the title.

  12. Your paper represents you! Following directions and being neat counts toward your grade.

6.  Competencies and the Gordon Rule requirement: Complete all the assignments to learn all the material included in the course (competencies). State law, called the "Gordon Rule", requires that you do a certain amount of writing (3 to 4 essays) in courses designated "Gordon Rule." You must complete all the assignments; if not, your final grade is affected. In fact, most students are not able to earn more than a D if they have even one major grade missing. Also, you will not have satisfied the Gordon Rule requirements for your course.

7.  Incomplete policy: Incompletes are given only in the event of an extreme, documented emergency during the last week of class. All assignments up to the time of the emergency must have been submitted. Incompletes will not be given if the student has missed earlier work. See examples of emergencies in Ground Rule #3.

8.  Plagiarism policy: Plagiarism: Material copied or based on sources that are not properly documented in the paper

• Any paper that is plagiarized:

  • No credit or automatic grade of 50-65 for the plagiarized paper, depending on the amount of plagiarized material in the student's  "Originality Report" generated by TurnItIn.Com

  • Flagrant plagiarism (multiple instances): 

    • D for the course 

    • May be referred to the Dean of Students for a disciplinary hearing

  • See MDC’s policy: “Academic Dishonesty” 

 9.  Class cancellation policy:  

• No one shows up: Wait at least 20 minutes before leaving and check your online class schedule for instructions

• Sign posted on the classroom door: Check your online class schedule for instructions

• Substitutes: You are responsible for finishing any work given during a class led by a substitute and will incur an absence, and perhaps a missing grade, if you leave. If you are writing in class, you may not take the writing assignment out of the classroom with you and turn it in to me later. That is one late paper I will not accept through the Favor Bank.

 10. If you are on financial aid:  

• Late payments: The college will withdraw you from classes if your financial aid does not arrive on time. You can get help with extensions through the Dean of Students office in Building 3. However, you must be pro-active, not re-active: monitor your financial aid payment carefully. If you are withdrawn from the class and someone else registers in your place, I will not be able to override you back into the class.

 11. Laptops in the Classroom: 

• You may use your laptop as long as you are not disturbing those around you.

• Students with disabilities who have provided me with a written statement from Access Disabilities Services (Room 2121) may use laptops to take notes even if I have to ban laptops in a particular class because of disruptive noise, etc.

 12. Email from Your Professors and MDC: 

• The College has provided each student with a mymdc.net email address, for example Joe.Schmoe001@mymdc.net. Be sure to go into your myMDC account to open your student email account if you have not already done so. This is the only email address the college and your professors will use to initiate email contact with you. 

• Email is my preferred method of communication, so if you want a quick answer, email instead of leaving a message on my phone voicemail. Be sure to include your name, course and the time it meets in your message to help me answer quickly. If I'm not sure who you are, I will email back asking you to identify your course, and that will slow my real answer to your original email.