Policies

Listed here is a description of course policies. In general, these are taken directly from the syllabus.

Grading Policies

The final grade for this course will depend upon the grades and scores earned on course components weighted as follows:

35% Five equally weighted team projects
15% In-class programming labs
5% Pop quizzes
30% Two equally weighted midterm exams
15% Final exam

Grades will be computed by rounding numerical percentages to the nearest integer and applying the following table:

A 93-100 B- 80-82 D+ 67-69
A- 90-92 C+ 77-79 D 60-66
B+ 87-89 C 73-76 F 0-59
B 83-86 C- 70-72

Grades for each project, lab, quiz, and exam will be recorded in Blackboard. Students may compute their current average by using these scores with the weights listed above.


Attendance and Participation Policy

Attendance is expected of every student at every lecture. Students are responsible for all content covered in class as well as assigned book chapters. Students should come to class having read the material to be covered that day. Students who have not prepared for class may be asked to leave. Due to their nature, pop quizzes cannot be made up.

Except in the case of documented emergencies, neither exams nor in-class labs can be made up afterwards. For excused absences, students must arrange to take the exam or do the lab before the normally scheduled time. Arrangements should be made with the instructor at least two weeks prior to the scheduled time.

Students are expected to maintain an attitude of respect at all times toward their colleagues, the equipment, and the instructor. Students are expected to refrain from using the computers for non-course related purposes during class time and will be penalized 1% of the final grade for each occurrence. Cell phones and similar devices should be turned off before entering the classroom. Students who use offensive language, misuse computing facilities, or are otherwise disruptive of the classroom will be asked to leave.


Academic Honesty

All academic work should be your own. Academic dishonesty (plagiarism and cheating) may result in automatic failure of the assignment or the course itself, and you will be referred to the Academic Affairs Office for suspension or expulsion proceedings.

You are plagiarizing when you:

  1. Copy material from a source without using quotation marks and proper citation.
  2. Follow the movement of the source, substituting words and sentences but keeping its meaning, without citing it.
  3. Lift phrases or terms from a source and embed them in your own prose without using quotation marks and proper citation.
  4. Borrow ideas (that are not common knowledge) from a source without proper citation.
  5. Turn in a paper wholly or partially written by someone else.

The complete statement on Plagiarism, Cheating and Dishonesty can be found in the Campus Life Handbook, page 33.

All projects must be completed by students in a given team, without assistance from anyone other than the instructor. Students can discuss the course material with each other, but all work must be done within the team. For projects, exams, labs, and all other activities in the course, students are expected to act according to the official policy on academic dishonesty and the highest standards of personal integrity.

The first infraction of academic honesty in this course will carry a penalty of a 0 for the project or exam in question and a reduction of a full letter grade in the final grade. If a second infraction occurs, the students involved will fail the course, and the instructor will seek the maximum penalty possible under the University's regulations, up to and including expulsion.


Learning Differences

If you have a documented learning difference please contact Kera McClain Manley, the Disability Services Coordinator, to arrange for whatever assistance you need. The Disability Services is located in Room #13 on the second floor of the Library in the Academic Support Center. You are welcome to consult with me privately to discuss your specific needs. For more information, contact Kera at kmanley@otterbein.edu, (614) 823-1618 or visit Disability Services.


Statement on Credit Hour Definition/Expectation for Student Work

For each credit hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction, students are expected to engage in two hours of out-of-class work (readings, homework, studying, project preparation, etc.). A three semester credit hour course requires six hours per week of out-of-class work.


Nondiscrimination at Otterbein

Otterbein University is committed to providing a welcoming environment free from unlawful discrimination. To this end, the University prohibits any form of discrimination against any person on the basis of race, color, sex, gender, pregnancy, religion, creed, marital status, partnership status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, disability, military status, or any other legally protected status in its programs and activities. All Otterbein faculty and staff share in the responsibility to create a safe learning environment for all students and for the campus as a whole. Please know that as members of the campus community, all faculty and staff (other than those designated as confidential reporters) are designated as responsible employees and therefore have the duty to report any instances of sexual harassment, sexual violence and/or other forms of prohibited discrimination. Students who want to report cases involving sexual misconduct should contact either Julie Saker, Deputy Title IX Coordinator at (614) 823-1154/jsaker@otterbein.edu or Scott Fitzgerald, Title IX Coordinator, (614) 823-1130/sfitzgerald@otterbein.edu. Students who believe they have been discriminated against should contact Scott Fitzgerald, Director of Human Resources, (614) 823-1130/sfitzgerald@otterbein.edu. Information about these policies can be found at our Title IX website and our Discrimination and Harassment Policy. If a student would prefer to share information about sexual harassment, sexual violence or discrimination to a confidential employee who does not have this reporting responsibility, a list of those individuals is here: