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Freshman English: General Program Policies

EXPECTATIONS of INSTRUCTORS and STUDENTS

Students can expect from their instructor:

  1. a written statement that specifies the required texts and course requirements on such things as papers, journals, conferences, tutorials, exams, and so on
  2.  policies on attendance and participation, plagiarism, grading, deadlines for written work, and so on
  3.  written instructions for every full-length writing assignment
  4. prompt and regular written and oral responses to student writing throughout the term

Instructors can expect from their students:

  1. attendance at all classes, tutorials, and conferences
  2. active participation in all class work
  3. completion of all assignments by the due dates
  4. communication about all matters that may affect student performance in the course

OVERENROLLMENT

We do not overenroll students in ENGL 104, ENGL 110, or ENGL 111.  The quality of time instructors spend with students and their writing is severely compromised when university class limits are exceeded.  The Director of Freshman English will not authorize overenrollment.  

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Instructors should demand regular class attendance.  Intensive writing courses require that students be on hand for workshopping, conferences, and in-class writing.  It is difficult to say that a student has truly and satisfactorily taken a writing course if he has been absent more than three classes.  However, University by-laws prohibit the reduction of grades solely on the number of absences: "absences may affect the student's accomplishments and so be reflected in grading; however, marks are not to be reduced merely because of a student' absences as such .  In all courses instructors are expected to indicate at the beginning of the semester how they will determine the student's marks" (emphasis added).   Thus, attendance policies must be firm and must be explicitly linked to participation or the requirement of in-class work .  A statement from the Director on the matter: "Since the official university policy on attendance is more lax than is appropriate for a writing course, we need to tie attendance to participation.  Since student participation on many levels is at the heart of the course, lack of participation (usually non-attendance) can be a reason for lowering grades and/or failing students."

Absences due to religion, illness, or athletics:

  • Instructors are urged to respect significant religious holidays such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Eid Al-fitr, Eid Al-adha, Passover, and Good Friday.  The dates of these holidays are printed at the bottom of each year's academic calendar. 
  • Student athletes should submit documentation of necessary absences.  Their CPIA (Counseling Programs for Intercollegiate Athletes) advisor (486-5515; Hall Building) should be able to help students get this documentation from the Athletic Department.   
  • Students who will miss a number of classes due to illness or emergency should contact the Department of Student Affairs (486-3428; Wilbur Cross Building) and ask them to issue formal notification to all their instructors regarding the extended absence. 

Instructors should indicate in their syllabus what kinds of absences are excused and what kind of documentation is necessary. 

FINAL EXAMS

A written final exam is required in ENGL 104, ENGL 110, and ENGL 111 .  All students must take the final .  Instructors should announce to students the time and place of the final exam.  Preliminary exam schedules are published in the course catalog; a final schedule is printed and issued near the end of the semester.  Instructors cannot change the time and place of their final exams as scheduled by the University . All students have guaranteed rights to be examined at the time prescribed by the published examination schedule.   Students with bunched finals who need to be excused and rescheduled should apply to The Department of Student Affairs. 

SEMESTER GRADES

Semester grades should be reported to the Registrar as soon as possible within 72 hours after the final exam.  (Official grade report sheets along with instructors for filling out and turning in the sheet are sent by the Registrar just before the end of classes.) 

  • Possible grades :  A (A is the highest grade that can be assigned to undergraduate students), A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F, I (for student passing but work not completed; work to be completed by third week of the following semester), X (see below), and N (indicating no knowledge of the student participating in the course and no grades recorded).

Recording no shows to the final exam:

      • If a student does not show (no matter how valid or urgent his/her reason) for the final exam at the time and place scheduled in the official University final exam schedule and   if it is reasonable that the student could pass the course by a moderate performance on the final, instructors should record the mark of "X" as the student's final grade for the course.  After reporting an "X", instructors should wait for authorization from the Dean of Students to give the student a make-up exam. 
      • If a student does not show for the final and cannot reasonably pass the course regardless of his performance on the final, the instructor should record an "F" for the student's semester grade.

GRADE CHANGES AND APPEALS: In accordance with University by-laws, semester grades may be changed by the instructor only if there was a computational or clerical error.  "An instructor is not permitted to re-consider the matter, nor to re-examine the student, nor to accept additional work from the student after the marks are submitted."   If a student believes an error in calculation was made she may request a review by the instructor of record.  If the instructor agrees a change is justified or discovers an error in the grade submitted, the instructor will initiate the grade change by submitting a change of grade request form wherein the instructor explains in detail exactly what happened and where the error occurred.  Forms should be submitted by the Instructor to the Department Head who will forward materials to the Assistant Dean of the College.  Both instructor and student will be notified of the approved change.  If the instructor believes the original grade is correct, the student then has 30 days to appeal the decision to the Director of Freshman English.  If the student is dissatisfied with the appeal decision of the Director, the student has 10 days to request through the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences a review by the Faculty Grade Change Review Panel.