MY  TOTALLY  UNREASONABLE  POLICIES

ON

GRADES OF INCOMPLETE

FINAL EXAM FORGIVENESS

Make-up test policy: make-up exams are given only in the event of an excused absence. An absence can be excused for serious personal reasons (death in the immediate family - through first cousins - or illness of student or student’s child that requires visit to physician) over which the student has no control, and for which documentation is provided (copy of obituary or doctor's bill). Before adapting this documentation policy, students lost grandmothers at the rate of 15 to 20 per quarter. Now, grandmothers seem to die far less frequently (1 or 2 per semester at the most). I'm just doing my best to keep your favorite relatives alive.

Car failure (dead battery), lack of parking place, failure to set alarm clock are not grounds for an excused absence. Some jobs require reliable transportation - this is one of them. It is your responsibility be present for tests. A student who was involved in a collision on test day (accidents do happen) was given a make-up, but the student who missed the final exam while under arrest for DWI was not. Take care of your car, arrive early to campus on test days, be habitually punctual. If I know you because you participate well in class, I will be inclined to think that your battery failure was sudden and unavoidable, and just might give you an excused absence.

Ice & snow: In the event that you must drive – or ride a bus - through districts where schools are closed due to weather on test day, an excused absence will be granted. If you live in Delta and the Swanton schools are closed due to weather, stay off the highway. Maumee residents will not be excused unless either Maumee or Toledo schools take a weather day. So long as the University is open, on-campus students will take the exam as scheduled.

University activities (field trips for other classes, athletics) are grounds for excused absence so long as instructor is notified at least one week in advance. If you know now that you must miss class on the day of an exam for personal reasons (for example, if you are getting married on the date an exam is scheduled, or the exam falls on one of your high holy days), make arrangements to take the exam prior to the date scheduled. All make-ups taken after the scheduled test date will probably be made up of essay questions.

Distance learning students are given time frames of at least one week for completing requirements for each chapter.  Arrange for prolonged predictable absences (e.g., National Guard training) well ahead of time (documentation required) and advise me of serious personal reasons (see above) for prolonged absence in a timely manner.

If your serious personal problem is so sensitive that you are reluctant to tell me what it is, you may explain your problem to Associate Dean Chris Habrecht and provide her with documentation (I will ask if you have provided documentation so please do not waste our time by failing to do so).  I will take her word that you need special considerations.  Both of us are bound by confidentiality and may not discuss either personal information you provide or the status of your academic performance with anyone but YOU.

Extra credit: It has been my experience that students who request "extra credit" opportunities to raise a grade of C- or lower usually do not produce credit-worthy research reports. If you find yourself in this situation, you will get a better return on your time by joining a study group and spending more time on rewriting your notes, rereading the textbook and digging for more enlightenment on The Web.

If extra credit opportunities are already built into the class, those shall be the only extra credit options available.

If there are no extra credit opportunities built into the class, I will consider extra credit research report proposals but they must be prepared as follows and must be specifically approved in advanced - by me.  "Extra credit" research report proposals are reserved for students who achieve at least a "C" in all work up to and including the Midterm. The best work is usually done by "B" students in quest for an "A".  "D" students are better off doubling their efforts in studying what is already being offered.

1. Each proposal must be submitted before the 9^th week of the semester. A proposal consists of a typed title (with your name and the date submitted) plus one paragraph describing anticipated sources of information and your reason for selecting this topic.
2. I reserve the prerogative to modify the focus of any proposed project. The proposal will be returned as acceptable, not acceptable, or acceptable if modified - in which case I will outline specific issues that must be addressed. A copy of the approved proposal must be attached to your final report.  The final report will be due 24 hours after the final exam.
3. Original sources of information must the properly cited and a bibliography included as part of the report. Include as part of your bibliographic listing the catalog number of each book cited. If you use a magazine or journal, a photocopy of the title page of each magazine or journal must be attached to the report. Web sources cited must include URLs. Only books from Carlson Library are to be used in your research (exceptions must be pre-approved).
4. In general, research reports for "extra credit" must be prepared using a word processor, with at least 5 pages but not more than 10 pages of text exclusive of figures, bibliography and attached title page. Text shall be single spaced with and extra blank line between paragraphs. Pages shall be numbered. Type must be no smaller (or larger) than 10 to 12 point Times Roman or similar. Powerpoint (for Windows) or Microsoft Word files may be submitted (either on disk or attached to e-mail) in place of paper copies, but keep your product intact until receiving confirmation that the file has been successfully read on my machine.

Any student who plans to turn in a paper found on the Web should read my policy on academic dishonesty before even thinking about it.  I'm pretty good at finding things on The Web, particularly pages that deal with topics I'm likely to think need some research.

"IN" grades: It is your responsibility to Drop or Withdraw if personal circumstances require you to do so. Contact your academic advisor too soon rather than too late. Instructors no longer have the power to withdraw students - students must take responsibility to do the paperwork or the "F" becomes the only possible outcome when a student does not show up.

"IN" grades are given only in cases when a student of good standing in the class (grade to date of C- or higher) has a run of bad luck, a situation beyond his or her control. Example: a student with midterm grade of C+ gets mononucleosis and misses several weeks of class. Serious injuries (even related to voluntary activities like skiing or recreational football) are sufficient even if associated with poor judgment. If health or personal problems occur so early in the semester that you fall behind and can not recover, drop or withdraw! "IN" grades will never be considered as an option for students who fail the midterm and/or seldom attend lectures. "IN" grades will never be considered for students who do not take notes as suggested in the syllabus.  I refused to grant an "IN" to the student who claimed to have been confined due to a knee injury - the class was distance learning and I was not provided with confirmation by the physician. 

FINAL EXAM:   Some students ask if graduating seniors are exempt from the Final Exam.  My answer is NO. However, sometimes, students who earn grades of "A" on all tests given prior to the Final and who attend class faithfully are given grades of "A" without having to take the final exam.  Experience has shown it unnecessary to test some students one more time, particularly the kind of student who asks questions about geology rather than about testing policies.  In other words, any lobbying in this matter will be counterproductive.

Once again, I wish to thank Student Government for encouraging faculty to post policies, philosophies (and so on) where potential students can access and read the information prior to the add/drop deadline. I suspect, however, that anyone reading this page is a serious student, unlikely to forget which day the midterm is scheduled, unlikely to believe that he or she can earn a "C" or higher by night-before cramming, and unlikely to have ever requested an "IN".

Last updated 08/10/09

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