Last updated 1/9/2012

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Attendance | (+) Participation | (-) Participation | Lab Rules

Attendance is mandatory in this class. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class session and after each break. Most problems observed with students can be attributed to low attendance. Historically, students with high attendance do substantially better in the course than those with low attendance. 

Your final attendance and participation grade will be a weighted average based on:

• A straight percentage of your attendance to class.
• Plus extra points for quality participation during class
• Minus points subtracted for non-businesslike behavior.  Frequent unauthorized late arrivals or early departures will be penalized with negative participation points for non-businesslike behavior.

About Attendance

While attendance is required to all class sessions, attendance to lab sessions, special discussions (e.g., case), invited speaker presentations, and other important sessions will be more heavily weighted in the participation grade. Students who arrive late without prior authorization from the instructor will receive partial or no attendance credit, depending on how late they arrived. Students who leave class early without requesting authorization from the instructor will receive no attendance credit for that class session. Partial credit for no attendance will only be given to students who notify the instructor before hand and have a documented and valid justification for missing class. Students who need to miss class because of religious obligations need to notify the instructor in advance in order to get attendance credit.

About Extra Points for Participation

Extra points for participation to students who actively participate in class, or outside the class, in a way that benefits other students and the course in general. Here are some examples:

• Asking useful questions and making useful comments in class
• Making sound suggestions for improvements to the instructor
• Attendance to special events annouced by the instructor
• Active participation during case discussions
• Quality participation and questions during external guest speaker talks

About Negative Points for Non-Businesslike Behavior

Any behavior that is unacceptable in a business meeting is also unacceptable in class!! The severity of the penaly will higher when this behavior is more disruptive, more frequent or during guest talks. These include, but are not limited to:

• Laughing or talking with peers in class
• Making comments or remarks that are inappropriate disrespectful to other students or the instructor
• Using laptop computers during class discussion. Students who need to use laptops to take notes should notify the instructor in advance. Laptop computers can only be used to take class notes. Students using laptop computers to work on assignments for this or other course, chat, use e-mail, browse the web, or anything else unrelated to the lecture material being dicussed in class will receive heavy penalties on their participation grade.
• Using electronic mail, chat programs, or any other software during lab sessions that are not needed to complete the lab assignments
• Disrupting the flow of the class in any way
• Signing the attendance sheet and then leaving
• Coming late to class without prior consent from the instructor
• Leaving class early without prior consent from the instructor
• Receiving cell phone calls or text messages during class. Heavier penalties will be applied if students respond to these calls or messges during class.

Special Rules for Lab Sessions

All class rules and policies apply to lab sessions to and attendance is also mandatory. In addition, students need to:

• Arrive ON TIME. Late arrivals disrupt the flow of activities and will also affect your ability to complete the exercise on time.
• Stay for the entire session, until they finish the assigned exercise, or until the instructor indicates that it is OK to leave. The instructor will give you permission to leave if you have successfully completed all the requirements for the lab session.
• Work ONLY on the lab exercise assigned. The use of chat software, e-mail and any other software that is unrelated to the current lab work is not allowed.
• Not answer cell phone calls. Please place your cell phones on silent mode. Answering or making cell phone calls during the lab session is not allowed.
• Listen to the instructor when he/she speaks. Lectures are minimized in the lab, but short lectures, explanations or quick instructions are often necessary. When the instructor is explaining or discussing something, you need to stop working with your computer and listen to the instructor.
• Stay in synch with the instructor: with so many students in the lab, it is often difficult to keep everyone synchronized. When the instructor is leading you through some step-by-step instructions, it is important that you stay in synch with the instructor. If you find yourself falling behind, please raise your hand immediately.
• Work individually. You are expected to complete the lab exercises (and homework) individually. Cooperating in lab exercises and homework assignments are a violation of AU’s Academic integrity code. Students often help their peers in the lab. This is OK, as long as the help is related to small issues about the use of hardware and software, but not on the exercises or homework specifics.