Comprehensive Course Policies, Exam Structure, and Academic Guide

Lecture Attendance Correlations and Policies

• Core Research Correlation (Exam Question #1):
  • Higher empirical data demonstrates a direct correlation: the more lecture classes a student misses, the lower their final overall course grade.
  • This exact concept will appear as the primary question on Exam 1 (scheduled for September 21).
• Attendance Tracking:
  • Lecture attendance is tracked physically using designated index cards / note cards that students must bring to every session.
• Attendance Thresholds & Free Drop Policy:
  • To receive a full $100\%$ score on lecture attendance, students must physically attend at least $75\%$ of total class meetings.
  • Students are granted automatic penalty-free absences without requiring medical notes, excuses, or instructor authorization:
    • $5$ free dropped attendance grades for lecture classes.
    • $3$ free dropped attendance grades for recitation classes.
  • Students self-manage their absence priorities without needing to email or justify reasons to the instructor.
• Grade Weight Distribution:
  • Lecture Attendance: $10\%$ of the final course grade.
  • Recitation Attendance: $10\%$ of the final course grade.
  • Combined Attendance & In-Class Participation (note-taking and active engagement): $20\%$ of the total course grade.

Exam Structure, Makeup Policies, and CDR Accommodations

• Exam Logistics & Format:
  • All unit exams and the final exam consist of $20$ multiple-choice questions administered in-person.
  • Exams are strictly closed-book and closed-notes.
  • Responses are recorded via Scantron sheets. Students requiring non-Scantron testing accommodations must schedule through the testing center.
  • Study guides are published online one week prior to each exam.
• Exam Scoring & Drop Structure:
  • The course includes $4$ total exam opportunities: Unit 1 Exam, Unit 2 Exam, Unit 3 Exam, and an Optional Final Exam.
  • Each exam is worth $20$ points.
  • The lowest score among the $4$ exams is automatically dropped from the final grade calculation.
  • Only the optional final exam is comprehensive/cumulative.
• Absolute No-Makeup Exam Policy:
  • There are no makeup exams under any circumstances, including severe illness, hospitalization, death of a family member, or unexpected emergencies.
  • If an exam is missed, a score of $0$ is recorded, and the optional final exam serves as the designated makeup by taking its place and dropping the $0$.
  • Taking the final exam can never lower a student's grade, as only the lowest score among the four is discarded.
• Center for Disability Resources (CDR) Testing Accommodations:
  • Students with registered testing accommodations must schedule exam slots directly in the CDR online system.
  • Students are strongly advised to schedule all $4$ exam dates in the CDR system at the beginning of the semester to secure time slots (available anytime from $8:00\text{ AM}$ to $8:00\text{ PM}$). Unneeded final exam reservations can be canceled later.

Weekly Practice Tests and Retrieval Practice

• Pedagogical Purpose & Retrieval Practice:
  • Practice tests leverage active retrieval practice—pulling stored information from long-term memory back into working/short-term memory to reinforce learning.
  • Exam questions are pulled directly from these practice test pools.
• Structure & Mechanics:
  • Consists of $10$ multiple-choice questions hosted on Blackboard with automated grading.
  • Assigned weekly starting in Week 2, excluding official exam weeks.
  • Students may retake practice tests infinitely up until the unit deadline; only the highest achieved score is preserved in the gradebook.
  • Cumulative Practice Test Weight: $10\%$ of the total course grade.
• Unit Deadlines:
  • All individual practice tests belonging to a specific unit are due simultaneously at the conclusion of that unit.
  • Hard Deadline: Exactly $9:00\text{ AM}$ on the day of the corresponding unit exam (e.g., Unit 1 practice tests are due at $9:00\text{ AM}$ on September 21 prior to the $2:15\text{ PM}$ recitation exam).

Late Work Policies and the "Oh Shit" Clause

• Policy Enforcement Case Study (Jimmy Scenario):
  • Scenario: A student (Jimmy) completed research, contracted the flu the night before submission, obtained an official doctor's note, and submitted an assignment on Thursday at $3:00\text{ PM}$ that was due Tuesday at $11:00\text{ PM}$.
  • Course Policy Rule: Individual exceptions to course policies are never granted, regardless of doctor's notes, medical emergencies, work demands (e.g., working $3$ jobs), or personal hardship. This maintains equal standards across all students without forcing instructors to subjectively judge excuses.
• The "Oh Shit" Clause Rules:
  • Every student receives exactly $1$ single-use "Oh Shit" clause pass per semester.
  • Standard Usage: The student must email their Teaching Assistant (TA) within $3$ days ($72$ hours) of the original deadline to request the clause, granting a $1$-week submission extension with zero late penalty.
  • Format Error Usage: If work is submitted in an unreadable format resulting in a $0$, the student has $3$ days after the grade is posted to email their TA and invoke the clause to resubmit for full credit.
• Standard Late Penalties (Without Clause):
  • Online Submissions: Submitted up to $3$ days ($72$ hours) late receive half credit ($50\%$).
  • In-Person Submissions: Submitted to the TA at the start of the subsequent recitation class receive half credit ($50\%$). Submissions beyond this timeframe receive a score of 0$.\n* **Extra Credit Opportunities**:\n * 2 extra credit assignments will become available (opening around Week 2 or 3).\n * Each assignment adds 2\%$directly to the student's overall final course grade percentage (totaling up to$4\% extra credit).\n\n# Assignment Submission Guidelines and Accepted File Formats\n\n* **Submission Deadlines**:\n * *Online Blackboard Submissions (All Unit 1, All Unit 3, Part of Unit 2)*: Due on the following Tuesday at 11:00\text{ PM}.\n * *In-Person Submissions (Specific Unit 2 Printed/Handwritten Assignments)*: Due at the start of the student's next recitation class (specific dates listed on individual TA Blackboard pages).\n* **Strictly Accepted File Formats**:\n * Only two file extensions are accepted for online submission: `.pdf` (PDF) and `.doc` / `.docx` (Microsoft Word).\n * **Prohibited Formats**: Apple Pages (`.pages`), image screenshots, and shared web links (e.g., Google Docs links).\n * *Apple/Mac Product Warning*: Apple devices default to `.pages` format. Blackboard renders `.pages` files as unreadable errors or un-downloadable files, resulting in an automatic grade of 0. Students must convert files to PDF or Word prior to uploading.\n* **Resubmission & Verification Rules**:\n * Students can overwrite an incorrect submission by uploading the correct PDF or Word file over the previous attempt prior to the deadline.\n * Page 32 of the course syllabus details instructions for verifying correct file uploads.\n\n# Instructor Communication Protocol and Email Guidelines\n\n* **5-Step Student Help Hierarchy**:\n 1. *Syllabus*: Consult the searchable course syllabus and embedded resource links.\n 2. *Recitation*: Ask questions directly during weekly TA recitation meetings.\n 3. *Office Hours*: Attend instructor office hours (Wednesdays at 12:00\text{ PM}$) or UCA/TA office hours (offered across$16 TAs).\n 4. *Email Contact*: Send a structured email if previous steps do not resolve the issue.\n* **Division of Responsibilities**:\n * *Contact Dr. Martin for*: Lecture content questions, exam inquiries, overarching course policies, academic integrity issues, or general course concerns.\n * *Contact Recitation TA for*: Recitation details, section-specific grades, and assignment feedback.\n* **Mandatory Email Formatting Protocol**:\n * Must be sent from the student's official university email account.\n * Must use respectful and professional salutations (address instructors as "Doctor" or "Professor"; do not use first names).\n * Every email must contain the following required information:\n 1. Full Student Name\n 2. Recitation Section Number (e.g., M004 or higher)\n 3. Teaching Assistant's Name\n 4. Clear, detailed explanation of the request or question\n\n# Course Support, Undergraduate Course Assistants, and Tech Policies\n\n* **Undergraduate Course Assistants (UCAs)**:\n * UCAs assist with lecture logistics, facilitate activities, help take attendance, hold exam review sessions, and host open office hours.\n * *Class Notes*: UCAs take official lecture notes which are posted to Blackboard. Instructor PowerPoint slides are not published online after Week 1.\n* **Technology-Free Lecture Rules (Effective Monday, August 31)**:\n * Lectures are tech-free: cell phones must be turned off, laptops stored away, and desk surfaces kept clear.\n * *CDR Technology Accommodation Seating*: Students with registered CDR accommodations permitting technology (laptops, tablets, phones) must sit in designated technology rows at the front of the hall (Rows 1–4).\n * *UCA Seating*: Designated seats in the back middle section are reserved for UCAs.\n * *Monday Arrival Protocol*: On Monday, students must wait in the hallway until instructed to enter to facilitate structured seating adjustments.\n\n# Class Questions and Answers\n\n* **Question**: Can practice tests still be accessed and retaken after earning 100\% or after completing the unit exam?\n * **Response**: Yes. Practice tests remain accessible throughout the entire semester for continuous study and retrieval practice. Retaking a practice test after achieving 100\% will not overwrite or lower the existing high score, as the gradebook retains only the highest attempt.\n* **Question**: Are assigned readings monitored and graded, or are they based on an honor system?\n * **Response**: Readings operate strictly on an honor/trust system and are not directly checked for completion. However, neglecting readings will directly harm exam performance, as exam questions cover material drawn from assigned readings, lectures, and occasionally new recitation concepts. Practice tests reflect these reading concepts directly. Practice tests remain due at the end of the unit (9:00\text{ AM}$$ on exam day) to allow flexible reading schedules during busy weeks.