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.

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.

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 are 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. "Extra credit" opportunities are therefore reserved for students who achieve at least a "C" in the Midterm. The best work is usually done by "B" students in quest for an "A".

"Extra credit" research report proposals must be specifically approved - by me.

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.
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 Carleson Library are to be used in your research (exceptions must be pre-approved).
4. In general, research reports for "extra credit" must be typed (word processor encouraged), with at least 5 pages but not more than 10 pages of text exclusive of figures, bibliography and attached title page photocopies. Text shall be typed, single spaced with and extra blank line between paragraphs. Pager shall be numbered. Type must be no smaller than 10 point nor larger than 12 point. 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. Research reports are due as the Final Exam begins.

"I" 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. "IW"s are sent only when students do not show up or disappear at the end of the first or second week of class. Once someone has attempted a quiz or test, "IW" is no longer available.

"I" 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 judgement. If health or personal problems occur so early in the semester that you fall behind and can not recover, drop or withdraw! "I" grades will never be considered as an option for students who fail the midterm and/or seldom attend lectures. "I" grades will never be considered for students who do not take notes as suggested in the syllabus.

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 enrolling in a course. 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, unlikely to have ever requested an "I".

Last updated 02/06/01

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