Policies and Procedures
1. Attendance: It is the responsibility of every student to attend lectures regularly. If an absence is unavoidable, the student should try to obtain the lecture notes from another student. I use very cryptic notes when I lecture so you can't borrow mine. You are also expected to be in your seat when class begins. Excessive tardiness may result in a lowering of your class grade.
2. Grades: There will be four exams during the course. They will be graded on a percentage basis. A class curve will be announced following each exam so you know where you stand. At any time during the course, the student has the option of discussing his/her performance with me. You may make an appointment with me at X2458 for this purpose. Please do not expect to discuss your performance during lecture or immediately after. All conferences will be scheduled for times outside of class so I can give you my full attention and have any relevant data available for you.
3. Cheating Policy: It is the policy of the Department of Biology to automatically award a failing grade to any student caught cheating in a course. The act of cheating includes, but is not limited to, copying another student's paper during an examination, making your exam paper available to another student, turning in work that is not your own and plagiarism. I will enforce the University of Miami Honor Code at all times.
4. Textbook: The text for this course is Integrated Principles of Zoology by Hickman, Roberts, and Larson. It should be used to supplement the lecture material, not replace it. You are expected to read the material in the text which corresponds to the lecture material. Although exams are written primarily from the lecture material, text material may also be encountered.
5. Examination Policies:
a. Exams will be computer
graded. You are expected to furnish your own No. 2 pencil.
Make sure you fill in the name and student number spaces on the answer
sheet and bubble in the appropriate circles. You will have assigned
seats for exams, make sure you enter your seat number on the answer sheet.
Attendance will be taken during exams and it you are not in you assigned
seat, your exam will not be counted!
b. You should bring a
picture ID to every exam.
c. When you are finished
with the exam, you may leave. Hand in both the answer sheet and the
exam paper to me.
d. If you arrive late
to an exam, you will have less time to take it. We will not run into
the next class period.
e. If you are absent from
an exam, you must bring an acceptable excuse. The University
Policy on make-up exams states that they can only be offered:
1. if a student has participated in an activity approved by the Dean's
Policy Council.
2. if a student has attended a field trip of another course.
3. if a student has been confined to the Health Center.
Make up exams must be taken before the next scheduled
class exam.
f. If you miss an exam
and do not make it up, you will be given an E for that exam.
g. In order to be eligible for an
Incomplete for the course you must have passed three of the four exams
and have an acceptable excuse for missing the fourth. NOTE:
The "I" grade will be counted as an E until it is removed by a passing
grade. It will be converted into an "E" if not removed in one calender
year or by graduation.
6. Extra Credit:
You may elect to do an extra credit project if you wish.
The project should be about some non-domestic animal. The format
of the project is up to you. I would suggest you discuss the project
with me before beginning it to make sure it is the type of project I would
find acceptable.