Policies

Here are some course policies taken from the syllabus:

Course Policies:
You are required to read the course policies. Any concerns regarding the policies or procedures of this course, as stated in this syllabus, or, as they occur in class should be discussed directly during an office appointment.

1. Blackboard/Email Requirements— It is mandatory that you set up and check your CAMPUS email and Blackboard accounts regularly. Your instructor uses Blackboard for grading, outline submission, exams, and other class activities and you are expected to complete all these assignments. Personal email accounts are not connected to Blackboard, which means that you will not receive critical information from me. It is possible to link personal and campus accounts. Get technical support at G604.

Please note: Not knowing how to check your email or use Blackboard is not a valid excuse. Failure to use both will result in a lower grade.

3. College Attendance Policy: Attendance is mandatory for all class meetings. This attendance policy will be strictly enforced. Each student will be permitted a total of 3 unexcused absences. After that, each unexcused absence will result in 3 points off your final grade. If notified by email at least 24 hours in advance, occasional absences may be excused at the Professor’s discretion, provided that the student can document an emergency (such as illness, injury, death in the immediate family, childcare or eldercare emergency or other significant personal crisis.) Chronic lateness is not permitted, and three late entries are equal to one absence. You are required to attend and participate in every session as either a speaker, audience member or group/discussion participant.

FYI, CUNYfirst documents your class registration date. If you miss the first day or first week of school and your name appears on the CUNYfirst roster, then you are considered absent. Students who are absent on the first day or week are responsible for acquiring class notes from other students, checking Blackboard, and speaking to the professor.

4. Oral Assignments:

All speeches must be presented in order to pass the class. No make-up speeches or exams allowed unless a) you miss a speech due to an emergency that is documented and verifiable; b) you contact your instructor via email or phone as soon as possible. At this point, you may or may not be permitted to make-up the speech—it is contingent upon available class time, and at the professor’s discretion. All students not present on speech days will lose one whole letter grade on that speech for each missed day. FYI, Speeches will not be presented in the instructor’s office and late work will not be accepted once the semester ends.

5. Professionalism:

You are expected to turn in original work of high standard. Speeches will be graded on given criteria as well as on spelling, grammar, and appearance. You are expected to have read assigned material before coming to class. Please plan ahead. The course is designed to structure your work in a way that facilitates planning. Let the course design work for you.

6. Etiquette:

It is expected that students in this class will conduct themselves with good sense, courtesy, and dignity in all course-related activities. This includes your behavior towards other students and the professor. Use common sense. Students should never enter a class when an oral presentation is in progress or walk in front of a speaker to get to their seat. Never talk, eat, or make distracting noises at your desk while a speaker is presenting and being graded.

CELL PHONES, TEXT MESSAGING, MUSIC DEVICES, or other forms of communication technology are prohibited in the classroom. Please show respect by turning off all technology and removing earphones etc. before entering the classroom.

**Text messaging or checking social media under the desk has become a serious problem in the classroom. Not only is it obvious and distracting to the professor, but also it disrupts the learning environment for everyone—including you! It prevents you from taking notes and paying attention. Missing pertinent information will result in poor performance and ultimately a lower grade. The professor will not reward you by answering questions or repeating instructions after class for students who are seen text messaging or using social media during class. I understand that life happens, so if you have an emergency or simply need to check in with a babysitter or an ill family member, politely excuse yourself from the room to use the phone. I will extend the same courtesy to you. *Please note: Using any form of technology during a lecture, group work, or presentation will result in an absence for the day. Using any form of technology during an exam is an automatic FAIL.

7. Written Assignments:

An important part of developing your speech is the outline. 1) Failure to turn in a speech outline at the time of your presentation will prevent your speech from being graded, and you will not receive a grade better than “C”. 2) All outlines and reference pages are required to follow specific guidelines provided by the Professor and meet basic college criteria—neatly typed, black ink, 12 Font, double space, stapled and spell checked. 3) Outlines that are not in the appropriate format will be rejected and considered late. 4) Many of the speeches require outside research, and any information you get from outside sources MUST BE CITED. The instructor will explain the 3 places you need to put citations (in-line; in a “Works Cited” section at the end of your outline; and verbally within your oral presentation.) Not citing sources or citing incorrectly is VERY SERIOUS and may result in an F or other academic discipline. See section below about plagiarism.

Outline Evaluation Criteria

1000 Level Writing Criteria:

Clarity, Concreteness, and Conciseness:

• Clarity – write so that your concepts, organization, paragraphs, and sentences are clearly understandable to your audience.
• Concreteness – write specifically for your audience in a way that includes examples to support your ideas.
• Conciseness – write simply and directly, unless you have a specific purpose for doing otherwise

Organization

• Organize your speech around the main ideas as detailed in the assignment objectives
• Lay out main ideas clearly and support them with specific examples
• Connect all parts of your writing with logical, smooth, and understandable transitions

Style

• Demonstrate basic academic standards for formatting, language, and grammar
• Effective use of amazing facts, stories and humor to make your speech entertaining

Sources

• Timely and relevant sources. Scholarly journals, credible websites, and newspapers.
• Correct APA or MLA Documentation Style.
• Proper citation of all supporting material including images.

8. Academic Integrity at City Tech

“Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions, and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion.” (See pp. 73-76 in the student handbook).

Plagiarism is the act of presenting another person’s ideas, research or writings as your own. The following are some examples of plagiarism listed in the student handbook:

• Copying another person’s actual words without the use of quotation marks and footnotes attributing the words to their source.
• Presenting another person’s ideas or theories in your own words without acknowledging the source.
• Using information that is not common knowledge without acknowledging the source. Failing to acknowledge collaborators on homework and laboratory assignments.
• Internet Plagiarism includes submitting downloaded term papers or parts
  of term papers, paraphrasing or copying information from the internet without citing the source, and “cutting and pasting” from various sources without proper attribution.

9. Learning Center:

The Learning Center offers free tutorial services for students who need help with grammar, organization, citation, etc. They offer seminars on Microsoft Word, writing workshops and conversation groups for ESL students. Your tuition pays for the City Tech Learning Center and your Professor will instruct you to seek out the services they have to offer.

10. Reasonable Accommodation:

I am committed to providing reasonable accommodation to students with disabilities. Any student who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities should contact me personally so we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and to maximize educational opportunities.