BOT 125
Plant Morphology

Course policies

General policies

Office hours: My office hours are for your use. If you don’t understand the material, come and see me about it before the tests rather than at the end of the quarter. The time outside my office hours is for my use, for teaching, professional activities, meetings, and such, but I can always make time to see you, if you let me know in advance. If you catch me in the hall or drop in on my office without an appointment, I may have time to talk with you right then; if not, I’ll let you know. If I’m missing from my office during an office hour and there isn’t a note on the door telling you where I am, it probably means I am in the restroom or running a quick errand, and will be back shortly.

Return of assignments: All tests will be returned in lab (according to the seating chart), or you may pick them up during office hours. I encourage you to pick up final exams as well. Understandably, many students do not return to pick them up; to avoid gravitational collapse of the accumulated papers, I follow University policy and discard them after a quarter.

Tardiness: It is better to come in late than not at all, but please do so quietly.

Tape recorders: You may record my lectures if the recordings will be only for your own personal use. You may not sell copies, or give them away to anyone not enrolled in the class.

Talking during lectures, other than as a part of class discussion, will not be tolerated; it distracts other students and annoys me. If I am disturbed by talking, I will exercise the options of rude staring, verbal warning, expulsion from the lecture, and expulsion from the class, in that order, at my discretion.

Grading: The grading criteria in the syllabus are minimum guarantees; in rare cases, I may adjust them downward. Plus/minus grading is used. Ordinarily, the lowest percent score in a grade will receive a “minus” and the highest a “plus”; others may, too, at my discretion.

I don’t enjoy arguing points on tests and I tend to be very hard-nosed about such things, so if you want to argue, make sure you know what you are talking about first. Important: After I have turned in the final grades for a course, I will make grade changes only for arithmetic errors, or to change a “U” to an “I” for someone with a documented excuse for not completing the class. It's not fair to you or anyone else in the class if I reevaluate someone’s grade and revise it upward without being able to revise yours and everyone else’s grades as well.

Cheating: When discovered, cheating will be aggresively prosecuted. The minimum penalty will be a score of zero on the exam in question, and additional penalties may include an “F” in the course and referral to campus authorities.

In the past, some students have altered the answers on Scantrons or lab exams that were returned to them, and claimed that the exams were mis-graded. To prevent this, some or all of the exams are photocopied before being returned. If you claim that an exam was mis-graded, it will be compared with the photocopy. If it matches, it will be reevaluated, and if warranted, the grade will be changed. If the comparison shows that you have altered it, your test will be retained as evidence, you will be barred from returning to class, you will receive a grade of “F” in both lecture and lab, and the matter will be turned over to campus authorities.

Lecture Exams

Exam guide: You may prepare and bring to the exam a single 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper (both sides) or two sheets (single-side) containing any information you wish. The exam guide must be labeled with your name, legible without magnification. You will be required to turn it in along with the exam. It will not necessarily be returned, so you might want to make a copy of it if you think you will want it later.

Conduct during exams: An exam begins when I hand out the first test. Latecomers begin the exam when they arrive, and receive no extra time. After the exam begins, you may not talk, except quietly to me, and you may not consult any written materials other than the exam guide (above). The exam ends precisely at the end of the scheduled class period (not at the beginning of the next class, while its instructor and students stand by impatiently). Violators of these rules will receive a zero on the exam.

Missed exams: If you know in advance that you will miss a lecture exam, see me as soon as possible to make alternate arrangements. If you miss a lecture exam without advanced notice, at my discretion I may choose to give you an oral exam, an essay exam, or a multiple-choice exam from a previous quarter. For an oral or essay exam, you may request up to one week after the scheduled exam (or your return from an illness) to prepare.

Lab Exams

Conduct during exams: A lab practical exam begins for you when you enter the lab room. After that, you may not talk, except quietly to the lab instructor, and you may not consult any written materials other than the back of the answer sheet. You may not look at any questions except those at your current station. Violators of these rules will receive a zero on the exam.

Legibility: To prevent alteration of answers after the test, at my discretion your lab instructor may grade and return a photocopy of your lab exam rather than the original. Faint pencil marks are usually illegible on photocopies. To receive the credit you deserve for your answers, be sure to write legibly in dark pencil or ink.

Missed exams: Because of the nature of lab practical exams, there will be no make-up exams. If you miss an exam because of documented illness or emergency, your score on another lab exam will be substituted for that of the exam you miss. If you miss all three exams because of documented illness or emergency, you will be expected to request an incomplete (“I”) for the lab, and make up the exams the next time the course is offered. If you miss a lab exam for any other reason, you will receive a zero for the exam.