Course Policies

Please carefully read all of the following terms for enrolling in this course.

  1. If questions arise about course policies, first carefully read over the course syllabus to see if the question is answered there. The syllabus is available on the course website: (https://websites.umass.edu/astron101-schneide/)
  2. All emails (and other messages) regarding the course must include your name and student ID # somewhere in the message. The subject line of the message must include “Astro 101” and state the subject of the message clearly. If the message relates to any of the following, please include them in the subject line:
  • Absence
  • Extra Credit
  • Make-up Exam
  • Late OWL Submission
  • Clicker
  1. It is unacceptable to do anything in class that might prove distracting to the learning of other students. This includes:
  • talking so loud as to be overheard by other students
  • using a computer for anything other than taking notes
  • walking across the front of the room during class
  1. You must bring a #2 pencil and your student ID to all exams and the final.
  2. Unpenalized make-up exams will only be given for DOCUMENTED reasons beyond your control, and the reason must be provided in written form at the earliest time possible.
  3. Notification, in writing, of any scheduling conflicts with university-sponsored activities or religious observances must be provided at least a week in advance.
  4. No extensions will be granted for OWL assignments barring exceptional circumstances. In the case of such a problem, complete the assignment (listed under “Past Due Assignments” in OWL)  no more than 3 days late, and then send an email message that provides a thorough description of the problem. The late assignment may be accepted with a penalty, but it is less likely to receive credit the later the assignment is completed or if it is a repeated circumstance.
  5. Homework grades can be improved through in-class participation, which is based on using a Clicker. Failure to attend class, or to bring a functioning Clicker to class, will result in no Clicker credit for that class.
  6. It is not acceptable to submit answers with a Clicker for any other student.
  7. There are severe penalties for representing anyone else’s work as your own, or assisting anyone else to submit work that is not their own, unless the instructor has explicitly stated that cooperative work is acceptable.

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