The following are general policies of my classes.

Class Participation Expectations: This is a challenging course. It is extremely important that you not only know the material but understand it as well. There are things that you can do to increase your chances of successfully completing this course.

I expect that each of you will come to class prepared and willing to work, this includes: reading the chapter before the lecture, participating in discussions, asking questions where appropriate, participating fully in the lab, and clean up at the end of lab, being courteous to me and your fellow students, and being willing to think.


Late Work and Makeup Examinations: Late labs will be docked 1 point per class period. There will no make-up exams! If you must miss an exam for some reason then you will have to take the comprehensive final. There will be no make-ups for labs.

Absences: Attendance at the lectures and labs is required. Your course performance depends on your attendance (if you do not attend it is very difficult to learn the material). You are responsible for all materials, activities, assignments, or announcements covered in class, regardless of your reason for being absent. If you do miss a class, get lecture notes from someone in the class and get handouts and assignments from me. I will not take roll (except to verify the roster), but you are responsible for your attendance.

Withdrawal Policy: The student is responsible for any decision to withdraw. Please feel free to discuss any problems with me before they become serious. No incomplete will be given without satisfactory explanation and completion of at least 2/3 of the course work with a grade of C or higher. You should be aware of recent changes in state law. Students who entered a Texas public college for the first time in or after the fall of 1999 are subject to a Texas statute that limits the number of courses a student may take for which the state will pay the college. At the community college, the limit is 1.5 times the credits required for the two-year degree. Students who exceed the number of credits required for a degree by 50% may be charged additional fees. Courses for which students receive a grade of W (withdrawal) are included in the total credits calculation. Developmental courses are not included in the total credits calculation. This rule applies to university students and to community college students who transfer from ACC to Texas public colleges and universities. Students who leave ACC with excess hours may have to take fewer courses at the Texas institution to which they transfer or pay higher tuition for the extra hours.

Incomplete Policy: Incompletes are very uncommon. No incomplete will be given without a compelling documented reason (emergency etc.) and completion of at least 1/2 of the course work with a grade of C or higher. Furthermore, I will only give an incomplete if the emergency occurs after the withdrawal deadline or if withdrawal would impose a significant undue burden on the student (e.g., student visa, financial aid etc.)

Academic Dishonesty: ""Acts prohibited by the college for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty. Including but not limited to, cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research or self-expression. Academic work is defined as, but not limited to, tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations; and homework". Any incident of academic dishonesty will result in your automatically receiving a grade of "0" for the assignment. In addition, the incident will be reported to the Office of Student Affairs and they may assign additional penalties.

Academic Freedom: "Institutions of higher education are conducted for the common good. The common good depends upon a search for truth and upon free expression. In this course the professor and students shall strive to protect free inquiry and the open exchange of facts, ideas, and opinions. Students are free to take exception to views offered in this course and to reserve judgment about debatable issues. Grades will not be affected by personal views. With this freedom comes the responsibility of civility and a respect for a diversity of ideas and opinions. This means that students must take turns speaking, listen to others speak without interruption, and refrain from name-calling or other personal attacks."

Students with Disabilities: "Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office of Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester." Students who are requesting accommodation must provide me with a letter of accommodation from the Office of Students with Disabilities (OSD) at the beginning of the semester. Accommodations can only be made after the instructor receives the letter of accommodation from OSD.

Cell Phones and Pagers: Please turn off all cell phones and pagers during class as a courtesy to me and the other students.

Lab Safety: Health and safety are paramount values in science classrooms, laboratories and field activities. Students are expected to learn, understand and comply with environmental, health and safety (EHS) procedures and protocols, and must agree to abide by the ACC science safety policy. Students are expected to conduct themselves with appropriate professional behavior and with respect and courtesy to all. Anyone who thoughtlessly or intentionally jeopardizes the health or safety of another individual will be immediately dismissed from the day's activity, may be withdrawn from the class, and/or barred from attending all activities. Specific safety information for each activity will be discussed at the beginning of the activity. For those activities that require specific safety training, a student who is late and misses the safety training will not be able to participate in the activity. The comprehensive science safety policy can be found at: http://www.austincc.edu/sci_safe/.

Testing Center Policy: We will be using the Testing Center for the lecture exams so you should be aware of the rules involved. The Testing Center guidelines and instructions can be found at: http://www2.austincc.edu/testctr/.


Student Services: There are a number of important services available to you at ACC. Please
become familiar with what is available. You can find information at: http://www3.austin.cc.tx.us/evpcss/rss/Default.htm and in the Student Handbook: http://www3.austincc.edu/marketing/handbook.

Instructional Services: Campus based help and other services can be found at: http://www3.austincc.edu/evpcss/memos/reference.htm, then click on "Campus Based Student Support Overview".