Surviving the MHS
Following is advice from your faculty. Read carefully: knowledge is power. Happy teachers give happy grades!
Attendance and Classroom Etiquette- Come to class on time. We get upset when you miss the first 10 minutes of class because you were hanging out in the hall. We get even more upset when we see you writing papers in the computer lab during class period.
- Remember to sign the class roster when you come in if one is available. We use that roster to keep track of attendance, and attendance plays a role in your final grade.
- Please don't eat your lunch during class, even if another teacher kept you late; it's hard for you to concentrate and participate while you're busy with that sandwich.
- Try to avoid having to leave class frequently because of work-related calls. It distracts everyone.
- Attend class, even if you haven't completed the assignment for some reason. When you miss class because you don't have a paper ready, you are doubling your trouble and your penalty.
- Show your classmates the respect you would like them to show you during class discussions.
- Be aware of the MHS absence policy: three or more absences may result in failure for the semester. And note: sleeping through class is equivalent to being absent.
- Check with your teachers about their individual policies on laptop or tape recorder use in class. If your instructor permits laptop use, use it only for note-taking. Your email can wait.
- Tell the instructor if you must miss a class; that way handouts and any other information can be sent to by email or via a classmate. Please speak to us directly; don't leave it to a classmate to explain. That's why we provide phone numbers and email addresses.
- And speaking of email, please don't include your professors on chain emails. We appreciate your good intentions but in any given semester we often have 100+ students; that's a whole lot of "have you heard this one" emails to read.
- Run that spell check!!! (This goes for emails and discussion postings as well as papers.) Nothing says "I don't care about your assignment" more than a paper filled with typos.
- Do the assigned reading. You will get much more out of class discussion and will be able to contribute much more to it as well.
- Turn your assignments in on time. You are penalized in several ways if you don't: your grade is lowered, you don't have the benefit of timely feedback to use on the next paper, and you have to do two weeks' work in one the following week.
- We're happy to answer questions about assignments, but please don't call us for "guidance" about how to start your paper the night before it's due.
- Read your syllabus carefully. Pay special attention to how much weight each assignment is given toward the overall course grade, so that you know where to focus your time and attention.
- Check WebCT frequently for messages from us and from your classmates.
- Please follow models for format ( such as cover page layout) if a model has been supplied.
- Spell our names correctly!
- Put you correct section number on the cover page, if we ask for it. It helps us keep those piles of papers straight.
- Use standard page formatting (double space, indented paragraphs).
- Pay attention to the APA manual. The models for how to insert citations and prepare a reference list are there, so we assume that you will follow them.
- Include the page number when quoting a source's direct words. APA requires it.
- Read assignment directions carefully and follow them to the letter. We take time to write them, and we base our grading standards on how well you address them.
- When we read the first paragraph of your paper, we expect to learn what the paper is going to do. Pay special attention to that section.
- Proofread carefully to eliminate grammar errors, especially basic errors like sentence fragments or subject/verb disagreements. If we have to act as your editor, your grade will suffer.
- Please read and learn from the feedback we put on your papers. It's fine to make new errors; that's a sign of experimentation and growth. But it's discouraging when we see same errors again, and again, and again. If you don't understand the feedback, ask and we're happy to explain.
- Do the outside reading. Don't come to class unprepared and expect to get an A. If you find yourself running behind one week, at least read the summary which contains the highlights, so that you can join in the discussion.
- Please don't give us the impression that you think just showing up most of the time should be good for a least a B+. (If you're following Woody Allen's advice, who claimed that 80% of success was showing up, note that an 80% is a B-.)
- Talk to us immediately if you don't understand something. Don't wait until the midterm.
- "Can you explain what I need to do to make my next paper better" is a more effective conversation opener than "I've never gotten a grade this low before."