This is because there is no telling when the LMS will change again. Instead of reinventing the wheel every time the official LMS is changed, I decide to use an LMS-independent method for documents. It is much more efficient to update a link from an LMS to this document than to customize the document to the current LMS.
This document is the part that is common to all the syllabi of all my classes. As such, this document outlines a contract between students who are taking my classes and myself. This document also contains my opinions of how to succeed in my classes and certain recommendations that can be helpful to the short and long term student success.
Class content is delivered via a variety of methods:
Persistent (not per-semester) video clips include closed captioning, and they are distributed via YouTube. Reading material are in HTML and PDF, distributed via power.arc.losrios.edu. Interactive activities can include course material, and these are distributed via the current official LMS.
The following are resources to stay in touch:
All participants in a class, that includes the professor, are expected to check messages and reply as appropriate periodically. I will do so during my office hours as well as once during the weekend. Students are expected to check messages on a daily basis from Monday to Friday, and once over a weekend. This means from Monday to Friday, you can expect a turnaround time of no more than 24 hours. The turnaround time is 48 hours over the weekend.
College scheduled holidays and breaks are exceptions to this rule.
First of, please visit and read the Expectations of Behavior and Conduct from American River College.
This policy applies to conduct regardless of the means of communication, media utilized, content of communication as long as the behavior occurs during class time or utilizes class or college resources such as a classroom, a lab, online text, email and etc.
The primary goal of this policy is to create an effective learning environment. As such, behaviors that lead to an ineffective learning environment are not tolerated. Depending on several factors, such as frequency, severity, threat level, the consequence of behaviors not tolerated in this policy can range from a warning to expulsion from the college (district).
This includes the occasional ringing of a cell phone, or chatting in class during lecture (and not when peer-to-peer discussion is expected). In an online class, this includes a mic that is not muted capturing background noise.
Such incidents can distract other students from paying attention to the subject matter. As a result, it is important not to behave in class in a way that is distracting. Even in lab, loud and inconsiderate conversations, especially of topics unrelated to the lab activity, can also be quite distracting.
People learn more effectively when they feel safe and secure. As a result, behaviors that are intended to take the feeling of safety and security from others are not tolerated.
Incidents of hate, bias and discrimination should be reported to the campus equity officer, Kate Jaques (jaquesk@arc.losrios.edu) at (916)484-8406.
Any behavior that is violent in nature, dangerous or endangering is not tolerated and should be reported to police (911) or campus police (916)558-2221.
Any absence of the first day of class or orientation is sufficient reason to get dropped. Be sure to attend the first class or orientation of your classes.
ARC offers equal access to programs, services and facilities so that students with disabilities have the opportunity to participate fully in campus activities. Specialized counseling services, interpreters for the deaf, tutors, note takers, readers, test facilitators, adapted computers and mobility aids are provided upon request. These services are free and the program is open all terms. Please contact the DSPS office at (916) 484-8382 / 484-8798 TTY for more information. Please bring a notification letter from the Disabled students Program and Services (DSPS) outlining your approved accommodations directly to the instructor as soon as possible so that arrangements can be made.
Los Rios regulations define excessive absence as 6% or more absences. Any absences in excess of 6% is sufficient reason to get dropped from a class.
In a face-to-face class, attendance is tracked by roll sheets that the instructor may pass during a class. Or, in some cases, if there is any in-class activity, the related submission is also used for attendance purposes. In a lab classroom, the instructor may also choose to take attendance electronically by requiring students to sign in and participate in an activity. Such an activity may be password protected or network restricted so that students who are not physically in class may not be able to participate.
In a face-to-face class, the percentage of attendance is based on the number of class meetings and the number of missed class meetings.
Scenario: For example, in a 54-hour full semester class that has 80 minute class meetings, each class meeting is of the entire semester. In this case, the third absence becomes excessive.
In a class with lecture and lab sessions, the instructor may choose either or both for attendance purposes.
In an online (distance) class, attendance is tracked by activities in the class or related site(s), which can be the district or college designated site or any other site that the instructor uses. Just logging in or checking grade do not count as an activity for attendance purposes.
Each instance of an activity not being turned in within the allowed amount of time is considered an absence for the duration from the time when the activity is available to when the activity is due. For example, let us assume a daily log is expected at the end of each day with synchronous sessions. If a daily log is completed by the end of day, then one day of absence is counted.
The percentage uses the total number of days of synchronous sessions as a denominator. For example, in a 8-week summer session where each week has four days with synchronous sessions, then there is a total of days with synchronous sessions. days is 2 days. This means that absences is considered excessive the third time a daily log is missed at the end of a day with a synchronous session.
Unexpected events happen in life, that is what the 6% of allowed absence is for. If too much expected events happen in one semester, perhaps it is a better strategy to retake the same class in a different semester.
Some absences are excused and do not count to the 6% threshold of excessive absences. The following is an exclusive list of such absences. All other absences are not excused. [EDIT 2015/10/12: the instructor must be notified before scheduled duty-related absences or as soon as possible for health related absences.]
A student’s own health related absences are excused, but only with a doctor’s note or some alternative evidence deemed acceptable by the instructor.
If accompanied by an official request from a coach, athletic events.
If accompanied by proof of summon, jury duty.
The district does not mandate excuses for absences that are not verified health issues related to the student. This includes, but is not limited to the following:
The policy is no late work is admitted. Except for documented illness of the student himself or herself, quizzes and exams cannot be made up.
In the event of sickness, please notify me as soon as possible. I understand anyone in serious sickness may not be able to operate a computer to communicate. However, it is helpful to inform a family member or friend to indirectly let me know of the situation.
This is how academic dishonesty is defined in this class:
“Academic dishonesty occurs when a student attempt, or participate in any activity, to attempt to show possession of a level of competency, knowledge or skill beyond the level of the student (self) or some other students (third party).”
Note that this description is more general than the description of specific activities that count as cheating. The instructor may use a variety of tools and techniques to discover dishonesty including but not limited to direct observation, server log, statistics, question variation and etc.
A more "positive" way to look at this is to define integrity instead of defining dishonesty. Academic integrity implies the following:
The grade of a particular assessment of a particular student reflects the academic performance (competency, knowledge and/or skill)
If you would like to use a resource that is not permitted explicitly by the instructor, always ask first before using it, preferably before the date of the assessment so so that you do not get surprised.
The litmus test of academic integrity is as follows. Assume the assessment with academic integrity in question is X. Create an alternate but equivalent assessment Y. Assessment Y is likely to be proctored and individually administered. If there is no academic integrity issues, and all conditions are close to assessment X, a student should score about the same in both assessment.
Note a Litmus Test is not needed if there is proof of academic dishonesty.
Academic honesty is important for many reasons. First, it ensures fairness to all students. Many universities articulate with ARC because they trust the grade of a student reflects the academic performance. Academic dishonesty results in the dissolve of this trust, which leads to universities not articulating with ARC any more. This hurts all students, including the majority who are honest.
Due to the importance of academic honesty/integrity, any act of dishonesty has consequence(s). First, the entire questioned assessment work will receive no credit. This means that if one question of an exam proves academic dishonesty, the entire exam gets a zero.
Starting in Fall 2019, all identified cases of academic dishonesty are reported to Office of Student Conduct.
Serious cases of academic dishonesty can lead to suspension and ultimately expulsion.
You should have read the Guide to Student Rights and Responsibilities document. This document describes what the college expects from its students, as well as rights of students. Your instructors assume you have read this document and understand both your rights and responsibilities.
A classroom (virtual of otherwise) is a place to teach and learn. Disruptive behavior in a classroom is not tolerated. Repetition or continued disruptive behavior despite warnings is sufficient ground for disciplinary action as per the Guide to Student Rights and Responsibilities.
Not as an exclusive list of disruptive behaviors, here are some common ones:
Please do not eat or drink in a classroom. This is a policy of all classrooms.
Please come to class on time. Walking in late distracts the class, especially when the door closes with a bang! I will not answer questions about what I have taught before someone arrives late.
If there is a class prior to yours, let everyone from the previous class out of the classroom first unless directed otherwise.
Questions are welcome as long as they are (1) related to class and (2) asked orderly. If you don’t understand something that I talk about in class, raise your hand right-away. I may need to finish a section of lecture before addressing your question, but I will definitely address it.
Most lectures are recorded, unless there is a technical difficulty or operator error. I cannot promise that every lecture will be recorded and uploaded simply because of Murphy’s Law. I bring my own USB microphone and external hard disk drive to record lectures, and occasionally I misplace or forget to bring these items. I have since found a way to get around this if necessary using a cell phone to record the voice while using VLC in Windows to record the screen. The most important part is to remind me to start the recorder at the beginning of a class!
That being said, the most important part of lectures is not trying to copy everything that I say or do. Instead, focus on what I am talking about. Bring something to take notes. You can use pen and paper, or use a computer or tablet for that purpose. If not anything else, write down the time stamp when I start a topic. This will greatly help you locate lecture content when you review YouTube recordings.
Try to read ahead of my lectures. All links on Moodle are useful, and I usually go sequentially down the list. Reading ahead of me helps you prepare for concepts prior to a class, and it also lets you write down questions before a lecture. In case the lecture does not seem to address your questions, ask them in class!
This class is not graded on a curve. This means "success" is not relative to peers, but compared to a instructor-determined standard.
This part of the syllabus is no guarantee of any success in this class, but it worked for the instructor when he was in college.
The most important part of any computer science, math or science classes is a thorough understanding of material. The word "understand" must be, well, understood, first.
There is a prerequisite to understanding a new concept. Since birth, we consciously and subconsciously collect data about our surrounding and in general how things happen. The human brain has the ability to abstract raw data so that from such raw data, knowledge that can be applied is derived. We utilize knowledge to infer the future so we can make the best decision.
In education, these concepts go beyond the usual "common sense" knowledge. For example, why does in algebra? It is because the commutative law reflects reality when we compute the sum of two quantities. Understanding the commutative law also means the ability to apply it so that given , we can rewrite it as (without using the associative law).
In other words, when a concept can be applied correctly, it is one step closer to being understood.
A concept cannot be understood just by being stared at, read or watched. Let’s say a sentence says "Bojadee becomes igmolified when it is nuffazed." Most people can memorize the words after reading it a few times, but that is hardly understanding the sentence, right?
In other words, a single sentence can involve quite a bit of thinking process. Just reading the words does not come close to understanding.
Do not move on, stop the instructor, and ask questions.
One of the worst thing to do in a class (besides being absent) is to let concepts go without understanding it. Signal the instructor as soon as you realize that you do not understand a concept. Just raise your hand, and I will pause as soon as possible to answer your questions.
Then, formulate a question about what you do not understand. A vague and general statement like "I don’t know what you are talking about" is helpful in the sense that it signals the instructor that it is not a good idea to continue a lecture, but it provides no information to help the instructor determine what concept should be re-explained in another way.
It is more helpful to ask more specific questions like "I don’t understand what makes a Bojadee different from a Dojabee?", or "Can you explain nuffaze in smaller steps?".
It may take you some time to formulate a question. Sometimes, in the process to formulate a question, a concept is understood! If you study, try your best and do your part, don’t worry about the rest of the class or what you think they may think of you. Take your time.
Utilize the office hour of your instructor. If you find out that there is a concept already discussed in class, or a concept that will be discussed in class that you do not understand, utilize the office hours! There is more time available to formulate questions.
After concepts are understood, the ultimate test is to apply such concepts to solve problems. Problem solving is the application of understood knowledge, but it is more than just that.
After a concept is understood, it can be applied by itself. In other words, you know when you can apply this concept, how to apply it, and derive the result of the application. It is one link.
Problem solving is the forming of a chain that consists of many links. In other words, by applying possibly a number of concepts a number of times, you make a connection between two concepts are not directly connected. Sounds simple, right?
Well, it is not that simple because I lied. The application of a concept is not exactly a link, but more like a node in a vast network. Instead of only connecting to one other concept, the result of the application of one concept can connect to a magnitude of concepts. In other words, it is more like solving a maze where each room/intersection has multiple directions to explore.
This is where practicing becomes important. Busy work is not going to be sufficient. We start with simpler problems where the start and finish are just a few steps apart. Then we move on to intermediate problems where the start and finish are further with more steps in between. Even more complex problems require the partitioning into smaller problems where "landmarks" are first identified as intermediate objectives.
Homework assignments in this course typically involve practicing and problem solving. They are one of the most essential parts of succeeding in a class.
Well, if I expect 100% absolute independence, then there is no value in a class!
When I refer to independence, I am referring to the completion of assessment activities. The honesty policy already covers the academic honesty part of independence, but that is only to maintain the integrity of the class and the college. Doing work independently and originally also helps you!
There will be times when you get stuck with an assignment, that is supposed to happen! If that does not happen, then the assignment is just busy work involving memorization. To move on from a stuck point, you will need the following ingredients:
Just take a peek of the topics before a class can help prime your mind for the concepts. Spending some time to read material ahead of a class helps significantly. The instructor assumes you to have read assigned reading before a class.
The grade of an assessment of a student is based on observable criteria applied to a submission. The criteria are based on the actual instructions or question. As a result, it is important to read questions and instructions carefully and follow the steps if any is indicated.
Context | “A” | “B” | “C” | “D” | “F” |
Short description | Excellent | Good | Satisfactory/fair | Low pass | fail |
Scoring | Perfect answer, cannot be any better. Shows complete understanding of the material and ability to apply knowledge, perfect execution. | Good answer with minor or few mistakes or omissions. Shows understanding of the material and ability to apply knowledge, commendable but less than perfect execution. | Answer with major or many mistakes or omissions. Shows sufficient but incomplete understanding of the material and ability to apply knowledge. Execution has much to be desired. | Answer shows insufficient understanding of the material and ability to apply knowledge. | No answer, answer not submitted on time, answer not submitted according to instructions, or answer does not show any understanding of the material and ability to apply knowledge. |
Job evaluation | Excellent employee who has significantly more value than salary. Employer will offer promotion and/or salary increase to retain employee. | Good employee who has more value than salary. Employer is satisfied with performance. | Borderline employee who just break even in terms of value versus salary. Employer considers replacement when the right new-hire candidate is presented. | Employee performs poorly to the point the employer is losing money. Likely to be fired. | Employee does not perform at all, fired immediately! |
Product evaluation | Five stars. Product performs well beyond expectations. Highly recommended to other buyers. | Four stars. Products performs as expected with room for improvement. Still recommended to other buyers with caveats. | Three stars. Acceptable product performance. Not bad enough for a return/refund, but not likely to be recommended, either. | Two stars. Product does not perform as advertised. Likely to be returned. | One star. Faulty product that does not work at all. Furious consumer returns the product immediately and tells everyone not to buy it! |
GPA center | 4.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
Percentage range |
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Your grade in this class is assessed by four main categories of activities.
Note that a substantial number of assignments may not be graded, therefore they do not count for your final grade. These assignments are not, by any means, any less important than the graded ones. In fact, these ungraded assignments can be more important than the graded ones.
So why are the important assignments not graded?
Collaboration is encouraged to complete these ungraded assignments. The size of a collaboration group is not limited, but three or less is recommended. For many people, collaboration has been shown to improve learning and retention.
Without being graded, how does one learn from these assignments?
Most, if not all, of these assignments are problem solving and/or synthesis type work that require the application of learn knowledge. Just doing the assignments is a form of learning. Discussing with others and collaboration is a form of learning.
Most importantly, the solution is disclosed when these assignments are “due”. A very important part of learning is to compare your solution to the key. In addition to the solution, test cases will be given to test a design. The following steps are essential to learn from these ungraded assignments:
While the assignments are not graded, I am more than happy to help: