Grading Policy and Academic Honor Code

Environmental Core and Well Logging
Office Hours and Consultation with the Instructor: I want you to do well in this course! I welcome questions from all students either in person, by email, or by phone. Whether you are doing well in the course, find it challenging, or are on academic probation, attending office hours can help make the course a more enriching experience. Following university policy and to ensure your own privacy when sending electronic messages, please use your university email account for all correspondence related to this class. Include your first and last name on any electronic correspondence.  Please cc a copy of any important messages that you send to the instructor back to yourself so that you have a record.

Grading Policy: Students are expected to attend class, do the reading, and consult the web site throughout the term and participate in class discussions. These steps will help you to learn the material covered on the exams. There will also be in-class activities assigned during the term. They will allow you to gauge your progress and provide you with credit for class participation. Grades will be based on the assigned work as follows:
Undergraduates enrolled in the 40000-level section
Mid-term Exams (two worth 15% each) 30%
Cumulative Final Exam  40%
Class Projects/Class Participation
  30%
Total 100%
 
Graduate Student enrolled in the 50000-level section
Mid-term Exams (two worth 15% each) 30%
Cumulative Final Exam  30%
Class Projects/Class Participation  15%
Term Project
 25%
Total 100%

Check your Class Grades Online using Blackboard Learn: To check class grades with Blackboard Learn, login via flashline and select the Vista link in "My Classes"

Class Projects: Projects for the class will consist of readings and research projects. Students are encouraged to discuss the readings with others students in the class outside of the class meetings prior to the class session during which we will discuss the assigned reading. Research projects should be completed by the groups assigned in class.

Term Project: For graduate students enrolled in the 50000-level section, this course will require significant amounts of independent scholarship. Student will be expected to research a particular topic of interest on the syllabus, generate a bibliography of publications from the literature and complete a term paper on the subject. Students will be guided through this process during the term as they complete various stages of the project: (1) Bibliography of sources, (2) description of research question, (3) outline, (4) initial draft, (5) Final draft.

Information to assist you with writing a research paper can be found on the Earth Science Writing Guide at the Kent State University Library
website: http://libguides.library.kent.edu/content.php?pid=330893&sid=2706580

Exams:  The exam questions may involve the interpretation of maps, diagrams, and graphs. The midterm exams will give students an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of the material presented. While the mid-term exams will be non-cumulative, the final exam will be cumulative.  Exam scores may be curved at the discretion of the instructor, but each student has the potential to succeed in this course. Students are expected to pick up their graded exam papers in class when they are returned, or to make arrangements to do so at office hours.

Make-up Exams: Students are expected to manage their academic and personal activities responsibly during the term. Students who miss an exam must provide a written documentation in a timely manner in order to receive a make-up exam. Legitimate excuses for missing an exam include written documentation for the following: conflict with another Kent State University academic activity (such as an on or off campus field trip), your own illness, a death in the family, and military or intercollegiate athletic commitments. If you are involved in military or official university athletic activities, review the exam schedule at the beginning of the term and consult with the instructor prior to the exam if you have a conflict.  If you have an illness, personal crisis or family tragedy that results in missing an exam, you must contact the instructor by phone or email no later than 48 hours after the scheduled start time of the exam.  It is very important that you provide your name and a telephone number where you can be reached in your phone or email message.

University Policies: The following University policies apply to anyone enrolled in this course:

1.       University Calendar: The official university calendar, which provides information on deadlines for university-related transactions can be found at: http://www.kent.edu/calendars. Information about registration dates for Fall Semester can be found here: http://www.kent.edu/registrar/fall-important-dates

2.       Enrollment Status: Students are responsible for ensuring that they are properly enrolled in their classes. The official registration deadline for this course without a late fee is August 31, 2014 (see the university calendars for late registration deadlines and late fee information, etc.). You are advised to review your official class schedule during the first two weeks of the semester and prior to the drop and withdrawal dates to ensure that you are properly enrolled in this class and section. University policy requires all students to be officially registered in each class they are attending. Students who are not officially registered for a course by published deadlines should not be attending classes and will not receive credit or a grade for the course.

3.       Academic Honor Code: All students in the course are expected to abide by the academic honor code, as specified in the University's Policy Register.. The use of other's intellectual property without giving them appropriate credit is a serious academic offense. This includes copying answers, misrepresenting the source, nature or other conditions of your academic work to get undeserved credit.  At a minimum, students caught cheating during exams will receive a midterm grade of zero, which will count for 50% of their overall average midterm score, and the incident will be reported to the university.  It is the University's policy that cheating or plagiarism can result in receiving a failing grade for the course or other more serious disciplinary action depending on the nature of the offense. Repeat offenses can result in dismissal from the University. For complete information see the Kent State University Policy Register, Chap. 3, section 3-01-8

4.       Withdrawal: The last day to drop a class before a grade of W is applied is September 7, 2014. Withdrawal from any or all courses is permitted up to the withdrawal date for the semester, or until the prorated deadline for flexibly scheduled sections. The deadline to withdraw with a grade of W entered on your transcript is November 2, 2014. After that time, students are considered to be committed to all remaining courses and must complete them. If students are unable to complete the semester because of extreme circumstances that first occur after the deadline, students should consult their college or campus dean's office. No approval is required to withdraw from a course during the withdrawal period.
For more information see: http://www.kent.edu/registrar/fall-important-dates

5.       Students with Documented Accommodation needs: Students who require health-related accommodations must verify their eligibility through the Office of Student Accessibility Services (SAS) on the Ground Floor of the DeWeese Health Center (330-672-3391 or http://www.kent.edu/sas). In accordance with University policy, if you have a documented need for a health-related accommodation to obtain equal access to this course, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester or when given an assignment for which an accommodation is required. If you have any questions regarding a potential accommodation need, please contact the instructor and SAS as soon as possible.

6.       Final Exam Dates: Please check the final exam schedule for the classes in which you are enrolled. This can be found on the web at: http://www.kent.edu/registrar/fall-final-exam-schedule. In the event that you have two exams scheduled at the same time, the instructor will make suitable arrangements. Students who have conflicts or more than three examinations on the same day should consult with the Dean of his or her college at the earliest possible time for assistance in making alternative arrangements.

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