Policies

Courses Taught by Mirsad Hadzikadic

General Policies

A policy is a temporary creed liable to be changed, but while
it holds good it has got to be pursued with apostolic zeal.
Mohandas Gandhi

Policies represent the social contract between us. That's the nice way of saying it. More bluntly, as one of my former professors once put it, "I hold your grades hostage. Do what I say and no one gets hurt." Some of the policies below may not be applicable to the specific class you're taking. Please don't assume that a policy you find inconvenient falls into that category. If you have questions, ask. If in doubt, err on the side of caution. "I didn't think that applied to our class" is not an excuse.

Notification of Changes. My primary means of communication with you during the semester will be via your UNC Charlotte e-mail address and this Web site. It is your responsibility to check this site frequently; you are responsible for knowing the contents at all times. For my part, I will give you as much warning of schedule changes as I possibly can.

Important Dates. It is your responsibility to be aware of important milestones during the semester such as registration deadlines and drop dates. These are available on-line in the UNC Charlotte academic calendar.

Use of English. Students for whom English is not a primary language are encouraged to contact me if they experience any difficulty understanding lecture material or textbooks. As long as they do not include definitions, I permit the use of word-for-word correspondence electronic dictionaries when taking tests. Please see me if you feel the need to use one.

Electronic Devices. I do not permit cell phones, beepers, pagers or other similar disturbances in my classroom. If you believe this to be an unendurable hardship or if you have special circumstances, please see me and we will discuss an exception.

Homework Format. Collecting, grading, and returning assignments requires a significant effort to simply manage the paperwork. This is particularly true when teaching multiple courses as most of us do. To assist in reducing this workload I require the following for each assignment turned in (there may be additional requirements for specific assignments):

No hand-written assignments will be accepted. This includes assignments with hand-written cover pages (see below).

Each assignment must begin with a cover sheet (not hand-written) clearly identifying both you, the class, and the assignment. The cover sheet not only serves to identify you, it protects your privacy by concealing any comments I may have made on the underlying assignment. Click here to see an example of a proper cover sheet. Notice that there are only three components: your name, the class (ITIS 2300, ITIS 3130, etc.), and the assignment identification which can be found on the Class Schedule. That's ALL! I don't want the date or the page number - only what's in the Assignment ID column of the Class Schedule. Please do not embellish these sheets; I am not interested in searching through a large volume of information of which I am already aware (my name, the course title, meeting days and times, etc.). Please do not use "fancy" typefaces, colors, borders, etc. - these are not illuminated manuscripts. For the cover page please use a fairly large point size (20 or more) and a standard typeface that is easy to read such as Arial, Courier New, or Times New Roman.

Pages must be stapled together - no paper clips, loose pages, covers or binders.

If the assignment instructs you to post your files I will expect to find them on the server you name (see Beginning E-Mail). In addition, I may require you to turn in a hardcopy of the source code (with cover sheet).

Be sure to name all files exactly as called for in the assignment directions. Please note that the word "exactly" has a precise meaning which does not include concepts such as "kind of", "sort of", "close to", or "almost". This includes capitalization!

If any of these rules are violated I will reject the assignment. The corrected assignment will incur a grade penalty. You have been warned.

E-Mail Format. Because of the immense volume of spam we all have to deal with and to assist me in organizing e-mails from different classes, please make the Subject line of all e-mail the class number, e.g. 2300, 3130, etc., and your last name, e.g. 2300 SMITH. I'm not going to waste my time wading through porn, mortgage, and Viagra ads trying to figure out which e-mail is from a legitimate student. If your subject line doesn't conform to this specification I will simply delete the e-mail. Please limit the subject line as described above: don't use it to ask your question. As a general rule, e-mail is a poor form of communication for complex questions. Class time or office hours would be a better format for those types of communications.

E-Mail Account. Per University policy, you must have and use your official University e-mail account. It is to this account that I will direct all e-mail communications. You may forward to a personal account if you like but you are still responsible for anything I send to your University account, even if the forward fails. Due to privacy concerns and FERPA restrictions, I will NOT send official e-mail to other than your official University address.
Web Space. Even if you have Web space available already (through AOL, Netscape, your ISP, or some other provider) you will need to activate the personal Web space provided every student at UNCC. Instructions on accessing your personal Web space are available in most computer labs or online at the Student Computing site.

Assignments Due. Absent an excuse which I find to be sufficiently compelling (and for which I will probably require documentation), assignments are due at the beginning of the class period on the date specified in the Class Schedule. Assignments not turned in by the beginning of the class on the due date will receive a maximum grade of not more than 50% of the points available for that assignment. (Please note that if you are late to class you cannot turn in your assignment on time.) Assignments not turned in by the beginning of the next class after the due date will receive a grade of zero but are still due. At the completion of the course, each assignment not turned in will result in a deduction of 5 points from your overall course score.

The bottom line is that assignments you don't turn in earn you negative points.

Returned Assignments. I will make every effort to return graded assignments to you as soon as possible, usually (but not always) within one week. Please contact me immediately if you do not receive graded assignments back within that time frame. Also, do not discard your graded assignments. Before the end of the semester I will distribute forms showing the grades I have recorded for you. If I have recorded a grade incorrectly and you can produce the graded assignment I can correct the grade. If you cannot produce the original assignment then my recorded grade stands. Also, I do not have the storage space to hold on to student assignments so at the end of the semester I will shred any assignment you have not picked up. If you want your assignments you must come get them if you miss the opportunity to pick them up in class.

Extra Credit. I do not permit substitutes for required work improperly performed. In such a case "extra credit" is an oxymoron. Grades will be determined only by performance on the items listed in Grade Weights. Do not expect additional assignments to compensate for low grades already received. At the end of the course, the proper answer to the question "Is there anything I can do to improve my grade?" is "No."

I may make additional work available to encourage going "above and beyond." Such work may improve your overall course score but will not substitute for previous assignments on which you received substandard grades. No doubt, some of you will disagree with my policy. If so, ask yourself if you would be comfortable flying on a airline where pilots who failed landings were permitted to perform extra takeoffs to compensate.

Absences. I realize that some of you may have full-time jobs, families, or may experience events out of your control. Occasionally you may find that you cannot attend class or complete an assignment by the due date. Please contact me as soon as possible if one of these situations arise so we can make suitable arrangements. I do not expect you to risk losing your job or leave your children coloring in the car just to attend class but I do expect that you will not skip class or fail to turn in assignments on time for trivial reasons. As a general rule, I will permit two unexcused absences in classes that meet twice a week and one unexcused absence in classes that meet once a week. After that I reserve the right to deduct points from your final course grade for each missed class.

Disability. Students with disabilities should contact the Office of Disability Services if an official accommodation is sought for the course. If you are one of the many students facing challenges, regardless of whether or not you choose to formally register, please do not hesitate to contact me. This is a subject about which I have personal experience and I may be able to assist you in completing the course successfully.

Exams. During exams the following items are prohibited: Baseball caps or other hats, electronic devices, headphones. No bookbags or books allowed on the desk. You will also not be allowed to leave the room, please use bathroom facilities before the exam.

Last updated Wednesday, August 19, 2009