Course Policies and Guidelines
Exams: The exams will be based on the text and on the
material covered in class. The exam
dates are CLEARLY posted in the syllabus of the course. The dates are set from day one and cannot be
changed. Also please be advised that
**** NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES WILL BE ALLOWED
ON TOP OF DESKS ****
This is: Cell Phones,
Programmable Calculators, PDAs, Walkmen
(or any such electronic device) and/or ear phones of any kind MUST be stored
away during all exams.
Furthermore, please be
prepared to present a valid Hunter College ID at the request of instructors to
take the midterm and final exams.
You might be required to show
your ID at or during exam time.
Attendance:
will not be taken during lecture, but the exams will include material that will
be exclusively covered in the lecture.
Therefore, if you miss class and fail to get the notes from another
student your test grade will be negatively impacted. I strongly suggest attending all the lectures
as this will be the easiest and most efficient way to learn the material.
Class Meetings: The lectures will be given Tu and Fri from 2:10 -3:25 pm. The laboratory sections will be given at the
times specified in the college’s schedule of courses and attendance will be
taken by the instructors. It is the
course policy that you can be absent from the lab only once. More than one UNJUSTIFIED absence leads to
failing the lab portion of the course.
You need to bring your lab manual to each laboratory meeting.
Grading: The
laboratory section of the course will count for 40% of your total grade. The
two exams, mid-term and final constitute the other 60% of your total grade, 30%
each. In addition, you have the
opportunity (OPTIONAL) of gaining 5 EXTRA points that add directly to your
final grade by taking the map quizzes administered in the labs.
Homework: The laboratory exercises will be the homework for the
course. As outlined in the syllabus you
will be required to complete approximately one laboratory per week, and since
the laboratory will count for 40% of your total course grade it is important
for you to do the assigned work. Moreover, the laboratories are designed to
complement the class material and help reinforce what you learn in class.
General advice to students:
Study Habits:
a)
As a general rule
of thumb for a college course you should plan to study two hours outside of
class for each hour spent in class.
b)
Do not expect to
understand everything that I say the moment I say it, but do keep trying to
understand it. The study of atmospheric phenomena is like a jigsaw puzzle, as
each new piece is added the whole picture will become more
clear.
c)
The following are
useful tips to do well in this or any class:
1)
Attend class
& take detailed notes.
2)
Read the assigned
material in the text before coming to class.
3)
Re-write your
notes as soon as possible after class. This will allow you to fill in the
details still fresh in your memory, and prepare questions for the next time the
class meets.
4)
Test yourself by
answering the questions in the book and on the web-site.
5)
Carefully study
the diagrams and charts in the book and in the lectures.
About My Office Hours:
a)
These are clearly
indicated on the course syllabus and on my door; all other times by appointment
only. If you come to my office at any
other time I may not be able to see you: my job involves many aspects in addition
to teaching.
b)
Please prepare
your questions ahead of time.
c)
I encourage all
students to make use of my office hours. If you have a few questions, e.g.
about points in a lecture or problems in the book, feel free to come and
discuss them.
Examinations:
a)
If the school is
unexpectedly closed, e.g. because of snow, on the day of a scheduled
examination other than the final, that exam will be given during the next
regular class meeting. If the school is
unexpectedly closed on the day of the final examination you should do what I
will do: listen to the radio and/or
contact the school for information.
b)
The grading on
examinations is: 90-100 = A; 80-89 = B; 70-79 = C; 60-69 = D; <59 = F.
c)
Examinations are
1 hour and 25 minutes for the mid-term and 2 hours for the final exam and must
be turned in promptly. If you arrive
late, you loose that time. If you arrive
too late, after a student has already finished the exam you will NOT be allowed
to take it.
a)
If you miss an
exam and have a D or F average in the course at that point, you fail the course
irrespective of the reason you missed it.
b)
I will
automatically agree to the CR-NCR option only if you earn grades such that you
accumulate at least 50 points total in the course (this includes labs+exams+extra, if you earned any). If you do not meet this criterion I strongly
suggest you come to speak with me during my office hours before the end of the
term. Students on probation are not
eligible for this option.
c)
If you choose the
CR-NCR option than a grade of
≥ 70 = CR and a
grade of <70 = NCR, and I will not
agree to “a B if I get a B and a CR if I get a C.” If you want a B in this course, work towards
that goal from day one!! If you want an A in this course, work towards that
goal form day one!
a)
Arrive late or
miss classes on a regular basis.
b)
Pay a tutor to do
the work for you!
c)
Maintain the
belief that I will grade you differently because of personal difficulties you
are experiencing.
d)
Stop attending
class without notifying the registrar. If you are not officially dropped from
the course by the registrar you will be assigned a final grade of WU, which
means you failed for non-academic reasons. Every semester at least one student
who hasn’t been to class in 8 weeks arrives just before the final pleading with
me not give this grade, claiming they were unaware of the rule (you are all now
aware). They want a NC, or a chance to make up the work. I will grant neither.
e)
Do not hand in
laboratories and/or skip exams without notifying the professor that your
circumstances were extreme (illness, hospital, accidents or such similar
events). At the end of every semester
students in deep trouble ask if there is anything they can do to raise their
grade. When I look at grades and reports from lab instructors and my own,
almost always these are students who have consistently failed to hand in
homework over the semester, and/or have missed an exam. If you want a good
grade in the class, consistently work towards that goal from the first day
onwards