How do I contact you?
Office Phone: Call 828.586.4091.376 or 800.447.4091.376; after several rings, you may leave a voice-mail message.
E-mail: I read and promptly respond to e-mail at kirks@southwesterncc.edu.
In general, try to leave a message stating your problem or question, and a phone number if I need to call you. Your e-mail will include your return address. Both voice- and e-mail will have a date and time stamp attached to your message.
Do you have an attendance policy?
I expect students to attend classes. Much of the material covered in my lectures is not covered explicitly in the textbooks. Students are responsible for material covered in class whether or not they attend. If you must miss, ask a good "note taker" to cover for you. Only after you have reviewed the notes from the class, and still do not understand, will I attempt to clarify the material. If you have excessive absences, I will deduct a letter grade from your final average.
Students taking online and distance education courses should be active in the online community and make regular postings and contributions to the discussion boards. I expect online students to make continual, regular progress towards the course objectives; I will not accept attempts to complete 90% of the course in the last two weeks.
Do I need the textbook?
Yes. I promise not to require a book unless you really need it for success in the course.
The key to using a text is to read the preface and foreword sections, which will usually offer explanation about how the book was designed, organized, and intended to be used. All texts contain objectives, reviews, and a variety of questions and exercises. Students may, of course, complete as much of this material as desired, and should, as a minimum, be comfortable and competent with the objectives listed for each unit or outlined by the instructor.
I encourage you to keep your textbooks (which have little resale value anyway) and build a reference library.
How do I view the PowerPoint slides in the Course Outline?
In order to use the PowerPoint files, you must right-click the link and save the PPT file to your local hard drive. Once saved, you can open the file with PowerPoint. If you don't have PowerPoint installed, you will need the free powerpoint viewer available from Microsoft.
Do you give homework?
Of course I do.
Furthermore, students are expected to prepare for class. Any assignments should be ready to turn in at the beginning of class. Effective study skills are requisite for success in college. Students are expected to spend time outside class reviewing, and studying. A good rule of thumb would be to spend three hours per week outside of class.
Will you give us some time during class to work on homework?
I absolutely will.
A fundamental tenet of Community Colleges is to include hands-on lab and practice within the contact hours of the course. I like to maximize our "lab time" whenever possible. However, you may sometimes need to spend extra time after class to master the skills and techniques from lab.
If you need some lab time to practice, each computer lab/classroom has a schedule of free and occupied hours posted outside the door. Use those schedules to determine if the room is "busy" or available for your use.
If I'm not in your class, can I stay in the lab and work?
Absolutely not.
According to college policy, you cannot "sit in" during another class to use the lab. It has been whined to me that some of my colleagues break that rule--I do not.
What is your biggest "Pet Peeve"?
People who type while I'm lecturing!
Recreational Computing is not acceptable during class time. I have no intentions of competing for attention against Solitaire and the Internet. Additionally, these activities are extremely distracting to me and the other students. You may not type or click during the lecture portions of class. During lab time, students are expected to pursue concepts and knowledge relevant to the course content.
If you wish to take notes using a PC, laptop, or PDA, see me at the beginning of the semester and we will make arrangements.
I like your class, but can't you make that one jerk shut up?
I encourage all students to participate in the class discussions. Try to remember that in any learning environment, it is necessary to respect and consider the opinions of others. However, as the instructor, I also have an obligation to manage the class time and ensure that one person or idea does not dominate or detract from the learning of others.
Do you really believe in legalized drugs? Flag Burning? Satan Worship?
Maybe I do, maybe I don't...
In courses dealing with Ethics and Law, I often take a position contrary to what most people believe so that we can have a meaningful class discussion. It is a tool commonly used by many teachers. Please try to bear that in mind before you go around town slandering my good name!
What are your exams like?
My exams typically contain some or all of the following: objective questions in the form of True/False and Multiple Choice; Short Answer questions which require a sentence or two or explanation; and Discussion Questions which require a paragraph or two of explanation. As a rule, I do not use Fill-in-the-Blank questions.
Can we review on the day before the exam?
There is a long-running joke about my objection to "reviewing" for exams.
I spend each class meeting giving you notes and discussing them, giving you problems and helping you solve them, helping you find and understand the salient points in the textbook, and answering your questions. That's what I call review.
What if I miss an exam?
There are two excuses for missing an exam: serious illness, or death of a family member. If you must miss an exam, try to let me know in advance (a quick email or voice mail is fine).
If you miss an exam and I don't hear from you for days or weeks afterwards, do not expect sympathy or the opportunity to make up the exam. For those who contact me in advance and are allowed to take a make-up, I give a single comprehensive make-up at the end of the semester.
Can I make up quizzes?
No. If you miss a quiz, you're stuck with the zero.
Can I do extra credit?
No.
I do not believe in "extra credit." Essentially, what you are asking is for me to give you an opportunity to earn some points that are not available to the other students in the class. I think that is the most unfair thing I've ever heard. How would you feel if I let everyone but you earn an extra 10 points on an exam?
Well, can I just cheat on the exams?
Of course not.
In my years of teaching, I've rarely encountered cheating. It's one of the reasons I like Community Colleges--the students are typically mature and serious about their studies. Most would never consider any kind of dishonesty. I have seen a few "sins of omission rather than commission." By that I mean students who made an honest mistake of not citing a reference source or discussed a problem they shouldn't have in a general sense. If you have any doubts or questions about gray areas, ask me first and we'll discuss and clarify the best approach.
Having said that, let me also go on record and state clearly that I expect you to complete your assignments individually unless I specifically assign a group project. No exam or quiz will ever be a group project. Any cheating or unauthorized collaboration, whether active or passive, is expressly forbidden. If you are caught cheating in my class, you get an automatic F in the course, and you may also be subject to other policies of the College. The Student Handbook contain specifics regarding Academic Honesty.
Updated May 2006
© 1998-2006 Kirk Stephens