Class Guidelines:

 

  1. If you don’t come to lecture, it is impossible for me to help you.
  2. There are weekly tutorial sessions where we will go over the answers to chapter self-quizzes, will work calculations, will discuss study guide questions for the examinations, and will go over answers to past quizzes and examinations.  This opportunity not only allows you additional academic assistance, but permits you to have greater contact with your professor.
  3. Use your professor’s office hours and do not be frightened to come in.   I fully enjoy developing the minds of my students – that’s my job!
  4. If you are an incoming freshman, seek assistance in study habits if your current organizational skills are not working.  Don’t wait until the third hour exam to do this.
  5. If you miss any of the 5 pop quizzes, it will hurt your grade and will be a reflection of your course attendance and preparation.
  6. There is no substitute for personal textbook reading.  There is no substitute for hearing science.
  7. There is no cell phone use permitted in the classroom.   If you own one, it should be off (NOT silent).  If a phone rings or is used in the classroom (texting), it will be collected by the professor and given to the chairman of Biology.   You will then have to make an appointment to see the chair to retrieve your phone.  I will always keep mine on vibrate in the event that there is a university wide emergency and I am contacted to inform you.
  8. This is a difficult course; success can only come from hard work but not necessarily vise versa.
  9. Cyberspace is always open and all questions are welcome.  They can be directed at lecture material, textbook reading, exam study questions, or a science-related topic you have been pondering.  I frequently use the class reply option under the FSU faculty tools, so I will reply to your questions at large so all of us can benefit.  I’ll take your name off the reply so all questions are game – the only ignorant question is the one not asked.  If you need assistance with answers to the study questions, please don’t email me “What is the answer to question 5?”  Rather format your inquiry…..“I was thinking about question 5 and I know X from your lecture, and from the reading I figure Y is involved, so this makes Z logical because blah blah.”  That way I know the starting base of your thinking process and how to help you.