Generic Course Policies

General Course Policies

All work must be the student's own, unless collaboration is specifically and explicitly permitted. Any unauthorized collaboration or copying will at minimum result in no credit for the affected assignment and may be subject to further action under the Guidelines on Academic Integrity of SIS and the University of Pittsburgh. A document discussing these guidelines was included in your orientation materials, and you should acquaint yourself with them. If you have any questions or are unsure about a particular situation, please ask me (mbw@tele.pitt.edu).
No late assignments will be accepted for credit unless specific arrangements have been made with the instructor at least one week before the due date. I will make every effort to return assignments within one week after they are due.
With the exception of in-class exercises, exams, and mathematical derivations, assignments must be typewritten.
I am extremely reluctant to issue ``G'' grades at the end of the semester. If such a grade is necessary, the maximum number of points the student can achieve will be reduced by 1% per day over the previous day. This process starts on the last day of the semester and counts only weekdays. Thus, a project that is turned in one day late can get 99% of the available points, two days late gets 98% of the available points, etc. The time when I receive the assignment is when the timer stops. ``G'' grades that have not been cleared by the end of the following semester will automatically become an ``F''.
If you want to change your grade option, you must do so prior to the final examination. Requests to change your grade options after the final examination will not be honored.
The published syllabi are subject to change. It is the student's responsibility to check the course page on a regular basis so that he or she can make the appropriate adjustments.
Please ask questions by electronic mail first (mbw@pitt.edu). This helps me organize my time, and ensures a more accurate and efficient response outside of office hours. I read my electronic mail throughout the day every day and will usually respond with an answer within a few hours of reading it, and almost always the same day. If the nature of your question requires an interactive session, please come to my office during office hours as scheduled. If, for some unforeseen reason, I cannot make office hours, I will announce that in class whenever possible. I do not make appointments during office hours; I will be available on a first come, first served. If you need an appointment with me outside of office hours, please schedule one through my secretary, Mrs. Arlene Girty (624-9405) (arlene@lis.pitt.edu).
Please use the GSA as a resource. He or she will be correcting homework (except for doctoral seminars), running the labs, and helping out with the project (for courses with projects). He or she will be scheduling regular hours in the lab to make him- or herself accessible.
The tentative course schedule on the Syllabus page. While the schedule may change, depending on our progress in the course, you are expected to use this as a guide to your reading and studying. I expect you to have read the materials before the lecture on the subject as listed here. I will update this schedule as needed throughout the course.