Expectations in the Classroom of an American University

1. Expectations in the Classroom of an American University By the IMSSO

2. Purpose of this session: To provide an overview of academic atmosphere and expectations at our university and to share with you guidelines for a healthy academic learning experience.

3. Classroom Atmosphere Where is the best place to sit in class? It’s best to sit in the front of the class because your professor will become familiar with your face and it will be easier for you to pay attention. TIP: Always go to class a few minutes early.

4. Classroom Atmosphere What is the most important handout in class? Syllabus. It is a “contract” between you and the professor for the course and it contains the Rules of the Class. Be sure that you understand all of the requirements and assignments your professor has written in your course Syllabus. TIP: Read it carefully and understand the rules!

5. Classroom Atmosphere • Participate in discussion: Read and review the assignment before class so that you can participate in all class discussions • Ask questions: Even if you think your English is not perfect, speak up and ask questions and add your ideas to the class discussion TIP: In American Universities, students who do not participate in discussions or who do not ask questions are believed to be unprepared for class.

6. Do NOT Skip appointments, which include CLASSES • Professors take appointments and deadlines very seriously.The consequences for missing appointments and deadlines include failing exams and possibly failing a class. Email your professor if you will miss class or an appointment with him/her. TIP: Email is important!! Set up an email account and use it to keep in touch with your professors and your academic advisor.

7. Question:If you are late for class and the teacher is already talking when you arrive. What do you do? a. Knock and wait until the teacher lets you in. b. Enter the room, apologize to the teacher, then take your seat. c. Don’t go to class. d. Enter as quietly as possible and take a seat near the door. Excerpt from: Ford, Carol K. and Ann M. Silverman. (1981) American Cultural Encounters. San Francisco: The Alemany Press.

8. Answer is “D” • If you arrive at the door of the classroom after the professor has started to speak, do not leave. Just enter the room very quietly and take the closest seat to the door and begin to listen to the lecture. After class, ask the professor for any notes or important parts of the lecture you might have missed. • At the end of the class, do not leave before the professor leaves unless you have to go to another class. TIP: Under normal circumstances, classes will start on time and will end within 5 minutes of the ending time as published in the Course Schedule.

9. Question:If the professor is late, what do you do? a. Stay in class until the end of the period. b. Leave because ten minutes is long enough to wait for anyone. c. Ask the departmental secretary about the class. d. Wait or leave depending on how well you like the professor. Excerpt from: Ford, Carol K. and Ann M. Silverman. (1981) American Cultural Encounters. San Francisco: The Alemany Press.

10. Answer is “C” Look for a sign on the door or on the board. Read your handouts…maybe you missed a change in schedule. Ask others in the class if they remember a change in schedule. Ask the departmental secretary. TIP: Remain seated but look up at the professor when they arrive

11. Question:The professor is talking to the class and you do not understand part of the lecture. What do you do? a. Look at your neighbor’s notes. b. Whisper softly to your neighbor for help. c. Raise your hand and ask the teacher to repeat or explain what she said. d. Wait until the end of class and then ask the porfessor to explain her point.

12. Answer is “C” • Make sure you understand the point that the professor is making or you may be distracted for the remainder of the class because you cannot figure it out.

13. Dress Code in American Universities • Are there dress codes for college students in the U.S.?

14. Cell Phones, Laptops, & Calculators • “Hang it up” • Laptops  E-mail can wait • Calculators  Simple is better

15. Commit to your classes and to your future!! • TIP: Try to do your homework right away while the ideas are still fresh in your mind.Write and rewrite your notes, making sure that you understand what you have written down – if not, ask for help right away • TIP: Keep up in the beginning and you will have a good start for the semester.

16. FOUR Sources of Helpat our University • The professor who teaches the course: • Go to the professor first for help. He or she is a better source of information than your peers! • The Syllabus contains your professor’s name and the location of his/her office and office hours. It also contains his/her telephone number and email address. Visit your professor during his/her office hours. Let them know who you are and ask any questions you have about the course.

17. Sources of Help 2.Your academic advisor Report your progress to your advisor at least once a month. Remember she/he approved your class schedule and sometimes a simple inquiry phone call to your instructors can clarify your difficulties.

18. Sources of Help for Undergraduates 3. Academic Advising Center

19. Academic Help Labs • Accounting • Biology • Chemistry • English • Math • Physical Science

20. Sources of Help 4. Seek help from other students within the class Study Groups: A group is a good thing but learn how to avoid plagiarism in writing assignments, and reports when working on individual or group projects. Academic Honesty: In the U.S., it is not permissible to copy the work of another person – whether that individual is an expert or a classmate. The minimum penalty is an “F” grade for the course and a permanent mark on your academic record.

21. Helpful Suggestions • Be polite and respectful of professors. Do not make unreasonable requests for "extra time" on exams and assignments. • Listen carefully in class and take good notes. • Attend class regularly and arrive on time. • Realize that class lectures and textbooks do not always parallel each other. • If you are having difficulty in a class (receive a bad grade, do not understand the assignments, etc.) do not try to hide the problem, it will only get worse. Talk with your professor as soon as possible after getting a bad grade. Talk with the IMSSO if you are having academic difficulty.

22. Academic Dishonestyand Plagiarism What are they and how are they different?

23. Academic Dishonesty Cheating on an examination, quiz, or homework assignment is Academic Dishonesty!

24. Copying from the examination or quiz of another student is academic dishonesty. • Bringing into the classroom notes, messages, or crib sheets in any format which gives you extra help on the exam or quiz, and which were not approved by the instructor of the class is academic dishonesty. • Buying term papers from the Internet or any other source is wrong.

25. Asking someone to take your exam or having any other person to obtain exam or quiz questionsis academic dishonesty. • Using the same paper to fulfill requirements in several classes without the consent of the professors teaching those classes is academic dishonesty.

26. What happens if I cheat? • Penalties for various levels of academic dishonesty vary from: • giving an 'F' on a particular quiz or exam • to giving and 'F' on a term paper or other written work • or giving the student an "F' or 'W' for the course The professor may also have different penalties for particular cases of academic dishonesty.

27. Plagiarism Plagiarism is stealing the ideas or writing of another person and using them as your own.

28. Tell Me Again . . . Huh? This includes not only passages, but also sentences and phrases that are incorporated in the student's written work without acknowledgement to the true author.

29. Any paper written by cutting and pasting from the Internet or any other source is plagiarism. • Changing the wording of the sentence or paragraph is plagiarism. If you get an idea about something and then put it in your own words then it is not plagiarism.

30. ALWAYS!!! Acknowledge the source of ideas! This must be made through a recognized footnoting or citation format.

31. What happens if I plagiarize? • An “F” on the assignment OR • An “F” in the course OR • Possibly dropped from that degree program • This is very serious!!