(In addition, see course-specific Supplemental Conditions)
Last revised: May 18, 2008.
Those who register for any of Prof. Yatt's courses or request him as a thesis or independent study advisor will be expected to work within the rules listed below. Knowing them in advance should help you do well the courses. In addition to these General Conditions, please also review the Supplementary Conditions specific to the individual course you are taking.
In alphabetic order, the General Conditions are:
ACHIEVEMENT: Grades on exams and assignments will be based on each student's level of achievement. That is all. They will not depend, in any way, with how hard a student worked, the amount of progress made, the student's degree of self-satisfaction, or the number of other things a student was trying to juggle during the same semester. Exceptions will be made only with a valid note from the Dean of Students, in which case an extended schedule for completion will be allowed, not a different standard. This will be moderated only by any applicable participation grade (see below).
ASSIGNMENTS (where there are any)
Approach: Work intelligently rather than working hard. Putting a lot of time into an assignment is wasted effort if the work isn't logical, well considered, and in compliance with what was requested. Therefore:
Read the assignments--and not just the grading sheets. Do what they ask. Do not wait until the day or two before they are due to start. Before spending eight hours, or even one hour, doing an assignment, take ten minutes to read it. Even though the grading sheet lists, in a few sentences, the items expected in a good project, the assignment explains what those sentences mean.
Do not trust oral directions from anyone, including classmates, the TAs, or even Prof. Yatt. The faculty and TAs will be happy to help clarify any part of any assignment that is confusing, but will not try to recite from memory the requirements listed in each assignment. The written word and drawn examples contained in each assignment are the best guides--take the time to review them before starting work.
No "make up" or "extra credit" projects will be allowed. Students will not be able to raise low grades except by repeating the entire course. Do a good job the first time.
Format for submitted work
Identification (in large lecture courses only): Identify your papers ONLY with the student ID number you have been assigned. When e-mailing assignments, name the file using your ID number, recitation section number if applicable, assignment name, and a revision number (as in "0801234-xx-assignmentname-2.doc"). Do not write your name on any test or assignment. That avoids bias of any kind.
Style: Bear in mind that writing is often, at best, a supplement to diagrams and sketches. To the extent that you must write, keep your writing as brief and to the point as possible. Writing in outline form is preferable to essay form for two reasons:
It will encourage you to focus
It will be easier for us (and you) to find the points you're trying to make.
Copies: With so many students and TAs, some assignments will get lost. Don't get caught. Turn in copies rather than originals. The faculty and TAs cannot take responsibility for lost or damaged originals. If they are lost or damaged before grading, resubmit the work. This is difficult if a student doesn't have it. For work done on a computer, keep a back-up of the file, and do not delete any files until you've received your semester grade. If you e-mail an assignment, keep a copy of the e-mail (or your attempt to e-mail if it didn't go through) until it comes back graded.
Grounds for returning papers without being reviewed
Non-compliance or incompleteness: Papers must fulfill assignments. Students who don't understand should ask for clarification. To keep papers and exams complete, please staple the sheets together.
Identification: Papers may be returned that indicate a student's name, nickname, or other identifying comments. Use only CUA ID numbers.
Illegibility: All work, except in-class assignments and tests, MUST be typed.
Unacceptably bad writing skills: In these days of computerized spell-check and grammar-check, take the time to correct spelling and grammatical errors. Professionalism counts.
Collaboration: It's OK for students to research homework together, or to discuss that research. But each student must develop his or her own conclusions and interpretations. If several projects are found to be substantially identical products, the assignment will be graded, and each student will receive that grade divided by the number of students who collaborated (guaranteeing an F, since a score of 98 divided by two is only 49).
Use the grading criteria as a guide. They will be provided with the assignments to which they pertain. They will indicate what is needed to get any particular grade. No excuses will be accepted for assignments that do not meet these criteria. For that reason, resubmits will not be accepted. Unclear or incomplete assignment will receive an unappealable F.
Lateness
Due dates and times: Photocopies of assignments (not the originals) or e-mails are due by class time on the due date indicated on the syllabus or assignment sheet. Print a hard copy of the e-mail message so that, if needed, there is documentation that it was e-mailed on time, since messages indicate the time sent and the filenames of any attachments.
Level of completion: Always turn something in - feedback will be provided, and any grade is better than none.
Late assignments will not be accepted. A student who is prevented from working on an assignment for more than seven calendar days must get a note from the Dean of Students. For problems of shorter duration, see me -- if reasonable, an extension of an extra day or two will be allowed.
Second chances: Projects will NOT be regraded after initial grading even if additional work is done. Don't take time from a current assignment to play catch up with an old one.
ATTENDANCE: Attendance is required, including lectures, recitations, and field trips. Absences MUST be documented with a note from a doctor or the dean of students. TAs will take silent attendance at each class. If you're out, don't provide excuses. Provide documentation.
CHEATING: Don't do it, in any form. We notice. The university Dishonesty Policy is rather harsh.
COMPUTER ACCESS: Since much of the course information is on or linked to the course website, students will need access to a computer.
COMPUTER USE: DO NOT bring your computers to lectures. Unfortunately, students must take notes by hand and then type them into a computer later. There have simply been too many students doing poorly while they surf the web or IM each other instead of paying attention in class, and then complaining about the poor grades the receive in the course. I look forward to changing this policy as soon as technology or student behavior allows. On the other hand, by all means DO bring computers to recitations so you can get your work done.
CONTACTING THE INSTRUCTOR OUTSIDE CLASS HOURS: The best way to contact me is via the course website forum. That way, the other students (who most likely are asking themselves the same question) will also benefit. Students who wish to remain anonymous can post a comment without listing a name. Please e-mail the instructor afterward to say that that a message has been posted. To talk with the instructor outside class, to ask questions about the course work or to get feedback on your work, arrange it during class, by e-mail, or by leaving a note in the instructor's mailbox in the administrative office at Crough Center. Please DO NOT phone the instructor at home.
COURSE MATERIALS: Many of the written and graphic resources needed for this course are on this website. PLEASE use them from the screen -- don't go to the CADLab or over to Leahy and print out a hundred pages of course outlines that are available via the Internet whenever you want them. The school can't afford the cost (tuitions are already high enough), and the planet can't afford to keep cutting down trees for paper. If you're in Arch 717, don't print copies of AIA contracts. If you need a hard copy (which you shouldn't), buy it from the AIA (they're only a few dollars each).
DISTRACTIONS: Students always have other courses or sports or personal issues or employment vying for their time. For better or for worse, managing such multiple demands is the student's responsibility. Note that courses required for graduation must be passed in order to graduate.
FEEDBACK: Please make an effort to convey any thoughtful, creative suggestions to the instructor. It is important to keep channels of communication open, and is to everyone's mutual benefit to air and resolve any problems that may occur, and to strengthen the positive and creative aspects of this course. We can all learn from each other.
GRADES: Despite the current societal trend toward grade inflation, students who don't manage to achieve satisfactory performance in this course will fail it. Common reasons for failing include:
Direct
Failure to turn in one or more assignments when they were due (Unexcused late assignments will not be accepted)
Doing the wrong assignments (because the student didn't take the time to read the assignments as assigned, or didn't check with the course syllabus, and instead asked classmates what to do)
Indirect
Not coming to class. It's hard enough to learn this material when you get a live explanation and have the opportunity to ask questions of the instructor--not doing so makes it incredibly difficult.
Chronically getting too little sleep to be alert and attentive in class
Failure to read appropriate supplemental readings, whether assigned or not
Waiting too long before starting assignments or before starting to study for exams
Failure to learn sometimes results even when students come to class, make the effort, and ask questions when they don't understand. If that situation describes you, go to the instructor and go over any questions you have. Helping students is part of the instructor's job.
GRADING CRITERIA: Letter grades will be assigned by the following scale. Of course, + and - grades will be used where allowed by university grading policy.
A: Strong - A student has done well enough in the class to offset weak performance in some other class and still have a sufficiently high GPA to graduate.
B: Expected - Performance in this class will neither help nor hurt a student's chances of graduating.
C: Weak - A student will have to make up for lack of performance in this class with exceptional performance in some other class. If not, the students GPA will be too low to graduate.
D: Insufficient - Students pursuing a degree in the School of Architecture and Planning must get a grade of at least C- to pass. A grade of D is therefore failing. The student will have to re-take the course. This grade will be awarded to students who achieved some level of competence but did not achieve the course's learning objectives. (Note: This grade is not available to graduate students. Graduate students who don’t achieve at least a C will get an F.)
F: No reasonable level of competence was achieved in any area, nor were the learning objectives for the course.
LANGUAGE DIFFICULTY (even if English is your first language): Students who need help should please get in touch with the Writing Department or Office of Student Affairs. They have several programs designed to help students. Also, consider asking a fellow student (friend, roommate) to read an assignment before turning it in, just to make sure that the paper or project communicates properly. No special exception can be granted for language problems. Foreign language dictionaries may be brought to tests of any kind.
LEARNING DISABILITIES: Students who have any special educational needs should let the instructor know. Any accommodations that are appropriate will be made.
PROFESSIONALISM: Consider these class sessions as business appointments. A student who is going to be delayed or absent should call ahead as a practitioner would for a missed client meeting. If the absence is unavoidable, ask and the instructor will arrange to review missed course material with the student.
READINGS: See the Syllabus & Readings Schedule for readings related to the daily lecture topics. These readings are a necessary part of this course, and will appear in exam questions. An even broader understanding is possible for students who read other related books.
SHYNESS: Students who are too shy to ask a question in class must work to get over it. Ask when you don't understand something. Here's a secret: ALMOST NONE OF YOUR CLASSMATES, if any, KNOW MORE THAN YOU DO about the issues you will learn in class. So DON'T BE INTIMIDATED, by the instructor or TAs or classmates. One way or another, just PARTICIPATE. If it's really bad, post a question to the website's forum, e-mail me questions, come by the instructor's office, or ask to meet at your studio desk.