These rules may seem onerous and perhaps a bit pedantic, but they are needed to avoid misunderstandings. There is a story, some incredible, behind almost every one. A set of unambiguous rules is particularly needed in a class of this size where, unfortunately, it is impossible to be as flexible as in smaller classes.

Missing a Lab:

• Valid reasons for missing an lab are:
  • an incapacitating illness,
  • a death in the family.
  • pre-approval by the course instructor.
• Invalid reasons for missing an lab include: death of a pet, late return from vacation, early departure for vacation, oversleeping, a conflict with another course, attending a sports event, etc. oversleeping, late return from vacation, etc. Note that if an instructor for another course schedules an exam or special session that conflicts with your lab session, that is not a valid reason for missing the lab. That instructor must reschedule the exam so it does not conflict with your lab.
• Since you are given an automatic extension for taking the postlab quiz, we will not grant any other extensions.

WebAssign:

• You have a week to do the pre-lab homework. Do not wait until the last minute to do it: you will not be granted an extension if the web site is down, or your browswer isn't working.
• You should complete the post-lab quiz the day of the lab. You are granted an automatic extension until 5:00 am the following Monday. Again, do not wait until the last minute to do it: you will not be granted an extension if the web site is down, or your browswer isn't working.
• If there are problems with WebAssign you should notify the course instructor immediately by email.

Grading and Regrading:

• All grading is final except in cases where the scores were added or recorded incorrectly. However, we may, at our option, regrade materials that are brought to us in person during the 48 hour period after the class at which those materials were returned. We will not regrade work that is poorly written. Note that regrading may result in a lower score.
• All questions regarding grading should be taken up with your TA, and only with the course instructor as a last resort.
• It is the responsibility of the student to check that the correct scores have been entered into WebAssign correctly. We will not change any lab score posted on WebAssign unless we have the actual graded lab report showing it was entered incorrectly.

General:

• We do not give incompletes. If, for whatever reason you cannot keep up with the course requirements, then you are expected to withdraw from the course.
• Any student who does not attend the first lab will be dropped from the course.
• We do not give any extra credit work.
• We will enforce all of the rules of the University of Virginia’s Honor System, including those associated with academic fraud. By enrolling in this course, a student implicitly agrees to be bound by that honor system and its rules.
• The honor pledge is implicit for the lab reports. By turning in any one of those items, with or without a written pledge, a student agrees to be bound by the honor pledge and the UVa Honor System with regard to that item.
• If, in our judgment, it is beyond a reasonable doubt that a student has committed an honor violation, that student will receive an immediate grade of "F" for that work, irrespective of any subsequent action taken by the Honor Committee.
• We will contact the University Administration, the University Police, and/or the University Judiciary Committee regarding any student who attempts to intimidate us or harass us in an effort to improve their grade or to obtain any special consideration or exception from the normal class rules.