Below are some general policies for my music theory courses. Specific policies regarding coursework, grading, and attendance for individual courses may be found in the relevant syllabi.

ASSIGNMENTS

Assignments must be completed in pencil, have your full name printed clearly in the appropriate space, and be free of foreign substances (e.g., food). All answers must be neat and legible. If you are submitting multiple sheets of paper for an assignment, they should be stapled together neatly in the top left-hand corner. (If it is not possible for you to staple the pages together, you must write your name on the front of each sheet of paper in the top right-hand corner.) I reserve the right not to accept assignments that fail to meet these criteria.

I will usually ask for assignments to be turned in on paper. However, when possible, I will give you the opportunity to upload a picture of your completed assignment to Canvas. This will allow you to prove that an assignment was completed before it was due if you are unable to turn in the physical copy on time. If you do upload your completed assignment to Canvas, you must still turn in the physical copy within a week. Otherwise, the digital version will be graded and have 10 percentage points deducted from its grade. Even if you are able to turn in the physical copy of an assignment on time, you are encouraged to upload a picture of it to Canvas. That way, if the physical copy is lost or damaged, you can still get credit for the assignment.

Please note: if you upload an assignment to Canvas before it is due and then give me the physical copy after it is due, you cannot change your answers in between. If you do, the assignment will be considered late.

You are expected to make a reasonable effort to complete every exercise on your assignments. I reserve the right not to give any points for answers when it is obvious you did not make a good-faith effort to complete an exercise properly.

ATTENDANCE AND CLASS PARTICIPATION

Please conduct yourself with a high degree of professionalism in class. This means:

• arriving on time (i.e., being in your seat and ready to learn before the class has started);
• always having a pencil, staff paper, and any relevant course materials (handouts, scores, etc.) at the ready;
• refraining from rude/disruptive behaviors such as having your phone out, wearing earbuds or headphones, talking to your classmates while the instructor (or another student) is speaking, doing homework for other courses, leaving the room at inopportune moments, or falling asleep.

If it is obvious to me that you are not participating in class properly (e.g., if you are doing homework for another course or if you have your head down on your desk and are sleeping) I will mark you as absent for that day.

Though I recognize that you may occasionally need to leave the room during class, this should not be a common occurrence. Extended absences during class time will have the same impact on your attendance grade as arriving late to class by an equivalent number of minutes.

COMMUNICATION

I frequently communicate with students via Canvas and UNF email. It is your responsibility to check both Canvas and your UNF email account on a daily basis.

For security and privacy reasons, I can only respond to emails sent through Canvas or from UNF email accounts. If you email me from a personal email account regarding a course-related matter, I will ask you to re-send the email from your UNF account.

Please be professional in how you communicate with me, whether in person or electronically. Emails that you send to me should be written in a courteous and respectful manner.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Unless otherwise stated, any coursework that will count toward your final grade in a course (assignments, essays, compositions, etc.) should be completed by you without assistance from other individuals (except the instructor). Moreover, before an item of coursework has been graded and returned to the class, you should not share your fully- or partially-completed work with your classmates. Failure to adhere to this policy may result in a grade of zero for the assignment/essay/composition/etc., a final grade of F for the course, and/or disciplinary action by the university.

Students may not use any electronic devices or consult any digital or non-digital materials during tests and exams without the permission of the instructor. Violations of this policy will result in a grade of zero for the test/exam.

FINAL GRADES

Occasionally, due to unforeseen circumstances beyond a student’s control (e.g., severe illness), it may be impossible to complete one or more items of coursework in a timely manner. In such situations, if the student has communicated with me effectively and provided the appropriate documentation, I may drop the missing coursework when I calculate that student’s final grade. (As a result, other items of coursework in the same category will be weighted more heavily in that student’s final grade calculation.)

As a rule, I do not give incomplete (I) grades to students simply because they did not pass a course and would like a “do-over.” Incompletes will only be given to students who have completed (and passed) a majority of the graded work for a course during the semester and faced a significant hardship over which they did not have control. Furthermore, in order for me to give a student an incomplete, the student must be able to demonstrate that it will be practical for them to make up the missing coursework in a reasonable amount of time.

ACCESSIBILITY

It is your responsibility to notify me of any accommodations you have registered with the Student Accessibility Center. I cannot make accommodations for students if I do not have the proper documentation from the SAC.

PREFERRED NAMES AND PRONOUNS

Please send me an email if you wish to notify me of the name and/or pronouns you would like me to use when addressing you in class.

CONTINUITY OF CLASSES

In the event that normal university activities are disrupted, the format of a course may be altered. In such circumstances, it is your responsibility to check the course website on Canvas and your UNF email account for instructions.

CHANGES TO SYLLABI SCHEDULES

I will make every effort to adhere to the schedule of topics and due dates printed in the syllabus for each course. However, it may be necessary to make adjustments to the schedule as the semester progresses. If this is the case, I will ensure that you have adequate notice regarding the due date for each item of coursework.