Professor Fermin Irigoyen
Speech Communication

 

Class Procedures
I will lecture only on selected materials, but you are responsible for all concepts and definitions covered in the assigned readings. You should complete assigned readings and exercises BEFORE coming to class and ask questions about anything you do not understand. To facilitate discussion of course materials and exercises, you should bring your text and workbook to class each day. In coordination with the DSPS office, reasonable accommodations will be provided for eligible students with disabilities. If you do not yet have an accommodation letter, please contact the DSPS office at 650.738.4280

Professionalism/Etiquette
In-Class Conduct As a Professor at Skyline College, I am dedicated to providing the best possible learning environment to prepare my students for a positive educational experience. In order to facilitate this goal, students will be expected to conform to generally accepted notions of professionalism that typically would be observed in the academic/professional world. The following represents an illustrative, but certainly not exhaustive, list of appropriate/inappropriate conduct in my classes, to which you explicitly agree upon remaining enrolled in the class. Failure to conform will be grounds for appropriate action, including but not limited to expulsion from the classroom and a failing grade in the course.

Homework and any other graded work is due at the beginning of class on the due date. Homework not turned in within 5 minutes of the scheduled start of class will not be accepted. All homework and other work shall be typed or word-processed double-spaced on 8&1/2 x 11" paper using 12 point font and 1" margins all around (you would not turn in hand-scribbled notes at work, nor would you turn in reports or projects late or incomplete; the same will be true here). Work that is not typed will not be graded. It is recommended that you make copies of all assignments, including homework exercise, before submitting them. It protects you from accidental loss on my part and allows you to continue working while the assignment is being graded.

In the spirit of helping you succeed, please remember that you are not alone in your academic endeavors. Skyline College has numerous support services such as the Computer Writing Center, the English Assistance Lab, the Library, and numerous other student services for you!

Students shall refrain from any and all disruptive conduct, such as carrying on private sidebar conversations with classmates, during class. Please refrain from reading materials or doing homework unrelated to class during our sessions. Students shall turn off all pagers, cell phones, and the like, before entering class.

There are no make-ups for missed or late quizzes, exams, papers, or other class exercises. In addition, there are no extra credit opportunities in my class. If you expect outside obligations to keep you from engaging fully in all class activities, you should drop the course and take it some other time.

Students are expected to be prepared to participate in class discussions and exercises every class period unless informing the instructor in writing at the beginning of class that they are not prepared that day and do not wish to be called upon. Each student may exercise this practice once per semester without penalty.

Students are expected to communicate with the instructor on individual matters outside of class primarily during scheduled office hours, through email, by phone, or by appointment as necessary. Students should refrain from distracting the instructor with individual matters immediately before class while the instructor is setting up, or from slamming closed books and notebooks just before the announced end of class, as this detracts from the instructor's ability to function effectively for the class as a whole, and to begin and end class in a timely manner.

Attendance/ Participation
Please bear in mind that merely attending class does NOT mean that you are participating.
Participating means that you are actively talking and actively listening. Attendance means you are expected to attend all class sessions, arrive on time, and stay for the full class period. You are responsible for all lessons, cases, group work, and class discussions that occur during each class day. Students shall arrive in class on time, prepared to begin promptly at the appointed hour. I take attendance at the beginning of the appointed hour. Students arriving more than 5 minutes after the scheduled start of class shall not enter the classroom until the mid-session break, if any. Students should plan ahead with regard to traffic, parking, etc., to do so.

Absences are considered excessive when the student has been absent twice the number of clock hours that the class meets during a week and may be dropped by the instructor.

If you decide that this class is not for you, it is your responsibility to drop yourself from the class with admissions and records. If you do not handle your responsibility you will receive an "F" in the class.

Participation
Participation means that you honor your classmates and professor, by listening respectfully as another talks, and by behaving in a professional manner. Your active involvement in class and group discussions is also part of your participation grade, as well as part of your educational growth. Here are some criteria for positive participation: raising good questions during class discussions; effectively answering questions raised by students or the professor during class discussions; facilitating during in-class exercises (encouraging less active members to participate); and actively participating during in-class exercises (for example, contributing ideas, explaining why your analysis applies course concepts appropriately, etc.).

Voluntary participation is encouraged; however, I will randomly call on students as well, especially those who do not participated voluntarily. It's your choice. Volunteer and choose when to contribute (i.e., when you know the material or have something of value to share), or let me choose for you! In either case, thoughtful study of assigned readings and preparation of homework exercises before coming to class will ensure that you are ready to contribute.

Exams

Examinations have 40 to 100 questions and are based on the textbook. Many questions are about terms/concepts and the application of those terms and concepts. Exams will be of the true/false, matching, multiple-choice and essay type. The multiple choice type, where you will select the one best answer from the alternatives. The correct answer will be judged according to the information given in your textbook. Think of multiple choice questions as a process of eliminating wrong answers and then choosing the one best answer. All examinations will be closed book.

NO MAKE-UP EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN/NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL OF THE INSTRUCTOR

Bring a half-sheet green scantron, Form No. 882-ES, and number two pencils with erasers to each exam.

Quizzes There may be quizzes randomly given, during the semester. The quizzes will cover the material presented in the text.

Academic Integrity
Do not cheat! Do your own work. Examples of dishonest cheating include: handing in plagiarized work done by someone else as if it was your won, talking to another student during an exam or quiz, looking at another student's paper in an exam, showing your paper to someone else in an exam, trading exam papers, or using unauthorized books or notes in an exam. Cheating is a serious offense and is not tolerated in this class. If you are found cheating it is my policy to immediately assign you an "F" for the entire class, and to attach a dishonesty report to your file. If one of your classmates asks you to cheat, do not do it. Helping another student to cheat is a very serious offense. A person asking you to cheat is not your friend-tell your instructor immediately, before they get you into trouble.

Please refer to the Skyline College catalogue regarding academic integrity.

Late Work
No late work will be accepted. Students are expected to have completed their assignments before coming to class. All assignments are due at the beginning of class. If you are going to be absent you may turn in any work EARLY with my consent.