Academic expectations for travel and classroom activities
This course consists of several different kinds of learning
opportunities, including typical classroom sessions, day-long
excursions, and a week-long study trip. Every visit, tour, or other
activity, whether inside or outside the classroom, will be
considered an
academic event. You will receive a PAE grade for every
academic event, based on appropriate behavior and performance
including the following minimal requirements.
- Please bring a notebook and pencil or pen to every academic
event. (Exception: these are not required for purely social or
cultural events.) Use your notebook to take a reasonable quantity
of notes during academic events. There are several reasons for
this, including: taking notes will help you concentrate and learn
more effectively, and you will be allowed to refer to your notes
in pop quizzes. During classroom sessions, you may use a tablet or
laptop except during quizzes.
- Phones must be silenced and put away at all times during
academic events, including classroom sessions. The following
additional comments apply to use of phones in academic events
outside the classroom:
- Please don't take notes on your phone; that's what your
notebook is for.
- Please don't look up information on your phone, even if
it is academically relevant. Instead, make a note in your notebook
and look up the information later.
- Exception: At times and places where it is clearly
okay to do so, you can use your phone to take a photo. Then
immediately put it away again.
- Please do not be late for academic events.
- In addition to the notebook and pencil or pen, please bring
each of the following items to academic events that take place
outside the classroom: cash, emergency card, phone that is charged
and topped up with sufficient minutes and texts.
PAE (Participation, Attendance, and Engagement)
PAE grades will be awarded for several types of activities in the
course, including academic events, quizzes, and Moodle discussion
groups. In most cases, a PAE grade will be awarded on a scale of
0-3, where 2 is the typical score. Don't think of your score as a
percentage. Good performance will usually receive a 2.0, and you
should expect to receive that score most of the
time. Exceptionally strong performance will receive a score
between 2.0 and 3.0. Performance that does not meet all
expectations will receive a score between 0.0 and 2.0.
Quizzes
Brief quizzes will take place periodically, usually consisting of
3-6 short-answer questions and lasting only 5-10
minutes. Quizzes will usually be given before, after, or during
academic events. You can write your answers to the quiz on a
blank sheet in your notebook, then tear out the sheet and give it
to the instructor.
During a quiz, you may refer to any hand-written notes in
your notebook, but you may not refer to any other information.
Quiz questions could address any reasonable academic content,
such as required readings and information from academic
events. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that you take
a reasonable quantity of notes in your notebook for every assigned
reading and academic event.
The intention of the quizzes is to provide an incentive to
take readings and academic events seriously. Don't be anxious or
concerned about the quizzes. Questions will not be obscure or
unreasonable. If you have done the reading and taken sensible
notes on the most important points, and if you take sensible
notes at academic events, then you'll have no trouble with the
quizzes.