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Member 117748 · 05-02-2012, 05:34 PM

Here is what I do:
1. Have everything spelled out in your syllabus on Day 1. My syllabus may be longer than most, but it leaves little room for argument.
2. In classes that have multiple exams (3-4), I'll drop the lowest score regardless of the reason. Oversleep, death in the family, or just hungover...I don't care, but anything more than 1 and that is on the student (extreme circumstances are case by case).
3. Midterm/Final have no make-up period. If the student misses one of these two they can elect to write a paper of my choosing. It is stressing on Day 1 that it will be significant more involved than any other assignment, and it is in their best interest to be there for the exam. If they miss both, they get a 0 for one and can elect to write a paper for the other.
4. In smaller classes that require discussion, I assign 10-20% of the grade for participation, so absences come out of that. Again..miss 1-2 (depending on the # of total classes), that is okay. I don't need to know why, as they are adults. Anything more than the stated amount and the final grade is impacted.

Each one of these points was adopted by a prior mentor/supervisor/etc. They all seem to work quite well.

05-02-2012, 05:34 PM	#15
Member 117748 Neuropsych Ninja Faculty Status: Psychologist Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: My Island of Denial Posts: 17,131	Here is what I do: 1. Have everything spelled out in your syllabus on Day 1. My syllabus may be longer than most, but it leaves little room for argument. 2. In classes that have multiple exams (3-4), I'll drop the lowest score regardless of the reason. Oversleep, death in the family, or just hungover...I don't care, but anything more than 1 and that is on the student (extreme circumstances are case by case). 3. Midterm/Final have no make-up period. If the student misses one of these two they can elect to write a paper of my choosing. It is stressing on Day 1 that it will be significant more involved than any other assignment, and it is in their best interest to be there for the exam. If they miss both, they get a 0 for one and can elect to write a paper for the other. 4. In smaller classes that require discussion, I assign 10-20% of the grade for participation, so absences come out of that. Again..miss 1-2 (depending on the # of total classes), that is okay. I don't need to know why, as they are adults. Anything more than the stated amount and the final grade is impacted. Each one of these points was adopted by a prior mentor/supervisor/etc. They all seem to work quite well. Last edited by Therapist4Chnge; 05-02-2012 at 07:16 PM.