EDIT 7320
Absentee "Givebacks"
created 5-22-08;
reviewed by current students have known attendance conflicts; adopted
as syllabus policy 5-27-08
Pilot: trying out, summer of 2008
The ideas here are based on several
principles:
- Attendance in class is really important. However, there are
many justifiable reasons for being absent. I do not wish to judge
the justifiability of absences nor to punish those who miss
class. My stance is flexibility, while encouraging attendance as
much as possible.
- However, a great deal of importance happens in class, and you
deserve to have an opportunity to "catch up" or to access the
information that was shared.
- Also, the class missed out on an opportunity to benefit from your
presence.
- Live electronic attendance does not count as an absence.
Based on these principles, it seems
reasonable to present several concrete actions that absentees can take
to "catch up," "make up," and alleviate any feelings of guilt or being
left out.
- Make sure you are square with your
group, if applicable. This has to be between you and your
teammates.
- Naturally, do all the assignments,
homework, readings, etc.
- Read the agenda
carefully for the day missed. Also, read the Notes
that are posted at
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=d737mzh_13gj43gwdg&hl=en.
(Email your Google ID to christa.deissler@gmail.com for access.)
For your benefit (really, for everyone's benefit), we took careful
notes of all that happened in class that day.
- Follow up as needed.
- Finally, I will ask you to
perform a specific "giveback." This will typically be some
smallish but important task that needs to be done for the benefit of
the whole class. Not a "job," exactly, but a one-time research or
creative task about which I will be very specific. You should be
able, usually, to do it from home. For example, if a question
comes up in class that I don't readily know the answer to and would
have to research, I might assign it to you as your "giveback"
task. You certainly have the right to protest and ask for a
different task, or offer an idea of your own. Another possibility
might be for you to take on an extra job - if
there are enough to go around. Yet another possibility might be to
write a guest blogpost of relevance and interest to the class.
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Created by M.Fitzgerald
5-22-08. Expires 8-31-08.
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http://it.coe.uga.edu/~mfitzger/7320/absentee-givebackshtml
The
content and opinions expressed on this Web page do not necessarily
reflect the views of nor are they endorsed by the University of Georgia
or the University System of Georgia.