As per university policy, students are expected to attend Classes. Students missing more than 15% of class meetings may be failed. Therefore, students who miss more than two class meetings are subject to automatic failure.

Every attempt is made to provide a syllabus that is complete and that provides an accurate overview of the courses. However, circumstances and events may make it necessary for the instructor to modify the syllabus during the semester. This may depend, in part, on the progress, needs, and experiences of the students.

The following standards are intended to define acceptable classroom behavior that preserves academic integrity and ensures that students have optimum environmental conditions for effective learning.
1. Students must turn off cell phones and pagers during class or have them set to vibrate mode.
2. Classes are expected to begin on time, and students will respect the time boundaries established by the professor. If classroom doors are locked, students may not knock or seek entrance in other ways.
3. Students should notify instructors in advance when a class will be missed. In the event of an emergency that causes a class to be missed, instructors must be notified as soon as possible.
4. Instructors may require that cell phones and other electronic devices be left on their desks during tests or examinations.
5. Students must not engage in extraneous conversations during classes. Such acts are considered to be violations of the Code of Student Conduct.
6. Students will activate their Old Dominion e-mail accounts and check them before each class. If the student chooses to have his/her messages forwarded to another account, it is the student's responsibility to take the necessary steps to have them forwarded.
7. Consumption of food and drink during class is prohibited, except when the professor has specifically approved of such acts.
8. Offensive language, gestures and the like are disrespectful and disruptive to the teaching-learning process. [http://studentservices.odu.edu/osja/ccc_pamphlet.pdf]

I pledge to support the honor system of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a member if the academic community, it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violators of the honor system. I will report to Honor Council hearings if summoned." By attending Old Dominion University you have accepted the responsibility to abide by this code. This is an institutional policy approved by the Board of Visitors. Refer to Student Honor Council [http://studentservices.odu.edu/hc/]

In compliance with PL94-142 and more recent federal legislation affirming the rights of disabled individuals, provisions will be made for students with special needs on an individual basis. The student must have been identified, as "special needs" by the university and an appropriate letter(s) must be provided to the course instructor. Provision will be made based upon written guidelines from the university "special needs students" resource office. All students are expected to fulfill all course requirements.

The Old Dominion University e-mail system is the official electronic mail system for distributing course-related Communications, policies, Announcements and other information. In addition, the University email user ID and password are necessary for authentication and access to numerous electronic resources (online courses, faculty web pages, etc.) NOTE: Effective August 23, 2004, all student accounts will utilize MIDAS passwords. [https://midas.odu.edu]
http://occs.odu.edu/accounts/studemail/index.shtml

A syllabus constitutes a contract between the student and the course instructor. Participation in this course indicates your acceptance of its teaching focus, requirements, and policies. Please review the syllabus and the course requirements as soon as possible. If you believe that the nature of this course does not meet your interests, needs or expectations, if you are not prepared for the amount of work involved or if you anticipate that the class meetings, assignment deadlines or abiding by the course policies will constitute an unacceptable hardship for you-you should drop the class by the drop/add deadline, which is located in the ODU Schedule of Classes.

"I, _______________ , have completely read this syllabus and understand and agree to the course requirements".