Graded Components
Item | Percentage |
Exam 1 | 30% |
Exam 2 | 30% |
Project (3 parts) | 30% |
ICA Assignments | 5% |
Programming Assignments | 5% |
Grading Scale
94-100 | A | 73-76 | C |
90-93 | A- | 70-72 | C- |
87-89 | B+ | 67-69 | D+ |
83-86 | B | 63-66 | D |
80-82 | B- | 60-62 | D- |
77-79 | C+ | Below 60 | F |
All assignments and project deliverables are due at the start of class on the dates published in the class schedule. Any programming assignment or project deliverable submitted after the start of class on the due date is considered late. For late programming assignments and project deliverables, there will be a 20% per day penalty and no programming assignments or project deliverables will be accepted after two days. This late policy does not apply to the In-Class Activity assignments. No late In-Class Activity submissions will be accepted.
It is your responsibility to keep on top of the due dates for all assignments and projects.
Please note that it is against my policy to discuss grades on any exam, graded assignment or any other direct component of your final grade via e-Mail. If you would like to discuss how an exam or assignment was graded, please see me during office hours. If you are not available during office hours, please make an appointment with me for another time.
Please note that two weeks after a grade has been posted, the grade will be considered “final”. If you have an issue with a grade you are required to meet with me or make an appointment to meet with me during this two week period. After this two week period a grade will be considered “final” and is not up for discussion.
Class Preparation, Attendance and Participation
Students are expected to attend each and every class. Students who do not attend each and every class will struggle with in-class activities, assignments, the project, and exams. We will cover a significant amount of content in this class. The material will build from the first week of the semester to the last. Do not fall behind! Class preparation including completing the assigned AWS Academy modules and reading directions for in-class activities carefully BEFORE the start of class will be absolutely paramount to your success in this class.
Students will be called upon at random to share their thoughts on the assigned course materials. Students may share their understanding of the material or, if they had questions about the material, ask insightful questions about the aspects they didn’t understand. Either way, students must demonstrate that they have completed the required class prep and have thought about the material.
I expect you to arrive on time to class. If you miss a class it is your responsibility to catch up. Talk to your fellow classmates and check the class site. While every student is encouraged to visit with me during office hours to help them gain a better understanding of material which they didn’t fully understand when they were in class, office hours are NOT for helping students catch up on material they missed because they were absent.
Exams
There will be two exams during the semester. Missed exams can only be made up in the case of documented and verifiable extreme emergency situations. The second exam will be held during “finals week”. Do not make plans to leave campus before the university scheduled final during finals week. Please check the schedule published by the university to find the date and time for this second exam.
Professional achievement requirement
The MIS department has instituted a professional achievement point requirement for MIS majors. We have found that our most successful students are not only engaged inside the classroom but also with the department and our Student Professional Organization, AIS. Students will be required to create a portfolio which documents their achievements in the classroom, with the department, and within AIS. For each addition to their portfolio, a student will earn some number of “professional achievement points”. Students will be required to accumulate 1,000 professional achievement points to meet this graduation requirement.
MIS 3406 will serve as a checkpoint to ensure that students are focused on this requirement and on track to earn their 1,000 points by graduation. All MIS majors are required to to earn a minimum of 400 professional achievement points by the end of the semester. Students who have earned a “C” or better but do not earn the minimum number of professional achievement points by the end of the semester will receive an “Incomplete” for this course regardless of performance on exams or class participation! If a student earn earns the minimum number of professional achievement points within one year from the end of the semester and notifies their instructor, the instructor will update their grade from “Incomplete” to a traditional grade. If a student fails to earn the minimum number of professional achievement points within one year from the end of the semester or does not notify their instructor that they have earned the minimum number of professional achievement points then their “Incomplete” will be changed to an “F” automatically by the system and will be the student’s permanent grade.
You are STRONGLY encouraged to, at a minimum, do the following to earn professional achievement points:
- Create an e-Portfolio and have it listed with the department.
- Become an active member of AIS and participate in professional development activities.
- Attend the IT Awards Reception (spring semester only) and the MIS Department’s Career Fair.
- Volunteer your time for department sponsored events.
- Discuss opportunities to earn points for projects with your MIS instructors.
For more information on the portfolio requirement, please see http://community.mis.temple.edu/misportfolio/.
Class Repeat policy
A grade of a ‘C or better’ is required for all MIS courses in order to move onto the next course in sequence. MIS students are ONLY permitted to repeat a course one time. Any MIS student repeating a course should seek the guidance of the Senior Program Specialist or their Fox School UG advisor. MIS majors WILL NOT be permitted to register for a course a third time. Each time a student registers for a course and earns a grade, including a “W” when withdrawing from a course, will count towards this limit.
Academic Integrity – Zero Tolerance
Plagiarism and academic dishonesty can take many forms. The most obvious is copying from another student’s exam, but the following are also forms of this:
- Copying material directly from the Internet (or another source) without a proper citation crediting the author
- Turning in an assignment from a previous semester as if it were your own and created during the current semester for this course
- Having someone else complete your lab assignment and submitting it as if it were your own
- Signing someone else’s name to an attendance sign-in sheet
- Use of assignments completed in one class as any part of a project assigned in another class
- Sharing/copying homework assignments.
- Use of unauthorized notes during an examination
- In cases of cheating, both parties will be held equally responsible, i.e. both the student who shares the work and the student who copies the work.
There will be zero tolerance for blatant plagiarism or any other type of academic dishonesty. Under this zero tolerance policy, any student found doing this will immediately receive a final grade of “F” for the course and a formal complaint will immediately be filed with the University Discipline Committee (UDC). This incident will be listed on your permanent academic record. As part of my formal complaint, I will petition to have you expelled from the university. I will not discuss the penalty for violating this policy; I will simply direct you to this paragraph in the class syllabus.