The University of Richmond awards undergraduate grades on a scale of A+ through D- and F. These letter grades correspond to the following numerical values in this course:
A+ (4.0) 100 to 97.5 .... A (4.0) 97.5 to 95 .... A- (3.7) 95 to 92.5
B+ (3.3) 92.5 to 90 ..... B (3.0) 90 to 87.5 .... B- (2.7) 87.5 to 85
C+ (2.3) 85 to 82.5 ..... C (2.0) 82.5 to 80 .... C- (1.7) 80 to 77.5
D+ (1.3) 77.5 to 75 ..... D (1.0) 75 to 72.5 .... D- (0.7) 72.5 to 70
F below 70
Requirements will be weighted as follows in determining the overall grade:
.... Electronic discussion by E-mail: 25%
.... Saturday workday session participation: 10%
.... SWOT analysis: 15%
.... Independent study course examination: 15%
.... Major project: 35%
I grade on a cumulative scale. This means that the maximum you can receive for an assignment is the percentage of the overall grade. For example, the major project is assigned 35% of the grade; I might assign you a grade of 31 of 35 (equivalent to a 89% or a B), and the case study paper contributes 31 points of 100 toward your final grade.
A grade of A indicates academic excellence. Your work is of the highest quality, showing an in depth understanding of the material and management issues at a level above that expected of an undergraduate. You can communicate your ideas clearly and logically both in writing and speaking, and you can defend your position using facts and theory in discussion. Academic excellence presumes that you have a firm grip on the basic tools of writing papers and documenting sources, that you can clearly define problems and structure your research to resolve them, and that your choice of method is appropriate. Excellence means that you work is grammatically correct, error free in format and spelling, and properly cited. Most importantly an A means that your brain is in gear, your ideas are fresh and original, and you are finding new ground in how you interpret and apply today's knowledge, not just rehashing what someone else said. An A recognizes the ability to stretch, to take new approaches, to try new things in the quest to be better at what you do.
Because this course relies heavily on thoughtful discussion, both the professor and students are expected to take and defend positions that may be controversial. This debate is healthy and is an important part of learning at the undergraduate level. Statements made in the course are the opinions of course participants in the online or classroom setting and do not represent official positions of their agencies unless made by someone authorized to make such statements. Comments and discussion are for the course participants and should not be reported to others as reflecting views, objectives, or goals of any person or agency. I must specifically ask that you do not circulate E-mail messages received from course participants to others not enrolled in the course.
As a faculty member, I strongly support the University's honor code. It is your responsibility to be familiar with and follow the University's policies on academic integrity and plagiarism. In my experience. plagiarism is a problem of ignorance. Be sure you understand what plagiarism is and how to write your papers and use reference citations and bibliographies so that you do not steal the ideas or words of others. All work submitted will be your own original work prepared specifically for this course. In the emergency services your integrity is the foundation of trust in the heat of a response. No one wants to work with a liar, thief, or cheat - the same standards apply in the classroom.
This course will require extensive use of e-mail and the Internet. If you do not have a good virus checking software installed on your computer, get one. Make certain that it provides for automatic on-line updates. Please check your system for viruses before you start the course. Please also check any incoming mail for viruses. If you detect one, tell the other person immediately that they have a problem. If someone tells you that you have sent them a virus, fumigate your files, disks, house, yard, dog, cat, etc. Responsible computer users do not give other people's computers diseases. Use the computer equivalent of universal precautions!