To maximize your grade in this course, please consider the following guidelines.
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(1) Timeliness: hand in all assignments by the deadline. As legal professionals,
you will be expected to adhere to numerous deadlines. Failing to meet
those deadlines can result in grave consequences to you and your clients.
As such, I expect you to begin now by completing all assignments on
time. Similarly, if I administer your exam online, even one minute past
the deadline will result in a deduction. The reason being, that you
should plan to leave enough time at the end of your exam to proofread
and turn your exam in before the deadline. This should account for slowdowns
in internet traffic and problems with your computer or computer network.
I have heard every excuse you could imagine for late exams. Few, if
any, hold water.
(2) Professionalism: while sometimes circumstances can come up which
are truly beyond our control, careful planning almost always allows
the prepared student to complete assignments on time. I expect you to
plan accordingly. I post most materials a month in advance which should allow you ample time to complete your assignments regardless of work or social commitments.
Also, just as I do not approve of late assignments, I do
not approve of last minute requests for extensions in situations in
which careful planning on your part could have avoided the problem.
I respect students who own up to their mistakes.
Additonally, while it may be a matter of semantics, I never approve of a student telling me an assignment will be late. If you are unable to complete an assignment on time, you may request to hand it in late and I may or may not allow you to do so just as I may or may not penalize you depending on the reason for your tardiness. It is usually best to simply tell me the truth and accept the consequences for being late than it is for you to make up an excuse or otherwise act unprofessionally. The most professional response on your part should be: "I am sorry, Professor. It will never happen again."
(3) Quality Writing: please see the examples I provide on this website
of good student writing. Also, toward the end of the semester I will
provide you with examples of sample exam questions and answers. Please
review these carefully and see what I look for in crafting a good exam
answer.
(4) Critical Thinking: consider whether you agree with what various
scholars say on any given subject. Is their logic sound? Do they make
any unwarranted assumptions? Also, consider what is being said in the
context of the week's topic and the topic's place in the structure of
the course. How does what is being said become a piece in the overall
puzzle being formed. Finally, think of examples and explanations that
illustrate and illuminate the materials.
(5) Collaboration: share what you know and what you think with the rest
of the class. This collaboration, principally in the form of interactions
with your classmates via chat and interactive forums, like the Westlaw TWEN asynchronous chat, or whatever vehicle I am using for your class,
is critical to your class participation grade. In cases where I do not use such a medium, I will make my expectations clear as to how you can earn a high grade for class participation (e.g., turn in quality homework assignments each week and on time).
(6) Read Instructions. I can't emphasize this point enough. Don't make
assumptions.
Todd Cheesman, esq. Copyright © 2011