Attendance/Student Participation

Education is a cooperative endeavor between the student and the instructor. Instructors plan a variety of learning activities to help their students master the course content. Students are expected to participate in these activities within the framework established in the class syllabus. Faculty will identify specific class attendance policies and other requirements of the class in the syllabus that is distributed at the beginning of each term. Successful learning requires good communication between students and instructors; therefore, in most cases, regular classroom attendance, or regular participation in the case of a nontraditional course format, is essential.

It is the student's responsibility to inform his/her instructor prior to an absence from class. Students are responsible for making up all coursework missed during an absence. In the event of unexplained absences, the instructor may withdraw a student administratively from the course.

If a student does not attend at least one class meeting or participate in an online learning class by the "last day to drop with a tuition refund" (census date), his/her class registration will be administratively deleted. This means that there will be no record of the class or any letter grade on the student's transcript. Furthermore, the student's class load will be reduced by the course credits, and this may affect his/her full-time or part-time student status. Tuition will not be refunded.

Academic Dishonesty

When College officials award credit, degrees, and certificates, they must assume the absolute integrity of the work students have done; therefore, it is important that students maintain the highest standard of honor in their scholastic work. The College does not tolerate academic dishonesty. Students who are not honest in their academic work will face disciplinary action along with any grade penalty the instructor imposes. Procedures for disciplinary measures and appeals are outlined in the Student Handbook. In extreme cases, academic dishonesty may result in dismissal from the College. Academic dishonesty, as a general rule, involves one of the following acts:

• Cheating on an examination or quiz, including giving, receiving, or soliciting information and the unauthorized use of notes or other materials during the examination or quiz.
• Buying, selling, stealing, or soliciting any material purported to be the unreleased contents of a forthcoming examination, or the use of such material.
• Substituting for another person during an examination or allowing another person to take the student's place.
• Plagiarizing means taking credit for another person's work or ideas. This includes copying another person's work either word-for-word or in substance without acknowledging the source.
• Accepting help from or giving help to another person to complete an assignment, unless the instructor has approved such collaboration in advance.
• Knowingly furnishing false information to the College; forgery and alteration or use of College documents or instruments of identification with the intent to defraud.

College Closing Information

If the College is closed for any reason, a text alert will be sent to cell phones registered on NOVA Alert and a notice will be posted on the home page of the College's website.

In addition, a message will appear on our cable television station (channel 19, 25, 37 or 59 - check your local listing). A message will also appear on local radio and TV stations. Individuals may also call the College Call Center at 703-323-3000, or in Prince William County 703-330-3770. Do not call individual offices. The home page of the College's website will always have the most reliable and up-to-date information about weather closures.

Fire/Emergency evaculation procedures

In case of emergency, please follow the emergency procedure as discussed on the first day of class and as posted in the classroom.

Incompletes

The incomplete grade is used for verifiable unavoidable reasons. If you have made significant progress in your course, your end date is near, and you have reasons that can be documented as unavoidable, you may request a grade of Incomplete. To request a grade of Incomplete for this course, you must:

• Have satisfactorily completed [VCCS policy specifies it must be more than 60%] of the assignments.


• Explain your extenuating circumstances to me in writing.


• Provide a plan for completing the remaining assignments in writing. All work must be completed by the end of the subsequent semester.


• The time you have to complete the course must be agreed upon with your instructor, but will be no more than one additional semester.

Late Work

There is a 10% per day late penalty on homework and labs. Exceptions may be made for extreme illnesses with appropriate documentation. If you do not have this, you will most likely not receive an extension. Things like your computer breaking down on the due date, or not getting home in time to complete the assignment on the due date are not reasons for an extension. This is a consequence of waiting until the last minute. Begin working on assignments well before the due date to avoid these situations.

Learning Environment

NOVA is a place for learning and growing. You should feel safe and comfortable anywhere on this campus. In order to meet this objective, you should:

Physics Course Policy

In physics, we always show our work. Not showing the steps for obtaining an answer is not useful for someone reading your work, nor is it useful if you ever need to go back and review your work. On labs and selected exam questions, you must show work in order to receive credit for answers.