If students are willing to do their part in my classes, there is a good possibility that they will earn an “A.” But what does it mean to do your part in the classroom?

First, you need to do the assignments. Assignments build on previous assignments. If you cut corners early in the semester, you will not have time to do the major assignments.

Second, you need to submit assignments on time. I return major assignments promptly–usually within a week. But I feel no obligation to evaluate an assignment that was turned in late. I do not grade late assignments until after all other assignments have been graded; assignments submitted for this class or any of the other courses I teach. In fact, according to the terms in my syllabus, I do not need to even accept late assignments.

Third, keep me informed. People and family members do get sick and other unavoidable problems happen. Last semester, a student contacted me after she failed the course. She told me that she had missed class—approximately the last four weeks—because she had been ill. Had she kept me informed, I might have been able to work with her via e-mail and the telephone so that she could have successfully completed her research assignments. But, after the semester had ended, it was too late to make such arrangements.

Fourth, don’t confuse avoidable problems with unavoidable problems. One semester, an online student informed me that she would not be able to participate in the required class discussions the week see would be vacationing in Florida. My unsympathetic response was, “I was able to teach when I was vacationing in Thailand and I am sure that they have computers in Florida, too.” And for the past two years, my partner has not been able to go with me to President Conway Jeffress’ annual party because he had class that day.

Fifth, reputations count. If you have a track record of active class participation and turning in your assignments on time, you will get a better response from me than the student who showed up at my office to inquire if there was any extra credit she could do to make up for the 12 weeks of class she had missed. (I didn’t laugh until after she was out of ear shot.)

Finally, don’t lie–even if you screw up. I once had a student who told me that she submitted her online quiz but her grade did not appear in the grade book. I checked my records and found that she did not even log into the class the day she claimed she took the quiz. (Most students don’t realize the extensive tracking records kept by BlackBoard.) Had she said, “I goofed and missed the quiz deadline” it is likely that I would have allowed her to retake it.

If you do your part, I can almost guarantee that you will earn at least a 3.0 or higher in my classes. But if you don’t do your part, all bets are off.

–Steven L. Berg, PhD