JBU Online Policies

Academic Expectations

As a student of John Brown University, you are expected to devote significant time and effort to your academic courses. This course has been designed with the expectation that students will spend, on average, approximately 10-16 hours preparing for each class session (including face-to-face lectures). Furthermore, an “A” grade in this course signifies exceptional achievement, not merely completion of assignments.

Format for Academic Writing

The JBU Online program utilizes APA- 6^th edition for academic writing. All writing assignments should conform as closely as practical to APA guidelines. Your instructor will address any questions you have on assignments.

Course Procedures and Policies

“The schedule, policies, procedures, and assignments are subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.”

Policy on Late Assignments

Due dates on assignments will be established in Blackboard. Student work that is submitted late will be marked down 10% per 24 hour time period that the assignments are submitted late. Instructor will not accept student work if it is posted to Blackboard more than five days after the original due date.

Blackboard Integration

All course resources and assignments will be hosted and available for viewing and download through the course shell on Blackboard established for this course. All assignments are expected to be uploaded to Blackboard and will be graded and available for student review through Blackboard. The course should appear on each student that is registered for the class list of “My Blackboard Courses” through Eaglenet. Please check with the registrar if your class is not listed. Instructor will communicate important information through announcements in Blackboard or email.

**Check Blackboard daily to ensure you are aware of any important communication as instructor will continue to build the course on Blackboard throughout the semester by adding additional resources and assignments in accordance with the course schedule.

Academic Dishonesty

As a Christian institution of higher education, John Brown University seeks to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. Violations of these standards will result in substantial penalties. At a minimum, any instance of cheating or plagiarism will result in a zero for the assignment and a report submitted to the Director of Student Services and the Dean. Further infractions will result in failure of the course and possible suspension. For additional information and examples, see the Academic Integrity section in the Student Handbook.https://catalog.jbu.edu/index.php?catoid=4

Class Attendance

Attendance and engagement are essential to learning in any environment. Attendance and active participation, therefore, are considered mandatory.

Hybrid Delivered Programs

For hybrid/blended courses, students meet in-person every other week at one of our educational centers in Fort Smith, Little Rock, or Rogers. Attendance is counted for each week including with reviewing online content and completing assignments throughout the entire course.

In the hybrid programs, missing three sessions, excused or unexcused, will result in a grade of 'F' (face-to-face or online).

For the online classes:

Students are expected to login to the Blackboard module regularly (at least 3 days a week) to check the syllabus and work schedule, and complete all assignments for the week. The due date for assignments may not be extended for purposes of achieving attendance. An “absence” for online class is defined in two ways (either of which will incur an absence):

a. Failure to turn in any assigned work for the week;

b.Failure to demonstrate evidence of reading assigned chapters or viewing assigned videos, tutorials, or other media posted by the professor. Evidence includes posting to discussion forums, responding to other students’ posts. Students are responsible for providing written evidence by email (with any supporting documentation attached) to substantiate "authorized absences."

Three absences in an online course result in failure of the course, regardless of reason. Should you need to withdraw from more than one course, contact Greta Pryor to withdraw from the course (if possible), and to determine when to retake the course. If you withdraw from a course after the first week, you will not receive a full refund (please see the JBU Online Blackboard page for a detailed refund policy). Withdrawal may also reduce the amount of financial aid you receive and could result in additional out-of-pocket financial responsibility.

For face-to-face classes:

Students who fail to attend any 15 minute consecutive period of a class session may be considered partially absent. Two partial absences for any one course are the equivalent of one absence of the respective course and the student is subject to completion of a make-up assignment or equivalent grade reduction. Partial absences may occur at the beginning, middle or end of any specific class session.

Students who miss less than the permitted number of absences (as defined above) will be required to complete a make-up assignment designed to replicate as close as possible the learning opportunity provided in the classroom for each respective absence. Students will be required to complete the makeup assignment within one week of the absence. Failure to complete the makeup assignment(s) within the time frame provided will result in a reduction of one full letter grade (per the equivalence of each absence without an accompanying makeup assignment) of the grade the student would have earned prior to the reduction.

Collaboration on Assignments Outside of Class

Each student is expected to complete his or her own work for submission. Study groups are encouraged but not required.

Americans with Disabilities Act Statement

Students with documented disabilities who need academic accommodations should make an appointment with Mr. Jarrod Heathcote, Coordinator of Disability and Testing Services, to begin the accommodation process. Students without documented disabilities who feel they may have difficulty with their courses are also encouraged to make an appointment with their instructor to discuss what steps need to be taken to be successful. Contact information for the Coordinator of Disability and Testing Services: Mr. Jarrod Heathcote, 2000 W. University St., Siloam Springs, AR 72761, location - LRC 150, phone – 479.524.7464, email - jheathcote@jbu.edu

Copyright laws and Fair Use policies protect the rights of those who have produced the material. Whether it is a book, a monograph, a photograph, a video, a sound recording, or an Internet web page, the owner/creator of that work has the right to be protected under the laws of copyright and fair use. The University requires all members of the University community to familiarize themselves and to follow copyright and fair use requirements. You are individually and solely responsible for violations of copyright and fair use laws. The University will neither protect nor defend you nor assume any responsibility for employee or student violations of copyright and fair use laws. Violations of copyright laws could subject you to federal and state civil penalties and criminal liability as well as disciplinary action under University policies.

All official correspondence between JBU faculty and students will be accomplished using JBU email accounts. Students are expected to check their JBU email accounts on a timely basis. Faculty will use their JBU email accounts for all official JBU business and will not send any official correspondence to non-JBU student accounts.

Class Schedule

Module beginning and ending periods: Each course (module) is scheduled over a 7 week (summer) or 8 week (fall and spring) period. Each course/module begins on Monday at 6:00 a.m. and ends on a Monday at 5:59 a.m. Modules follow each other immediately so the end of one module is immediately followed by the beginning of the next and there are two modules (A and B) in each trimester for hybrid delivery courses. There are some holidays and breaks in the schedule which could expand the period between the start and end of a class.

• Pre-work and Blackboard Opening: Blackboard shells will open one week before the start of each module and students are expected to review the Blackboard shell and begin the assigned work in order to meet assignment deadlines.

Inclement Weather Policy

In the case of inclement weather, students can be notified of class cancellations through the JBU Crisis Alert System (CAS). This system gives JBU administration and security staff the ability to reach all students, faculty, and staff with time-sensitive information during unforeseen events or emergencies using voice, e-mail, and text messaging. During critical situations, JBU officials can use the system to broadcast pertinent information and provide details on appropriate response. All JBU student e-mail accounts are automatically registered to receive these messages. To register to receive a voice or text message, provide your contact information on our website at eagle.jbu.edu/services/CrisisAlert/.

In the event a class session is cancelled due to inclement weather, a make-up session may be conducted using recorded lectures and synchronous or asynchronous learning activities conducted through Blackboard. Your instructor will provide the details of each make-up assignment. On rare occasions, it may be necessary to reschedule the class to achieve the learning activity in a face-to-face environment. The DC staff and/or instructor will contact you for any necessary rescheduling of class sessions.

If a class is not cancelled, but individual students are unable to attend due to localized conditions, the absence is subject to normal provisions of attendance and the instructor will provide the student the necessary make-up assignment related to the absence. Make-up assignments are designed to replicate as much as possible the rich learning experience that occurs within the classroom, rather than serve as a punitive measure. Students are encouraged to exercise caution during inclement weather and avoid driving when travel advisories are posted. Although conditions near a center may be conducive for enabling a class to proceed, localized conditions for the student must prevail in each student's decision to travel to class.

Statement on Academic Integrity

As a Christian institution of higher education, John Brown University seeks to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. Violations of these standards will result in substantial penalties. At a minimum, any instance of cheating or plagiarism will result in a zero for the assignment and a report submitted to the academic dean. Further infractions will result in failure of the course and possible suspension. Violations and definitions are as follows:

1. Plagiarism: Submitting as part or as all of one's own work material that is copied or paraphrased from another source, including online sources, without the proper acknowledgement of that source. Examples include: failing to cite a reference, failing to use quotation marks where appropriate, misrepresenting another's work as your own, etc.

2. Cheating: Using unauthorized material or study aids for assistance on examinations or other academic work. Examples include: looking at a peer's exam, altering a graded exam, using notes without permission, etc.

3. Fabrication: Submitting altered or contrived information in any academic assignment. Examples include: falsifying data, text material, or sources.

4. Facilitating academic dishonesty: Helping another student violate this policy. Examples include: allowing one's work to be copied, working together on an assignment where collaboration is not allowed, doing work for another student.

Faculty Action Regarding Violations of Academic Integrity

All violations of the academic integrity policy will be reported to the appropriate academic dean, who will maintain a file on student offenses.

First offense: In the first case of dishonesty, the faculty member will normally give the student a zero for the assignment or test on which the student has been dishonest. Faculty members are free to impose more severe penalties if such penalties are announced in the course syllabus.

Second offense: A second violation of the integrity policy in the same course or in any other course will result in an F in the course.

Third offense: Any further violations of the integrity policy may result in suspension or dismissal from the university.

Appeals: A student who feels that he or she has been unfairly accused or unjustly treated may appeal to the appropriate academic dean. Final appeals will be handled by the All-Campus Judiciary Committee.

Percentage	Grade	Percentage	Grade	Percentage	Grade
93-100	A	80 - 82.99	B-	67 - 69.99	D+
90 - 92.99	A-	77 - 79.99	C+	60 - 66.99	D
87 - 89.99	B+	73 - 76.99	C	0 - 59.99	F
83 - 86.99	B	70 - 72.99	C-