Program Covenant

Physical Systems 1998-99
with E.J. Zita

Each student must read this Covenant, Evergreen's Social Contract, and the Student Conduct Code.
It is assumed that if you remain in this program, you understand these documents, accept their conditions, and agree to abide by them.

I. Goals of the Program

II. Faculty expectations of students

III. Requirements for award of credit

IV. Resolving conflicts

V. Lab safety

VI. Commitments of faculty to students

I. GOALS OF THE PROGRAM:

The students and faculty will work individually and collaboratively, through a program of reading, problem solving, discussions, workshops, lectures, peer tutorials, field studies, experimental work, and individual research projects to achieve the basic goals of this program:

II. FACULTY EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS: Students should:

A. Come on time to all program meetings, with any assigned readings, problems sets, and written work completed and ready to turn in. No late assignments will be accepted, for review or for credit.

B. Participate fully in group activities, including workshops and field studies/observing. You are expected to do viewing and make-up viewing on your own, especially when weather does not permit group viewing. If you are ill and cannot make a class, you should leave a voice-mail message for Zita at x6853.

C. Work responsibly with peers to stay abreast of class information and team research. Turn in weekly research progress reports with your team. Check the online syllabus at least once a week for updates. (syllfall.htm)

D. Refrain from disruptions (turn off your beeper, don't interrupt or harass, no alcohol or drugs, etc.)

E. Inform faculty promptly of difficulties, confusions, problems, etc. with any aspect of the program.

F. Take appropriate responsibility for your own learning and for class dynamics.

G. Develop and maintain (continuously) a portfolio that reflects your achievement in the program.

H. Write a self-evaluation that reflects achievement in the program at the end of the program.

I. Attend midquarter and end-of-quarter evaluation conferences. Come prepared with thoughtful, proofread evaluations and a clearly organized portfolio.

J. Write an evaluation of each faculty member and deliver them to the faculty or to the program secretary no later than the date of your end-of-quarter evaluation conference.

III. REQUIREMENTS FOR AWARD OF CREDIT (including II. A-J above)

A. Each student who consistently attends and participates in all program activites; who completes the assigned written work; who completes the exams; and who turns in a self-evaluation, all with acceptable content and quality and ON TIME, can expect to receive full credit.

B. Any student whose work appears not to be meeting standards for credit will be so informed by his or her faculty seminar leader, by the end of the sixth week of the quarter, with suggestions for improvement. Students who do not receive a written mid-quarter warning may nevertheless be denied credit based on unsatisfactory performance or incomplete work after the fifth week.

C. You must produce an annotated BIBLIOGRAPHY of at least ten good references you have used for each  major  research project. (This is in addition to any encyclopedic or internet material you find - those are not acceptable primary sources.) Your annotated bibliography must represent journal articles, reports, or other original materials by scholars. Include a sentence or two summarizing the content and level of the source, and how you used it in your project.

D. Any student who plagiarizes material through failure to fairly attribute and acknowledge sources or through failure to acknowledge joint authorship, or who cheats on a quiz or exam or other assignment, should expect to be dismissed from the program and lose all credit for the quarter.  This is a serious violation of the student conduct code.  Cooperative and joint work is an important part of the program, and should always be fairly acknowledged.

E.  Any student who uses drugs or alcohol during program activities should expect to be dismissed from the program and lose all credit.  This is a serious violation of the student conduct code.

IV. RESOLVING CONFLICTS:

A. We assume everyone enters the program in a spirit of goodwill. Evergreen's Social Contract (see p. 22-23 of the 1997-98 catalog) presents a "guide for civility and individual freedom" It also tells where to find the Student Conduct Code (WAC 174-120) and other policies. You are expected to read, understand, and abide by Evergreen's Social Contract and the Student Conduct Code. See the internet site at http://www.evergreen.edu/user/pol_proc/wac120.htm.

B. Sometimes conflicts arise in a program. The first step toward resolution should always be to directly engage the parties involved face-to-face (student-student, student-faculty, or faculty - faculty). Especially in group research, you might need to discuss issues such as team cooperation, sharing duties equitably, and so on. If necessary, faculty will act as mediators, but only if really necessary. Student-student or student-faculty difficulties should be brought to a faculty member in the program before going to Deans. If the unusual situation of a serious class conflict arises, we will try to resolve it in class first, and involve outside parties only if absolutely necessary. If this is necessary, we will follow the grievance procedures in Evergreen's Administrative Code.

C. Any credit dispute or disagreement over wording should be discussed first with Zita. If a dispute is not resolvable, mediation is available.

D. You can be dismissed immediately from the classroom and the program for illegal, unsafe, or disruptive behavior (Student Conduct Code above). If your work does not meet standards (section II of this Covenant), you may be asked to leave the program.

V. LAB SAFETY

We will be doing lab experiments in physical systems, and we may be observing on the roof of the library in spring quarter. (Please tell your faculty if we should use the handicapped accessible level.) For the safety of your classmates, yourself, and the equipment, these guidelines must be followed. One violation gets a warning; two violations may eliminate your equipment or roof priveleges, even if required for program work.

A. Use equipment such as the SEM and the Meade LX 200 telescope:

B. Do experiments in pairs, especially around high voltage, cryogenics, heat, or gas supplies.

C.On the roof:

D. Never look directly at the sun. It can blind you - quickly, painlessly, and irreversably.
VI. COMMITMENTS OF THE FACULTY TO THE STUDENTS: Faculty will:

A. Prepare for and guide learning from discussions of the reading material, from the field studies and workshops, from group and individual projects, and from other assignments.

B. Oversee the program reader's or grader's review of students' written work so it is read, commented upon, and returned in a timely manner.

C. Respond to students' questions and concerns about the material, pace, and/or organization of the program. (Compromises may not completely satisfy all preferences.)

D. Be available at least one hour per week for "office hours", which may occur in the office or in another agreed-upon location, to address individual student questions and concerns.

E. Keep students informed about their progress and notify each student by the sixth week of the quarter if his or her work is not satisfactory.

F. Provide a written evaluation of each student's work at the end of each quarter, following the guidelines of section 7.620 of the Faculty Handbook.

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Maintained by E.J. Zita

Last modified: 21 August 1998