Course Syllabus

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Welcome to James Madison University! I am looking forward to working with you this year!

Katie Shifflett, College of Education Elementary Education Major Advisor

shifflkr@jmu.edu (preferred contact)

Memorial Hall Office #7240A | 540-568-5836 | www.jmu.edu/coe/eere

Ways to Connect with Me

Responsibilities

Mine:

  • Serve as a resource within the College of Education while teaching you to be independent and responsible
  • Teach you how to navigate academic policies and procedures
  • Create an open, respectful, and supportive environment for all abilities, sexual orientations, genders, races, cultures, religions, and socioeconomic statuses
  • Assist you in defining, developing and following realistic academic goals
  • Assist you in identifying/selecting an appropriate teacher education program
  • Inform you about academic policies and procedures
  • Identify your special interests and/or needs and refer you to appropriate resources

Yours:

  • Focus on your role as a student: hold yourself accountable for academic rigor – it is your education! This is your time!
  • Be responsible for your decisions, choices, and actions
  • Seek advice, information, resources, and support
  • Know and fulfill your degree, major and general education requirements
  • Choose a major and career path intentionally
  • Use MyMadison and Canvas for academic planning and resources

Advising Materials

Academic Tools, Resources, and Dates & Deadlines

Major, Degree, and General Education Requirements

Major and Career Exploration

Choosing and Changing Classes, Adding Majors, etc.

To declare or change your major, minor, or pre-professional program, you need to go to your student center in myMadison. For a list of instructions, go to our website here: https://www.jmu.edu/cap/students/choose/declare.shtml.   Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions about this process! Here is a helpful video to walk you through the process online. 

Honor Code

Upon accepting admission to James Madison University, a student immediately assumes a commitment to uphold the Honor Code, to accept responsibility for learning, and to follow the philosophy and rules of the Honor Code.  You can learn more about the JMU Honor Code at www.jmu.edu/honor.  Ignorance of the rules does not exclude any member of the JMU community from the requirements or processes of the Honor Code system.

As a first-year student, you are required to complete the online Honor Code tutorial and test by October 1.  Failure to complete the requirement by the deadline will result in an information hold placed on your student record.  You can find the Honor Code tutorial and test at www.jmu.edu/honor/test.shtml

Attendance and Inclement Weather

Appointments

Take personal responsibility for commitments you make – including scheduled meeting. If circumstances arise ahead of time, reschedule your meeting; if unexpected circumstances arise, follow up with the individual(s) involved. In short, respect each other’s time.

What to bring to our meetings:

  • list of questions or topics to discuss
  • written list of majors and/or classes that you are considering
  • your undergraduate catalog
  • your general education requirements
  • your planner/anything you use for scheduling

Classes

Each of your courses will have a unique attendance policy set by the course instructor, and can heavily impact your grade.  Read each course syllabus carefully to understand attendance policies and consequences.  Some colleges have policies that if you miss the first two classes for a registered course, you could be administratively dropped from the course.

University Closings or Delays

To check for winter weather delays or closings, visit www.jmu.edu or call the JMU Weather Line at 540-433-5300.  If there is a delay, classes throughout the day are not shortened; rather, morning classes that meet before the delay time are cancelled.  For example, if the University is delayed 2 hours and opens at 10:00 a.m., your classes that begin before 10:00 a.m. will not meet.

Transfer Credit

A student wishing to earn credits at another institution, either in the summer or during a regular session, must obtain permission in advance from the register’s office. Course descriptions are required for courses taken outside the Virginia Community College system. Check the Registrar’s Office Transfer Equivalency Guide. to see how your courses transfer back to JMU! Permission to transfer credit in to the general education program will be based on an evaluation of the extent to which the course meeting the objectives of the General Education program. To complete final hours away from JMU, students must have the approval of the head of their major.

If you are looking to take a course at a Virginia Community College, you can look at the Transfer Equivalency Guide to help you understand which VCCS courses may transfer for JMU courses. If you wish to transfer course credit, you must complete a Permission to Take  Courses for Transfer Credit form. More information on transfer credits can be found on the Registrar's website: https://www.jmu.edu/registrar/students/transfer_credit.shtml

G.P.A. And Academic Standing

Credits Hours

Attempted

Academic

Probation

Academic

Suspension

1 – 27

1.999 – 1.500

< 1.500

28 – 44

1.999 – 1.650

< 1.650

45 – 59

1.999 – 1.750

< 1.750

60 – 74

1.999 – 1.850

< 1.850

75 – 89

1.999 – 1.900

< 1.900

90 – 104

1.999 – 1.994

< 1.994

105 – 119

1.999

< 1.999

>120

2.000

 

 

3.9 – 4.00: President’s List                                                                                                       

 3.5 – 3.89: Dean’s List

 2.0 – 3.49: Good Standing

 < 2.0: Academic Warning (probation or suspension)

For help improving your academic success, utilize the Learning Resource Centers (www.jmu.edu/lrc) and schedule a meeting with me to discuss further strategies!

Satisfactory Academic Progress

All undergraduate students must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Requirements to receive financial aid at James Madison University. Federal regulators require each institution to have a SAP policy, which established the minimum standards that must be applied consistently to all students. You will be denied financial aid if you fail to meet SAP requirements. If extenuating circumstances led to your noncompliance, you may submit an appeal to the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships for consideration.

Dropping Classes

F= Failed the class, W = Withdrew from class before Registrar deadline, WP = Withdrew after Registrar deadline but was passing, the class, WF = Withdrew after Registrar deadline but was failing. I= Incomplete, must be arranged with a professor

  • F, W, WP, WF and I grades count as attempted courses, but not completed courses
  • W, WP, WF might keep a GPA high, but students can still lose financial aid eligibility
  • Dropping classes will almost always require financial aid to be recalculated during the current term
  • Withdrawing from some courses may or may not require aid to be calculated from current term
  • Withdrawing from all courses will require aid to be recalculated, regardless of the reason
  • All of these can impact aid in future terms
  • If you are considering withdrawing from a class at any time, I would highly recommend you making an appointment to talk with me about it. It may affect your financial aid, housing, and academic progression.
  • For more information, view the full policy here: http://catalog.jmu.edu/content.php?catoid=25&navoid=768#adding-a-course-changing-sections-or-changing-credit-options

Course Summary:

Date Details Due