One of the instructional goals for this course is to help you make the transition from a child-learning to an adult-learning educational model – from “pedagogy” to “andragogy” to use the technical terms.  There are many ways to describe this.  My favorite is:

• In child-style learning, the teacher is responsible for everyone’s learning.
• In adult-style learning, the student responsible for making sure that everyone else in the group learns too.

This gives you more control than usual, but you can’t have control without responsibility.  Life doesn’t work that way.  Therefore, class attendance, participation, and completion of the data searches and other minor course exercises are required of everyone..

• This includes on-the-spot assignments, which we will create by mutual agreement as we need them during class
• It also includes the four data searches that we’ll do at various points during the semester (due dates are listed on the course schedule).  For each of these, come to class with a one-page executive summary of your findings, plus data tables, if appropriate.   This will provide prima facie evidence of your contribution to the learning process.

Shouldering these responsibilities constitutes 20% of your grade.  Absences and non-participation thus matters – a lot.  You need to provide your classmates with the benefit of your learning and insight