The Courtesy Policy

Courteous and professional interaction about coursework and grades is expected and rewarded. Instructors may award students up to five bonus points for the following:

Exceptional courtesy and professional interaction.
Respectful participation and prompt communication.
Outstanding and prompt participation.
Respect for grading procedures. Concerns about grades are emailed to your instructor, with the intent to improve on future assignments.

Rationale: To foster more professional communication, students are expected to follow the Courtesy Policy used in all Visual Communications courses.. Employers tell us that many interns and recent graduates lose their chance for successful employment because they complain about insignificant issues. This behavior also shows up when students complain about grades. Some fight unsuccessfully for a few points, then end up losing opportunities and other unrealized benefits. These bonus “courtesy points” can compensate for minor discrepancies and subjectivity. Visual Communications instructors work together in a teaching group and use the same rubrics and grading approaches, so grading is consistent across all sections of a course.