LAMAR STATE COLLEGE ORANGE SYLLABUS

Academic Studies

GOVT, 2305, Federal Government, 80F

COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor Name Richard Lindsey
Building/Office Number Academic Center, Room 127A
Office Hours
Mondays & Wednesdays:  11:00 AM—12:30 PM, 2:00—3:00 PM


Virtual Hours Mondays & Wednesdays:  3:00—4:00 PM
Tuesdays & Thursdays:  11:00 AM—12:00 NOON
Fridays, 11:00 AM—12:00 NOON
Office Telephone (409) 882-3322
Email Address richard.lindsey@lsco.edu


Course Description

Origin and development of the U. S. Constitution, structure and powers of the national government including the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, federalism, political participation, the national election process, public policy, civil liberties, and civil rights.


Required Textbook & Materials

American Government 3e [Third Edition] by Glen Krutz

OpenStax College
ISBN:  9781711493961

The textbook for this course is an OER (open educational resource).  A physical copy of the book may be purchased; see the title, publisher, and ISBN information directly above.  A free, online version of the textbook is also available and is accessible via this link:

https://openstax.org/books/american-government-3e/pages/1-introduction


Upon registration for classes, LSCO students are automatically charged $14 per semester credit hour for access to all required textbooks, lab manuals, lab codes, and electronic books on the first day of class through the Gator Book Pack. Information about the LSCO Gator Book Pack as well as responses to common FAQs can be found on LSCO's webpage. ALL STUDENTS WILL HAVE UNTIL THE SECOND DAY OF THE SEMESTER TO OPT-OUT OF THE GATOR BOOK PACK.

Every student MUST have access to the required textbooks by the week of class. The student will be responsible for all assignments given. Failure to have a text may result in being dropped from the class. Failure to follow instructions (written or oral) will result in penalties.


Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

Upon successful completion of this course, students will acquire the following course learning outcomes:

Core Objectives

Course Level Learning Outcomes

(ACGM or WECM) &

Associated Course Activities/Assignments/Projects

   A
Explain the origin and development of constitutional democracy in the United States.
 		   This topic is covered in the course readings and assessed via various activities in Unit One, including the Chapter Two Quiz, Exam One, and Assignment #1.
Demonstrate knowledge of the federal system.
 		   This topic is covered in the course readings and assessed via various activities in Unit One, including the Chapter Three Quiz and Exam One.
Describe separation of powers and checks and balances in both theory and practice.
 		   These topics are covered in the course readings and assessed via various activities in Units One, Three, and Four, including the Chapters Two, Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen Quizzes and Exams One, Three, and Four.
Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government.
 		   These areas are covered in the course readings and assessed via various activities in Units One, Three, and Four, including the Chapters Two, Three, Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen Quizzes and Exams One, Three, and Four.
Evaluate the role of public opinion, interest groups, and political parties in the political system.
 		   These areas are covered in the course readings and assessed via various activities in Units Two and Three, including Assignment #2, the Chapters Six, Seven, Nine, and Ten Quizzes and Exams Two and Three.
Analyze the election process.
 		   This topic is covered in the course readings and assessed via various activities in Units Two, Three, and Four, including Assignment Three, the Chapter Seven, Ten, Eleven, and Twelve Quizzes, and Exams Two, Three, and Four.
Describe the rights and responsibilities of citizens.
 		   This topic is covered in the course readings and assessed via various activities in Units One and Two, including Assignment One, the Chapters Four, Five, and Seven Quizzes, and Exams One and Two.
Analyze issues and policies in U. S. politics.
 		   These areas are covered in the course readings and assessed via various activities in Units One and Two, including the Chapters Four and Six Quizzes, Exams One and Two, and Discussion #2.  Additionally, this outcome is assessed via the Article Analysis Assignments and is the central focus of the Political Issue Research Paper.
   




Course Topical Outline

Unit One

Chapter 2.  The Constitution and Its Origins
Chapter 3.  American Federalism
Chapter 4.  Civil Liberties

Unit Two

 Chapter 5.  Civil Rights
Chapter 6.  The Politics of Public Opinion
Chapter 7.  Voting and Elections

Unit Three

 Chapter 9.  Political Parties
Chapter 10.  Interest Groups and Lobbying
Chapter 11.  Congress

Unit Four

 Chapter 12.  The Presidency
Chapter 13.  The Courts
Chapter 15.  The Bureaucracy
 
   
   
   
   
   
   




Major Assignments Schedule

Major Assignment Schedule
The exams, quizzes, and other assignments for this course are described below:

Exams: There are four exams, comprising 49% of your overall grade in this course, which must be completed over the course of the semester. Exams will be accessible via the “Exams” folder under the Content module. See the “Course Schedule” for the dates on which exams are available and by which date each must be completed.
Exam Format. Exams may feature multiple choice, true/false, or short answer questions, and consist almost entirely of material from the American Government text. (For any exam questions that may come from other sources, such as PowerPoints, instructions regarding where to access this information will be included on the exam reviews.). Notes may be used on the exams; however, the exams are timed, so it is important to have studied and be well-prepared for them. You are allotted around one minute and fifteen seconds per question; thus, for example, you are given 65 minutes to complete a fifty-question exam, etc. Exams must be submitted within the allotted time limit.
Additional information regarding the content, requirements, etc., for each exam will be included in the Unit Overview files, available at the beginning of each unit. Review material (“Reviews for Exams” files) and PowerPoints covering the textbook chapters, which may be used as study aids, will be posted and available in Blackboard. (Reviews will be available at least four days before the opening date of the exam; the dates upon which they become available are listed in the Unit Overviews.) The reviews and PowerPoints are contained in folders that are accessible through the “Content” module in Blackboard; they are available under the “Reviews for Exams” and “Unit Power Points” headings, respectively. However, it should be emphasized that it is necessary to read and study the material in the textbook chapters in order to be familiar with all material covered on the exams.

Political Issue Research Paper (Signature Assignment): During this course, you must complete a research paper in which you assess a governmental or political issue pertaining to federal government. Prior to completing the research paper itself, you must also complete the two other required components of the assignment: 1) submitting your topic choice (for approval and a grade), and 2) a “Political Issue Research Paper Source Check” assignment, in which you submit information on five potential sources pertaining to your topic choice, formatted as reference entries in APA style.
The Political Issue Research Paper requires that you pick a current governmental or political (not historical) issue of importance in federal government as your topic. You must only select one topic for this paper, as the word count does not allow for a discussion of more than one topic. Your topic must be submitted and approved (as part of the Political Issue Research Paper Topic Choice assignment) before proceeding with the paper.
In your paper, you must address the various sides of your chosen issue and draw conclusions based on your analysis of the issue. Do not write from one, biased perspective. Your paper should discuss two or more viewpoints, pros and cons, etc. This demonstrates an understanding of the complexities of your chosen topic.
In your paper, you must present an informed evaluation of the evidence and the different viewpoints surrounding the topic. Compare and contrast the different viewpoints of the sources cited. Analyze and question your sources’ assumptions. College is about learning how to question assumptions, and sometimes, your sources may have limitations of faulty logic.
Your paper should contain a minimum of 750 words (not counting your title, headings, References page, etc.). There is no maximum length for this assignment. The paper should be typewritten, double-spaced, and based on information from a minimum of three sources (no maximum).
Use proper and complete sentence structure, paragraph structure, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Use campus resources, if necessary, to improve the writing quality of your paper.
Anytime you borrow someone’s ideas, paraphrase, or quote them, cite all sources within your paper using APA citation style. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism, which can result in disciplinary action by LSCO. Research papers that lack cited sources—in which the student fails to credit the sources of the information included in the paper within the body of the paper—will not receive passing grades. Additionally, construct a bibliography (in APA style, a reference list page). The reference list should be placed at the end of your paper and include information pertaining to any and all sources cited within your paper. Finally, your paper should include a title page, completed according to APA style.
Combined, the three portions of this assignment are worth 15 percent of your overall grade. The Political Issue Research Paper Topic Choice assignment is worth 1 percent, the Political Issue Research Paper Source Check assignment is worth 4 percent, and the Political Issue Research Paper itself (including your title page and references list) is worth 10 percent of your grade.
Information pertaining to this assignment, including instructions for the topic selection and “Source Check” assignments that precede completing the research paper, full instructions for writing the paper itself, and additional resources pertaining to the different components of the assignment, will be available from the Political Issue Research Paper folder in Blackboard; this folder is accessible via the “Content” module.

Chapter Quizzes: Twelve chapter quizzes are available over the course of the semester. Your lowest chapter quiz grade is dropped; thus, you have the option of completing eleven of the quizzes without being penalized for skipping one, or completing all twelve quizzes and having your lowest quiz grade dropped. Altogether, the average of your eleven highest chapter quiz grades counts for 22% of your overall grade in the course. The quizzes can be accessed via the “Chapter Quizzes” folder, available via the “Content” module. The quizzes correspond with the material covered in the chapters of the American Government text. The chapter quizzes are timed, with the allotment of three minutes for each multiple-choice question; thus, you are given thirty minutes to complete a ten-question quiz, forty-five minutes to complete a fifteen-question quiz, etc. You are allotted two attempts for each quiz; if you complete two attempts, the higher score of your two attempts will count toward your average. You may use your American Government text when completing the quizzes. See the “Course Schedule” for the scheduled availability and due dates for all chapter quizzes.

Federal Government Assignments: Over the course of the semester, you are required to complete three federal government assignments. (These assignments are each worth 2.5% of your overall grade; combined, these are worth 7.5% of your overall average in the course.) These assignments concern various topics in American government, and correspond with material in the American Government text, in terms of the order in which they are covered. Essentially, these assignments focus on topics we cover in this class and involve answering questions (or, potentially, completing tasks) concerning the topic. You will generally be provided with readings/page numbers from the textbook or other online resources to aid in completing these assignments. These assignments will be graded.
Federal Government Assignments can be accessed via the “Federal Government Assignments” folder, available via the “Content” module. See the “Course Schedule” for the availability dates for these assignments.


American Politics & Current Events Article Analysis Assignments: Over the course of the semester, students are required to submit two “American Politics & Current Events Article Analysis Assignments.” (These assignments are each worth 2.5% of your overall grade; combined, these are worth 5% of your overall average in the course.)
To complete each of these assignments, locate and read a news article discussing a current event in the world of American government and politics, and submit your analysis of what is discussed in the article.
In order to receive full credit, your assignment should include five components: 1) the article’s title (10 points); 2) a reference entry, completed in APA style, that includes a hyperlink to the article (15 points); 3) a brief description in your own words of how the current event or issue it discusses relates to American government and/or politics (15 points); 4) your analysis of the event or topic discussed in the article (This portion should include your analysis/opinion of what you read in your own words. It should not simply summarize what is discussed in the article, nor should it include sentences taken directly from the article or paraphrased sentences from the article. This portion should be at least 150 words in length.) (45 points); and, 5) a brief consideration of the credibility of the article that you read (Do you believe the article that you read contained reliable information? Did anything you read cause you to question the credibility of the source, author, information, etc.? If so, what? Your discussion in this section may be brief, but should go beyond, “I think it’s credible.”) (15 points).
Your grade for an article analysis assignment is based upon whether it includes the previously-discussed components, in addition to whether it is clearly-written and whether it demonstrates that you have read and understood the article you chose. The articles you analyze should be news (not opinion) pieces and should discuss current events or topics in the realm of American government or politics; in order to comply with the “current events” aspect of the assignment, the article that you are analyzing should not have been published more than three months before the date that you are reviewing it.
You will be penalized for summarizing articles that do not concern American government/politics or national current events, that are written in an openly biased way or are straightforward opinion pieces, or that do not meet the “current events” guideline previously specified.
Strong online resource for articles for this assignment include the websites of major news services like The Associated Press [U. S. section] (https://apnews.com/us-news) or Reuters U. S. (https://www.reuters.com/world/us/) or the national news stories (especially those included in the
“U. S.” or “Politics” sections) included in major U. S. newspapers like The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/) and The Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/).
(Please feel free to email me in advance if you have any questions or concerns about a particular article you’re considering analyzing.)
Folders for submitting the article analysis assignments are available via the heading “Folders for American Politics and Current Events Article Analysis Assignments,” accessible from the Content module. These folders will include templates you can look to in order to ensure your completed article analysis assignments include all of the required components for these assignments. Article analysis assignments may be completed from the time that the folders for submitting them are available, but cannot be submitted after their corresponding completion deadlines have passed (see the Course Schedule).

Course Schedule: **(See separate “Course Schedule” document, available under the “Information” tab in Blackboard.)**
 


Final Exam Date

October 11, 2023 - 12:00 AM   Through  October 13, 2023 - 11:59 PM


COURSE POLICIES

Academic Honesty

Faculty who suspect violation of academic honesty, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, or abuse of resource materials may assign an academic penalty. Students must be notified of their right to appeal before the academic penalty is imposed.

Students subject to penalty due to academic honesty have the right to appeal the decision. Refer to the current LSCO Catalog for details on the appeal process.



Electronic Communication

LSCO students are required to use either their LSCO Blackboard account or their LSCO email account (Office 365 / Microsoft Outlook) for all electronic communication. In order to ensure the privacy and identity of the student communicating via electronic methods, LSCO faculty will direct students to use their LSCO email accounts rather than personal accounts. If a student has trouble accessing their LSCO email account, they should contact the LSCO Help Desk at (409) 882-3033 or helpdesk@lsco.edu.




Attendance Requirements

Federal regulations require students who receive financial aid to have begun "attending" and participate substantially in each course for which they are enrolled on or before the official census reporting date outlined on the LSCO Academic Calendar. Students documented as "not attending" a course upon the census date are assumed (for financial aid purposes) to have not begun attendance for that course, negatively affecting their financial aid eligibility and disbursement.

Attendance in an ONLINE course is verified by substantial participation in the course on or before the census date published in the LSCO Academic Calendar. Substantial participation in this online course is defined as logging in and completing/participating in at least one requirement of the course. Note: Simply logging in to your online course does not constitute attendance.

Hybrid classes are a mix of face-to-face and online environments. Students will be expected to attend a certain number of classes as required by the instructor. (Include the policy on absences and tardiness.) In addition to classroom attendance, your weekly active participation in the online component (Blackboard and/or homework software) will be considered and expected.




Make-up Work Policy

The submission of late work is strongly discouraged but may be accepted if the instructor is informed, preferably in advance of the due date, regarding the situation causing the assignment to be submitted or completed late. Arrangements for making up missed assignments should be made within 24 hours of the missed deadline. Adjusted deadlines will be given for any make-up assignments; these deadlines must be met in order to avoid a penalty. Penalties will be assessed on any accepted late work for which arrangements for an extension were not made within the 24-hour period following the missed deadline at a rate of 10% for the next 24 hours and 25% for the remainder of the week. If arrangements to complete a missed assignment are not made within a week (seven days) of its due date, the assignment may not be made up. Try to work ahead, rather than waiting until the last minute/hour, as unexpected events can always come up. It may be helpful to set up a schedule for completing various readings and assignments and try to keep to that schedule.


Classroom Etiquette

Face-to-Face - No food, drink, tobacco, cell phones, etc.
Online - Since face-to-face meetings in the classroom may be replaced by online meetings through discussion boards, emails, and/or Blackboard Collaborate, students are expected to follow the rules of netiquette in these forums.
Hybrid - When face-to-face meetings in the classroom are replaced by online meetings through discussion boards, emails, and/or Blackboard Collaborate, students are expected to follow the rules of netiquette in these forums.
Exam Policy




Expected Time Requirement for this Course

For every hour in class (or unit of credit) taught in a 16-week session, students should expect to spend at least two to three hours per week studying and completing assignments. Example: For a 3-credit hour class taught in a 16-week session, students should prepare to allocate approximately 6 to 9 hours per week outside of class studying and completing assignments. For a 3-credit hour taught in a 10-week summer session, students should prepare to allocate approximately 10 to 15 hours per week outside of class studying and completing assignments. For a 3-credit hour taught in an 8-week session, students should prepare to allocate approximately 12 to 18 hours per week outside of class studying and completing assignments. For a 3-credit hour taught in a 5-week summer session, students should prepare to allocate approximately 20 to 29 hours per week outside of class studying and completing assignments.


Grading and Evaluation Method

Your average score on the four exams accounts for 49% of your final grade; thus, each exam, individually, accounts for 12.25% of your overall grade. The rest of your average comes from your completion of three Federal Government assignments (7.5%, or 2.5% each), two American Politics & Current Events Article Analysis Assignments (5%, or 2.5% each), and your average score on eleven (of an available twelve) Chapter Quizzes covering chapters in the American Government text (22%, or 2% each). The grade on the three components of the Political Issue Research Paper assignment accounts for 15% of your final grade, with the Political Issue Research Paper Topic Choice assignment accounting for 1%; the Political Issue Research Paper Source Check assignment accounting for 4%, and the Political Issue Research Paper itself accounting for 10%. Finally, the Introductory Discussion Post assignment accounts for the remaining 1.5% of your grade.

Grades are distributed by the scale:
A = 90 - 100%
B = 80 - 89
C = 70 - 79
D = 60 - 69
F = below 60



Instructor Response Time

The instructor will respond to emails within 24 hours, excluding weekends and holidays. On weekends and holidays, the instructor will respond to emails from students within 24 hours of the first business day following the weekend or holiday.


Participation Requirements

Weekly participation and engagement in the courses are critical for student success. Assignments should be completed by the due date. Students should also refer to the instructor’s attendance policy for additional information. (See LSCO Student Handbook, Class Attendance.)





Review of Test Grades

If a student has an issue with his or her grade, the instructor must be contacted no later than three (3) days after receiving the grade.


Student's Responsibility

This syllabus contains information, policies, and procedures for a specific course. By enrolling, the student agrees to read, understand, and abide by the rules, policies, regulations, and ethical standards of Lamar State College Orange as those contained in the current LSCO Catalog and schedule of classes.


Syllabus Content

The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus if deemed necessary. All changes will be provided to the students orally or in writing before the implementation of the change.


Textbook and Required Materials Access

Every student MUST have access to the required textbooks by the second week of class. The student will be responsible for all assignments given. Failure to have a text may result in being dropped from the class. Failure to follow instructions (written or oral) will result in penalties.


STUDENT SUPPORT RESOURCES

Advocacy Information

Any student who faces challenges securing their food or housing and believes this may affect their performance in the course is encouraged to contact the advising office for guidance on how to identify possible resources. Please notify the instructor of your circumstance if you are comfortable doing so.


Affirmative Action

LSCO is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution which provides educational and employment opportunities on the basis of merit and without discrimination or harassment in full compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 503,504); Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972; the Vietnam Era Veterans Assistance Act of 1974; Article 522lk V.A.C.S.; and Executive Orders 11246 and 11758.


Title IX of the Education Amendments

LSCO prohibits discrimination, including sexual harassment and retaliation, against any student on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability, or any other basis prohibited by law. Any student who believes that he or she has experienced prohibited conduct or believes that another student has experienced prohibited conduct should immediately report the alleged acts to the Title IX Coordinator, Patty Collins, at patty.collins@lsco.edu.


Blackboard Resources

LSCO students will access Blackboard through the MyGator portal. Login credentials will use the following format: username@my.lsco.edu and Password. For help in identifying your Username/Password, visit https://www2.lsco.edu/sspr/.

Blackboard student resource videos and help-sites are available at https://www.lsco.edu/distanceed/blackboard-student.asp.


Career Coach

Lamar State College Orange provides career advising services to all students and alumni through Career Coach, an online career planning tool. Career Coach assists students through all phases of developing, initiating, and implementing career plans.

Information regarding employment opportunities and career options are provided along with access to live local job postings. Full-time and part-time employment opportunities, as well as internships, are available through Career Coach. Visit https://www.lsco.edu/advising/career-planning.asp for more details on how to use LSCO's Career Coach to plan for and learn more about your future career.


Gator Assistance Services

Lamar State College Orange provides currently enrolled technical students support for daycare costs as well as other services.

Visit https://www.lsco.edu/advising/gator-assistance.asp for details on assistance services.


Gator Success Center

Students are encouraged to make an appointment or walk in to receive tutoring, support services, or access to an open computer lab. Face-to-face and online supplemental instruction sessions are available to help students through any LSCO course. Reach out to learning.center@lsco.edu for more information on how students can receive academic support.


Library Services

Students are encouraged to visit library.lsco.edu to find the library's current operating hours, access the catalog to locate print materials, and access GatorSearch to explore the vast electronic collection. The library provides over 77 electronic database collections that include eBooks, newspapers, magazines, academic journals, and streaming video. The physical library contains a specialized collection of research materials specifically chosen to support the degrees and courses offered. Additionally, Students with research questions or questions about library services are encouraged visit the library in person, call 409-882-3352, access the chat on the library webpage, or to email their question to lscolibrary@lsco.edu.


Student with Disabilities

Under the Texas State System, Lamar State College Orange complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, pertaining to the provision of reasonable academic adjustments/auxiliary aids for students with disability. We strive to provide reasonable academic adjustments/auxiliary aids to students who request and require them.

Students who believe they have a disability requiring an academic adjustment/auxiliary aid are encouraged to contact the Special Populations Advisor at (409) 882-3393 or visiting the Advising Office located on the first floor of the Ron Lewis Library Building (RLB) room 113. Students are encouraged to apply before the start of the semester when at all possible. The Accommodation Request Form and details regarding the appropriate documentation needed can be found here: https://www.lsco.edu/advising/disability.asp. Once approved, the signed accommodation form provided by the Special Populations Advisor must be submitted to the instructor at least two business days in advance of need.


Upswing 24/7 FREE Tutoring Services

Lamar State College Orange provides currently enrolled students with access to online tutoring through a partnership with Upswing, an online tutoring platform. Tutors are available 24/7 online in almost every subject.

Visit https://www.lsco.edu/tutoring/online-tutoring.asp for details on how to log-in to the FREE services.


INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES

Campus Closure

In the event of an emergency campus closure in excess of three class days, Lamar State College Orange's classes will continue via the use of Blackboard. In such an instance, the college website, www.lsco.edu, will have information concerning the event and anticipated re-opening plans.


Civility

Please be considerate of other classmates' feelings, ethnic background, cultural differences, situations, and level of maturity. Students will be asked to leave the course if disruptive or inappropriate behavior is exhibited in any of the course requirements. If your instructor feels that you have not contributed appropriately to course requirements, your final course grade may be reduced accordingly.

The instructor reserves the right to manage a positive learning environment and will not tolerate inappropriate conduct in the course. Rude correspondence (discourteous or impolite, especially in a deliberate way) in e-mails, telephone calls, in person, or comments made to other class members, the instructor, or the office staff.


Contingency Plans

Students should develop a backup plan should their computer system or their Internet provider fail. Computer or internet connectivity issues are not valid excuses for missing a deadline. The College provides many opportunities for using computer equipment, as do many public libraries. Refer to the LSCO website for operational hours of the Library and Success Center.


COVID Notification Policy

Students who have been diagnosed with COVID 19 are required to report their condition to their instructor and to the College via the COVID Notification Form. Guidance on how to proceed will be delivered to the student's email after completing the required notification form.


Credit Transfer

Students should check in advance with the institution to which they plan to transfer credit to confirm transferability.


Criminal Background Policy

LSCO awards some certificates and degrees in which a criminal history MAY disqualify candidates from becoming licensed, certified, and/or employed upon degree/certificate completion. Students with a criminal background enrolling in courses leading to a degree/certificate in Criminal Justice, Cosmetology, Emergency Medical Technology, Massage Therapy, Medical Assisting, Vocational Nursing (VN), Registered Nursing (RN), Pharmacy Technician, Real Estate, or Teacher Preparation program are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to discuss the certification and/or licensing regulations of the program with the program director listed in order to learn more about the current guidelines related to criminal history as well as the right of individuals to request a criminal history evaluation letter.


Drops and Withdrawals

Never attending or ceasing to attend classes DOES NOT constitute a drop or withdrawal. You remain registered until you request a drop from the instructor. Failure to act in a timely manner will result in an "F" grade for the course. It is the student's responsibility to follow up with the LSCO advising office to ensure that all drops/withdrawals are processed as desired.


Grade of "Incomplete"

The grade of "I" may be given when any requirement of the course, including the final examination, is not completed. Students seeking an incomplete should have completed 75% of the course requirements and be passing the course at the time of the request. Arrangements to complete deficiencies in a course should be made in advance of the end of the semester with the instructor. The instructor will process the Incomplete form online, and a confirmation will be sent to the student's LSCO email.

Incomplete work must be finished during the next long semester. If not, the Office of Admission and Records must change the "I" grade to the grade of "F." The course must then be repeated if credit is desired. An "I" grade also automatically becomes an "F" if the student registers for the course prior to removing the deficiencies and receiving a grade change. The instructor may record the grade of "F" for a student who is absent from the final examination and is not passing the course.


Grade Appeals and the Academic Grievance Process

Grade determination and awarding of grades in a course are the responsibility of the instructor and should be calculated according to college policy, procedures, and written details provided in the course syllabus. NOTE: Final grades are available to students within 48 hours of the instructor posting the grade in Banner. Students may view final grades by logging into MyGator and then accessing Gator Self-Service.

An academic appeal process is afforded to students who desire to dispute a grade or any decision that affects the student's ability to complete and earn a grade for the course provided it is not related to a violation outlined in the LSCO Student Code of Conduct. If an informal conference with the faculty member regarding an academic complaint fails to reach the outcome requested by the student, the student may initiate the formal process outlined below. Even after initiating the formal complaint process, students are encouraged to seek informal resolution of their concerns. A student whose concerns are resolved may withdraw a formal complaint at any time.

Refer to the current catalog or for details on the formal grade appeal process.


Institutional Educational Goals

Lamar State College Orange has identified seven educational goals to specify the knowledge and skills that students should gain from completing academic and technical programs with the College. These goals are:

  1. Critical thinking (General Education, Technical) - Students will be able to demonstrate creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information.
  2. Communication (General Education, Technical) - Students will be able to effectively develop, interpret and express of ideas through written, oral and visual communication.
  3. Empirical and quantitative skills (General Education, Technical) - Students will be able to manipulate and analyze numerical data or observable facts and create informed conclusions.
  4. Teamwork (General Education, Technical) - Students will be able to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal.
  5. Social responsibility (General Education, Technical) - Students will be able to recognize and acquire a sense of intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national and global communities.
  6. Personal responsibility (General Education, Technical) - Students will be able to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making.
  7. Professional competency (Technical) - Students will be able to recognize or demonstrate skills and that depict professional values and employability. If the career has licensure or certification requirements, students may prepare for the licensure and certification in a capstone course and sit for the licensure or certificate at the end of the program.

MyGator and Log-In Credentials

Current students will access many LSCO applications through the MyGator portal. Login credentials will use the following format: username@my.lsco.edu/Password. For help in identifying your username/Password, visit https://www2.lsco.edu/sspr/.

It is a violation of College policy, state laws, and federal laws for anyone to gain or help others gain unauthorized access to MyGator or any LSCO application or service. All accounts shall be for use by a single individual - the person for whom the account was approved or assigned. This includes Blackboard accounts as well as any application within MyGator. Sharing or loaning accounts is strictly prohibited, can be construed as a form of cheating, and violates College policy, state laws, and federal laws.


Policies and Procedures

LSCO adheres to the policies and procedures established in the Texas Education Code, Texas State University System Rules and Regulations, LSCO Faculty Handbook, LSCO Student Handbook, and LSCO Catalog.


Prohibited Items in the Classroom

No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. It is inappropriate for minor children to be on campus due to the potential liability to the College, the risk of harm to the children, and decreased employee productivity due to distractions and disruptions.


Student Privacy

The privacy of all students, including Distance Education students, is protected through strict adherence to the rules of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. LSCO's statement regarding the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act can be found in LSCO's Student Handbook, page 70. Additional information regarding privacy for Distance Education students can be found in the Distance Education Handbook, appendix D.