Attendance Your attendance is expected for all professional education classes and laboratory sessions. Students are required to attend the laboratory section to which they are assigned. This will ensure that the sections are balanced and that the most optimal learning environment is maintained. In addition, attendance at Clinical Labs Off Campus (CLOCs) and Clinical Seminar activities are mandatory according to assignment. These off-campus activities are arranged for specific dates only and therefore, cannot be made up. If you are unable to attend class, laboratory, CLOC or community based sessions, contact the course instructor by leaving a voice mail or email message prior to the learning session.

Class arrival, starting and dismissal times:

You should plan to arrive a minimum of 5 minutes prior to the posted class start time. This will allow you to have your materials prepared and be ready for a prompt starting of each class. You will also be expected to stay for the entire scheduled class/ laboratory time.

You may be subject to as much as a 5% reduction in a course grade as a result of tardiness or poor attendance (at the discretion of the course instructor). Course syllabi may also include specific point deductions that will be made for poor attendance or persistent tardiness.

Exams It is required that all students earn an average of 80% on the written exams in each PT course as designated by the individual course syllabus. If this 80% requirement is not met, the overall course grade will be reduced by one full letter grade, e.g., the student earned a 75% on the written exams but when averaged with the other course evaluation procedures that might include papers and projects, the final overall grade is 85%. Since the student did not meet the 80% minimum requirement for written exams, the final grade will be reduced from 85% - 75% and the final grade will be reduced from a ‘B’ to a ‘C’ for the course.

Make-up exams will be given only at the discretion of and with prior approval of the instructor. Documentation is required if an exam is missed for any reason (e.g., physician’s written excuse, mechanic’s repair bill). An unexcused missed exam will receive a grade of zero.

Assignments All assignments must be turned in on time to receive full credit. Documentation is required if an assignment is late for any reason (e.g., physician’s written excuse, mechanic’s repair bill). Late assignments, approved by the instructor, may have up to one letter grade per day late deducted at the discretion of the course instructor. An unexcused late assignment will not be accepted and a zero grade will be assigned.

Standards for Written Work All papers submitted are to be prepared on a word processor or typed, unless the course instructor specifically states that a given assignment may be hand written. Within each course, the instructor will identify requirements regarding written work. For many written assignments within the curriculum, a grading rubric will be used for evaluation of the assignment. A copy of the standard program grading rubric is included in Appendix H. If an assignment will not be graded using the rubric, the syllabus will indicate criteria for grading. In general, grades may be lowered for inadequate content, lack of depth, spelling errors, poor grammar or organization, improper referencing or documentation, lack of AMA formatting and/ or typing; orthe paper may be returned to be rewritten or retyped. If the latter occurs, the paper/assignment may be treated as “late” in accordance with the conditions noted above (Assignments).

All ideas that have been paraphrased and all direct quotes, whether from written materials or from oral statements by an individual, must be documented. Failure to provide documentation may constitute plagiarism (See Academic Misconduct below). The Program uses the American Medical Association Publication Manual (AMA Manual, 10 th Edition, 2002) as the reference for style (see AMA Quick Reference Guide, Appendix K).

Standards for Presentations Students are required to dress in professional business attire for classroom and public presentations. PowerPoint (or equivalent computer based presentation software) is the required format for presentations, unless otherwise specified by the individual course syllabus or instructor.

Returned Work If a student has concerns regarding grades on tests, papers, etc., she/he should write a petition to the course instructor stating the concerns, including rationale for any changes the student feels are warranted. The petition should cite evidence from texts, notes, handouts, etc. to support the student’s position. Petitions must be submitted to the course instructor within 7 days of return of the test/assignment.

Because of time constraints imposed by the Registrar’s Office, petitioning of final exam questions, papers or projects that are submitted during final exam week or Applied PT final portfolios is not possible; therefore petitions will not be accepted following final exams.

Reasonable Accommodations The student should refer to the Essential Functions (Appendix I). It is the responsibility of any student requiring an accommodation to inform the instructor of his/her disability during the first week of the semester. A letter from the Handicap Services: Disability Services Office must accompany this request. The student, instructor, and/or Handicap Services: Disability Services representative will then determine the appropriate intervention. No accommodation can be expected if this procedure is not followed.

Academic Misconduct Academic misconduct is considered a serious professional violation. The student may receive a professional behavior citation, deductions in grading or automatic failure of the exam or project, as outlined in each course syllabus. See Student Conduct Code: Academic Regulations and Procedures, Section 3.1.2, Policy on Academic Misconduct at www.csuohio.edu for further delineation of University guidelines regarding academic misconduct.

Professional Behavior Students are expected to demonstrate professional behavior/professionalism as described by the physical therapy generic abilities and PT core values, outlined in the Student Handbook. Up to one letter grade deduction may be taken at the instructor’s discretion for professional behavior/professionalism violations during individual courses. The student will be notified in writing about professional behavior/professionalism violations and the consequences to his/her course grade.

In the case of severe violations, a professional behavior citation may also be placed in the student’s permanent record. The policy regarding professional behavior violations and citations is outlined in this Student Handbook, Professional Behavior Probation.

Fundamental Student Responsibilities

• Consider yourself a member of a ‘learning team’. Teams are built on cooperation, trust, reliability and responsibility of all members. Therefore, your timely attendance and contributions during classes, laboratory sessions and clinical experiences will enhance the functioning of your ’learning team’. It is extremely important that you attend the laboratory section to which you have been assigned to optimize the learning environment for your team. Consider that your tardiness or absence may limit the ability of your team to function effectively. In addition, the quality of the learning experiences of the other members of your team may suffer when you are not present.
• Obtain any materials missed if you are unable to attend class, laboratory, or CLOC sessions.
• Be courteous and respectful of guest lecturers; they are often donating their time to come to Cleveland State to speak to you.
• Complete assigned readings prior to class/lab session and come to class prepared to use/ apply the material during the session.
• Actively participate in classroom/laboratory/clinical discussions and activities.
• Be willing to appreciate and accept others’ differences with respect to their backgrounds, learning styles, abilities and interests.
• Be honest and open about your own strengths and learning needs.
• Demonstrate the desire to develop your intellectual curiosity, take learning risks, enjoy a sense of discovery and exploration.
• Inform the instructor if a condition occurs during the semester, such as pregnancy or an injury that may affect classroom, laboratory or clinical performance/ activities. In this situation, the instructor must be notified at the first classroom, laboratory, or clinical session where this condition may be of concern. The instructor and/or student will then determine the appropriate intervention.
• Be attired properly for all laboratory sessions and CLOC’s. Refer to your Student Handbook/Clinical Education Manual for further details regarding appropriate dress for these activities.
• Clean up after class and lab sessions, i.e. return chairs, stools and other equipment to their proper places, throw out all garbage, etc. The room should be in the same condition when you leave as when you entered.

Grading Scale

The following grading scale will be used for all courses in the physical therapy professional curriculum: