Course Syllabus

Computer and Digital Information Literacy Skills Expected of the Student

• Students should be able to perform basic computer skills, such as opening an application, browsing the Internet, reading/composing e-mails, and uploading/downloading files.
• Students should be able to log in and navigate Canvas. You may view Canvas "how to" guides. There is also a Canvas Orientation for students available in your Canvas course.
• Students should be able to use a computer network to locate and store files or data.
• Students should be able to use online search tools for specific academic purposes, including the ability to use search criteria, keywords, and filters.
• Student should be able to properly cite information sources.

Student Performance

Student Handbook

A complete copy of the university's student handbook can be found on the UNA Student Handbook webpage. 

Student Responsibility

This is your education. While your instructor is available to assist you with your success at UNA, your instructor is not responsible for your personal obligations or your maintaining a certain grade point average. It is important for students to communicate the need for support with course-related activities throughout the course rather than at the end of the term when final course grades have been determined. The course evaluation guidelines will be uniformly applied, with no exceptions, to all students.

Attendance

Regular and punctual attendance at all scheduled classes and activities is expected of all students and is regarded as integral to course credit. Each student is directly responsible to the individual professor for absences and for making up work missed. Particular policies and procedures on absences and makeup work are established in writing for each class, are announced by the professor at the beginning of the term, and for excessive absences, may provide for appropriate penalties including reduction in grades or professor-initiated withdrawal from class. Official written excuses for absences are issued only for absences incurred in connection with university-sponsored activities. For all other types of group or individual absences, including illness, authorization or excuse is the province of the individual professor.

COVID-19 Requirements

1. Masks are required in all public indoor spaces on campus and aboard any University transportation. This is a temporary mandate, and the COVID Recovery Task Force is continually monitoring data for updates to campus protocols.
2. Do not congregate in groups in the hallways before classes begin.
3. All students are required to take the COVID-19 Symptom Tracker each morning before coming to campus or going to class. Upon completing the Symptom Tracker, students are provided a daily passport. You need to print off the results each day and bring it to class, or have your smartphone with you that shows your green passport status for that day. Faculty may require you to show them your status upon arriving to your class. To learn more about the passport, review UNA's COVID-19 Recovery Guidance Plan for Fall 2021.
4. Do not arrive for class until about 7 minutes before the class begins. This will allow enough time for the class before you to empty the classroom and keep the hallways less congested.
5. Faculty members have the option to hold face-to-face or virtual office hours. If you are meeting with faculty members in their office, you must wear a mask.
6. Follow social distancing guidelines on campus.
7. Please stay to the right side of hallways and stairwells in Keller and Raburn.
8. It is recommended that there be no eating at any time in a classroom to avoid all finger/hand-to-mouth contact, unless approved in advance by the instructor (e.g. a diabetic student might require food items). No food or drink is ever allowed in computer labs.
9. Some face-to-face classes in the College of Business and Technology may be recorded this semester, including class discussion between faculty members and students. The webcam will record the professor, not the students, but all audio will be recorded. In situations where class is not recorded and provided to students who may be quarantined or isolated, the absent student is responsible for obtaining lecture content from classmates or faculty. For students not in quarantine or isolation, it is up to each professor to determine if not attending class face-to-face could impact your grade in the course.

Academic Honesty

Students are expected to be honorable and observe standards of conduct appropriate to a community of scholars. Additionally, students are expected to behave in an ethical manner. Individuals who disregard the core values of truth and honesty bring disrespect to themselves and the University. A University community that allows academic dishonesty will suffer harm to the reputation of students, faculty, and graduates. It is in the best interest of the entire university community to sanction any individual who chooses not to accept the principles of academic honesty by committing acts such as cheating, plagiarism, or misrepresentation. Offenses are reported to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost for referral to the University Student Discipline System for disposition. Please review the Academic Honesty Incident Report.

Communication

Students are encouraged to communicate with their instructors throughout the semester.

Communication Methods

• Email Communication: Please use either the Canvas Inbox or UNA Portal email, as specified by the instructor. 
• Phone Communication: When leaving a voicemail, leave your name, phone number, and message. Please speak slowly and clearly.
• Face-to-Face Communication: You may drop by during posted office hours or you may e-mail to request an appointment that is more convenient to your schedule.

Communication Response Time

Please allow up to 48 hours for a reply to your e-mail or phone messages. Correspondence received on Fridays and University Holidays may not be addressed until the next regularly scheduled business day at UNA. In circumstances where a longer response time is needed, faculty will notify the student.

Communication Netiquette

When communicating in an online format (i.e., e-mail, chat, discussions, etc.) please adhere to the standard rules of netiquette. The following summary is taken from the Bemidji State Online Course Netiquette Guidelines webpage. 

• Identify yourself. Begin messages with a salutation and end them with your name.
• Include a subject line. Give a descriptive phrase in the subject line of the message header that tells the topic of the message.
• Avoid sarcasm. People who don't know you may misinterpret its meaning.
• Respect others' privacy. Do not quote or forward personal e-mail without the original author's permission.
• Acknowledge and return messages promptly.
• Copy with caution. Don't copy everyone you know on each message.
• No spam (a.k.a. junk mail). Don't contribute to worthless information on the Internet by sending or responding to mass postings of chain letters, rumors, etc.
• Be concise. Keep messages concise - about one screen, as a rule of thumb.
• Use appropriate language. Avoid coarse, rough, or rude language. Observe good grammar and spelling.
• Use appropriate intensifiers to help convey meaning. Avoid "flaming" (online screaming) or sentences typed in all caps. Use asterisks surrounding words to indicate italics used for emphasis.

Student Support

Technical Support

UNA Technical Support

• Canvas Help: If you are having technical difficulties from within your Canvas course, go to the page where you are having trouble and then click the Help button from your Canvas navigation menu. After you click help, select the option to Report a Problem, fill out the form, and submit. You should receive a reply to your help request via UNA Portal e-mail within one business day.
  NOTE: If you are having trouble logging in to Canvas, that would actually be a UNA Portal username/password issue so if that is the case please contact our Information Technology support team at helpdesk@una.edu.
• Canvas FAQ 
• UNAPortal FAQ 

Honorlock Technical Support

• Live Chat: From within Honorlock, click the Honorlock Livechat icon

Other Course-Specific Technical Support

Below is a list of technologies you may use in one or more of your College of Business courses. If you are using one of these products and need technical support, please use the contact information below.

• Connect Technical Support
  • Phone: 800-331-5094
  • Connect Tech Support Website 
• CNow Technical Support
  • CNow Tech Support Website
• MindTap Technical Support
  • Phone: 800-354-9706
  • MindTap Tech Support Website (Chat & Email)
• MyLabs and Mastering Technical Support
  • MyLab Tech Support Website
• Packback Support
  • Packback Support Website
• SAM Technical Support
  • Phone: 800-354-9706
  • SAM Tech Support Website
• zyBooks Technical Support
  • Email: support@zybooks.com 

Student Services

The University of North Alabama is committed to providing students with a supportive and inclusive learning environment that promotes student success.  Many offices and centers are available to students on campus and online:

• University Success Center provides tutoring and houses the Center for Writing Excellence, Math Learning Center, and Advising Services.
• Student Counseling Services is available to provide students with a safe and confidential space to discuss mental health and well-being needs.
• The University Case Manager assists students in overcoming barriers to success (including lack of food through The Pantry and financial concerns through Caring for the Pride.
• The Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Mitchell-West Center for Social Inclusion, and the Center for Women's Studies are committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion for all students on UNA's campus.

Students should always reach out to faculty, staff, and administration for guidance and assistance.

Disability Support Services

In accordance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the University offers reasonable accommodations to students with eligible documented learning, physical and/or psychological disabilities. Under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Amendment Act of 2008, a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities as compared to an average person in the population. It is the responsibility of the student to contact Disability Support Services to initiate the process to develop an accommodation plan. This accommodation plan will not be applied retroactively. Appropriate, reasonable accommodations will be made to allow each student to meet course requirements, but no fundamental or substantial alteration of academic standards will be made. Students needing assistance should contact Disability Support Services. Complete guidelines and requirements for documentation can be found on the Disability Support Services web page. 

UNA Portal

The University of North Alabama's official communication vehicle is UNA Portal. You may access your UNA Portal e-mail through the University's homepage. The link to Portal is at the top of the page. It is important for students to read their UNA Portal e-mail on a regular basis for information regarding University deadlines, policies, and events. These messages are outside your Canvas courses and relate to ALL University communication. Please understand the importance of each communication vehicle and the distinction between the two.

Title IX

The University of North Alabama adheres to all federal and state civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination in public institutions of higher education. Students, staff, administrators, and faculty are entitled to a working environment and educational environment free of discriminatory harassment. This includes sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic and dating violence, stalking, gender-based discrimination, discrimination against pregnant and parenting students, and gender-based bullying and hazing.

Faculty and staff are required to report any observations of harassment (including online harassment) as well as any notice given by students or colleagues of any of the behaviors noted above. Retaliation against any person who reports discrimination or harassment is also prohibited. UNA’s policies and regulations covering sex- and gender-based discrimination and harassment may be accessed at www.una.edu/titleix. If you have experienced or observed sexor gender-based discrimination or harassment, you can contact one of the confidential resources available at www.una.edu/titleix. On that website, you also have the option to make a report to the Title IX Coordinator. You may also report directly to the Title IX Coordinator at 256-765-4223 or by emailing titleix@una.edu. 

Acceptable Use

This acceptable use statement governs the use of computers, networks, and other information technologies at the University of North Alabama. This statement applies to all students and employees of the University, and to all other persons who may legally or illegally use or attempt to use a computer resource owned by the University, and/or is connected by any means to the campus computing network. As a user of these resources, you are responsible for reading and understanding this document. Please review the entire Information Technologies Acceptable Use Statement. 

Accessibility Statements

Below is a list of technologies used in the College of Business, linking to each technology's accessibility statement. You will not use all of these technologies in every class, but you will encounter various combinations of these technologies throughout the College of Business.

• Adobe 
• Canvas 
• Capsim 
• CengageNow (CNow) 
• Connect 
• CPA Excel 
• Honorlock 
• Hubspot 
• Jump Start Your Brain - not provided
• Microsoft Office 
• Mindtap 
• MyLab & Mastering 
• Packback
• SAM
• Sapling Plus
• YouTube 
• WileyPLUS 
• zyBooks

Privacy Policies

Below is a list of technologies used in the College of Business, linking to each technology's privacy policy. You will not use all of these technologies in every class, but you will encounter various combinations of these technologies throughout the College of Business.

• Adobe 
• Canvas 
• Capsim 
• CNow 
• Connect 
• CPA Excel 
• Honorlock 
• Hubspot 
• Jump Start Your Brain
• Microsoft Office 
• Mindtap 
• MyLab & Mastering 
• Packback
• SAM 
• Sapling Plus 
• YouTube 
• WileyPLUS 
• zyBooks

Course Withdrawal

Students may withdraw from a class online through their Portal Self-Service Registration account. Under Registration - Add/Drop Courses, select "Web Withdraw" in the Action drop down for the class. Then, click Submit.

Effective Spring 2019, the University of North Alabama will no longer assign “WP or WF” grades. Students will have a percentage (75%) of the semester to withdraw from courses with a “W” grade. Refer to the University's Academic Calendar for withdrawal dates for each term. After that deadline, “W” grades will only be approved for extenuating circumstances as we are giving additional time for students to withdraw just with a “W” grade.  If the student encounters an extenuating circumstance, they are required to email the faculty of each course they need to withdraw and ask for this consideration. This will then need approval from the department chair or Dean before it can be processed by the Office of the Registrar.

Withdrawing from a course before the deadline will not affect a student's GPA or academic standing. A notation of W is made on the student's transcript. Students are strongly advised not to withdraw from courses unless absolutely necessary.

• Students receiving Financial Aid should check with Student Financial Services before withdrawing from classes. Student progress toward degree completion is checked every semester for students receiving federal grants and loans. Students must pass and completed 75% of all work attempted to maintain financial aid.
• Student Athletes should check with the Athletic Department as course withdrawal could affect eligibility for competition.