SYLLABUS STATEMENTS
2024-2025 COURSE SYLLABI STATEMENTS
Last Updated: October 30, 2024
COURSE POLICIES
Add/Drop/Withdrawal: All students who add or drop a class, withdraw from a class, change class section, or change status between credit and audit must give official notice. All ADCP students must contact their Academic Advisor to complete a Change of Status Form. All other students must complete a Change of Status Form with the Registrarâs Office.
Agreement Between Professor And Student: This syllabus serves as the agreement between the professor and the student. Students are required to read the syllabus before the class begins and are responsible for all information contained in the syllabus whether they read it or not. The requirements of the syllabus are subject to change by the professor without notice. The professor may announce changes in class without written information. The student is still held responsible to comply with the changes made by the professor.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Students with a disability who believe they need a reasonable accommodation in this class are encouraged to contact the Office of the Dean of Students at DoS@cbshouston.edu or 832-252-0757, or access information on how to make the request on the student life webpage cbshouston.edu/student-life. Students will need to complete the Student with Disabilities Accommodation Request and provide applicable medical documentation. The office will review the students request and provide the student and the instructor with the appropriate guidance on any approved accommodation. The student and instructor will then discuss the approved accommodation for this class.
Cell Phone and Electronic Device Policy: Classroom disruption by cell phones or other electronic devices is prohibited. All cell phones and similar electronic devices must be on vibrate for the duration of class. Electronic devices utilized in a learning context, such as laptops and language interpreters, may be permitted at the professorâs discretion. A student may face a zero and/or failure in the class if an electronic device is used for cheating during a test. Cheating at CBS is not tolerated and may result in expulsion.
Children In Classes And Unaccompanied Children: The College does not permit children under sixteen years of age to visit the library or the classroom. Under no circumstances should children be unaccompanied on the property. Any children must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian at all times.
Class Cancellations (Emergency): In case of severe conditions that warrant course cancellations, it is the responsibility of the student to listen to or obtain information regarding announcements from the local media outlets, the CBS automated phone system, and/or at cbshouston.edu. The CBS Watchman Alert System uses text, official CBS email address (Firstname.Lastname@my.cbshouston.edu), and voice messages to alert CBS students in the event of an emergency or urgent situation. Alert messages are sent to registered mobile phones, home phones, and official CBS email address (Firstname.Lastname@my.cbshouston.edu). Contact information the student has provided and included in MyRecords is automatically stored in the CBS Watchman Alert System. Any changes the student makes to this information is automatically updated in CBS Watchman Alert System. Students are automatically enrolled in the CBS Watchman Alert System and may elect not to participate by completing the Emergency Notification System Election not to Participate Form. The form and other information is available at cbshouston.edu/watchman.
There is safety and security information located at cbshouston.edu/general-safety. Security escorts to your car are provided by calling Campus Security at 713-545-8602.
Course Evaluations: Each student is required to complete a course evaluation on MyRecords.cbshouston.edu in order to see his or her grade in MyRecords.cbshouston.edu.
Classroom Citizenship: Please be a good âclassroom citizen.â âDisruptionâ is defined as talking when you do not âhave the floor,â walking out of the room without permission, failing to deactivate any kind of electronic device, and any other behavior that I feel is disrupting the learning environment. Be sure to read carefully the Student Handbook to familiarize yourself with its contents. I summarize being a good âclassroom citizenâ in one word: Respect. Respect in my class entails 4 convictions. First, being a good âclassroom citizenâ means respecting and helping to maintain an environment most conducive your own learning and quest for academic achievement. Second, being a good âclassroom citizenâ means respecting and helping to maintain an environment that is conducive to your student colleaguesâ learning and quest for academic achievement. Third, being a good âclassroom citizenâ means respecting not only the physical environment of the College of Biblical Studies, but also its history and reputation as an academic institution along with its stated mission. Finally, being a good âclassroom citizenâ means respecting your professor, his/her attainment of specialized knowledge, his/her chosen method of both conveying and assessing course content, and his/her desire to assist you in the process of learning, application, and spiritual growth. Overall, respect in my class does not preclude difference of opinion, disagreement, or appropriate wrestling the course content. It does mean, however, that an ethic of respect informs any and all ways that interaction takes place
Faculty Gifts Policy: CBS faculty members may not keep any money or cash equivalents (e.g., checks or gift cards) of any amount from a student or group of students. Additionally, a CBS faculty member may not keep any gift from a student or a group of students that has a market value of over $100.
Financial Aid: Students who are receiving federal, state, or institutional financial aid who withdraw or add hours during the semester may have their financial aid adjusted because of the withdrawal or addition. This change in schedule may affect the aid they are receiving during the current semester, and it could affect their eligibility for aid in future semesters. Therefore, students should consult the Student Financial Services in order to understand all financial ramifications before adding or dropping courses.
Final Course Grades: Final course grades provided to a student by a faculty member may not be relied upon as official. Students may access their official final grades online through the Student Information System System. The Registrarâs Office will only mail grades to a student upon request. All accounts must be paid in full before a student can receive transcripts. According to FERPA rulings, faculty may not provide final grade information to students via telephone, official CBS email address (Firstname.Lastname@my.cbshouston.edu), posting or any other source that might compromise student confidentiality.
Homework: For every hour spent in class, a student should expect at least two hours of homework outside of class. Cumulatively, a student should expect at least 135 hours of in-class lecture and homework for a 3 credit course.
Pass/Fail: Students who are enrolled in a degree program may elect to take 12 credit hours maximum of courses pass/fail. Students may not take more than 6 hours pass fail in a single semester and the 12-hour limit applies to their entire matriculation at CBS regardless of how many programs they complete. One exception to this limit is when the Presidentâs Cabinet extends the pass/fail option to all students without limit (usually during an emergency situation). However, classes taken during the emergency situation will count against the 12-hour limit above. By a vote of the Presidentâs Cabinet in an emergency situation, the pass/fail grade can be extended to any or all students without limit as long as the Presidentâs Cabinet determines the crisis will persist. Any qualified student who wishes to take the class pass/fail, must submit a pass fail form to the registrar before 70% of the class sessions have taken place. Eligible students may access the form here: cbshouston.edu/links/pass-fail. Students successfully completing a course-designated pass/fail will receive a grade of âPâ and unsuccessfully completing the course will receive a grade of âF.â A grade of âPâ or âFâ taken under pass/fail is not calculated in a studentâs grade point average.
Plagiarism: Students who plagiarize are committing a very serious offense. Plagiarism is the use of another personâs work or ideas, without giving credit to the original author of the idea. Please refer to the Academic Catalog and the Student Handbook for additional information. All students are required to cite their sources properly as indicated in the CBS Style Guide (cbshouston.edu/writing-helps). Those who plagiarize may be subject to grade reduction, discipline, and/or dismissal from CBS. The CBS faculty expects students to perform thorough research and to submit original work. Therefore, if a student would like to submit an assignment that has been previously submitted for another course, then it is his/her responsibility to obtain the professorâs approval for said submission.
For additional information regarding plagiarism, please complete the online tutorial âUnderstanding and Avoiding Plagiarismâ at studentlingo.com/cbs. For more resources on avoiding plagiarism, please view or visit:
1. Sections 4.2.3, 7.9, and 15.1 of Kate Turabianâs A Manual for Writers, 9th edition
2. Writing Helps found in cbshouston.edu/writing-helps
3. On-campus and online tutoring options found at: cbshouston.edu/tutoring
4. www.plagiarism.org
5. Schlessinger Mediaâs DVD entitled Research Skills for Students: Avoiding Plagiarism. (This resource may be checked out of the CBS Library.)
Registered Students Receive Grades: Students who are officially registered in a course are the only students who will subsequently receive graded assignments, grades and/or credit for a course.
Retention of Studentsâ Writings: The CBS faculty members have the discretion to take as long as necessary to grade and return student work. Returned work should be retained by the student in case it is required for a grade appeal. It is the responsibility of the student to collect work from the CBS faculty member. In the event that the student is unable to obtain the work directly from the professor, a self-addressed stamped envelope with sufficient postage should be included with the assignment when it is turned in. After one year, CBS and its faculty members reserve the right to destroy any unclaimed work. In the event the professor is willing to accept an assignment via official CBS email address (Firstname.Lastname@my.cbshouston.edu), the professor is not able to communicate a grade via email. It is the studentâs responsibility to ensure the professor received the emailed assignment. CBS faculty are required to keep emails with assignments for only 6 months from the date the assignment was originally sent to the faculty member.
Studentsâ Rights and Responsibilities: Students are responsible for adherence to all college policies and procedures, including those related to academic freedom, cheating, classroom conduct, computer/network/e-mail use and other items included in the Academic Catalog and Student Handbook. A complete statement of student rights and responsibilities is found in the Student Handbook. It is the responsibility of every student to read and to adhere fully to all the policies outlined in the CBS Student Handbook.
Students Who Are Not on the Roster Policy: Students who are officially registered in a course in the Student Information System are the only students who will subsequently receive a grade and credit for a course.
Style Guide for Writing Papers: Faculty recommendations on how to format a paper appropriately can be found on the CBS Student Paper Writing Style Guide at cbshouston.edu/writing-helps. Assistance on preparing research for papers can be found at cbshouston.edu/library. A sample Turabian template in Microsoft Word is available in Blackboard.
Tutoring: Complimentary tutoring services are available. For more information, see cbshouston.edu/tutoring.