At the beginning of each semester students receive from their professors a detailed explanation of the courses in which they are enrolled.
These in-depth handouts are referred to as a syllabus, a syllabi or even syllabuses, and contain the requirements and expectations which have been established not only by each professor, but by the individual departments at ETSU. They should not to be taken lightly, set aside or discarded because they contain information of significant importance.
These syllabi cover the dates that classes are in session and include assignments, tests dates, attendance policies, class participation and discussion, timeliness of written assignments, plus the dangers of plagiarism and how each will ultimately affect the student’s grades.
It is extremely important that students familiarize themselves with departmental attendance policies especially since the total number of absences allowed differ if a class is in session three days a week, two days a week, or only meets one day or one night per week.
It is also important to realize that not all departments use the same attendance policies, so make yourselves aware of the requirements for each class and if there are any questions then ask your professor.
Tardiness is another area of concern since some professors equate x-number of these into days missed. Again, if you are confused or just don’t understand, ask your professor.
And please remember that the main obligation of all professors at ETSU is to educate students. They’re not paid to be babysitters.
One note of caution: Don’t wait until after-the-fact to ask questions about an assignment in which the instructions were clearly printed or explained weeks before.
The failure to read and comprehend syllabi distributed by professors on the first day of classes are just one of the many problems that college students seem to be confronted with today, and while college is not high school and the transition may seem difficult, just remember, it’s not impossible.
Welcome to ETSU, and good luck in your educational goals.

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