Life happens. Sometimes you have to miss class.

All CS/IT285 classes are chock full of lectures and activities. Please do not send me an email asking if you missed anything – you definitely did – and don’t ask me to write out all the things you missed, because they are here for you on the website already. Here’s what to do if you need to miss; if the class you are missing has already begun, start at Step 2.

1. Notify me as soon as you can. An email with name, section number, and a brief explanation is appreciated BEFORE class starts. This part is just a courtesy to me so I don’t assign you to a discussion group and call your name for roll. There is no grade associated with this notification. Please don’t tell me in person that you will miss future classes; it’s nice of you, but I can’t retain the information when it’s given verbally in the middle of a busy day. Just the email will do.
2. Review the material for this day on your own (from the class slides and/or recordings), complete your homework that was due that day (from the homework page), then submit the editor link on Canvas, adding a brief note to the submission if you choose to (“Sorry I missed class, I was stuck in traffic.”) No email is necessary unless you have a private matter such as medical or family issue documentation to let me know about. Also be sure to do the homework that is due at the beginning of class next time, which you will hopefully attend in person. Step 2 can be completed before or after your official class time begins. If you do it before, you can minimize late deductions. In class, I only check homework for that day. Homework from previous missed days should be submitted on Canvas with a brief explanatory comment, not emailed and not printed.
3. There are no “pre-absence” excusals granted on my side. I appreciate the heads-up, but there is no formal grade policy associated with this courtesy. Only homework accompanied by documentation proving a medical, family, or military emergency will receive reduced deduction, or the absence be counted as “excused.” If you don’t have such documentation or choose not to share it, you should still submit your homework to Canvas for partial credit.
4. Deductions for late work are outlined in the syllabus.

Students who establish a habit of missing class may be notified by the professor that they have reached the maximum number of emailed/submitted/no-discussion assignments for the course. At that point all homework credit must be earned traditionally by being in class. See Part 5 of the syllabus.

If you need someone to walk you through things beyond the video tutorials I provide on the pages linked above, that is the purview of our Supplemental Instructor. Please do not ask me to walk you through things I explained in the class because you did not attend. With my course load, I cannot provide one-on-one teaching recaps.

Friday students: as mentioned on your own page, the second half of class discussion is only done in person with no printed portion. Of course, if you miss class entirely, you should submit both homeworks in their respective Canvas slots, since otherwise you will not earn a grade for the in-class-only discussion.