Dr. Bareiss' Philosophy about Education

Working assumptions

• You are an adult. You approach learning as an adult. You should be treated as an adult
• I strive to have all activities to increase your learning. Busywork is not productive and should be avoided.
• Transparency on my part about my expectations is essential
• My starting assumption about any student is that they want to learn and are trying to the best of their ability to learn (not just get a grade).
• Unanticipated things can happen. If it is something beyond your control, I assume you would have tried to handle it before hand but could not. I will be understanding and may adapt policy to keep things fair.
• Fairness is important

Implications of my assumptions

• Because you are an adult, it is my responsibility to make sure you know what is expected of you but it is your responsibility to make sure it is done in a timely and quality manner.
• Once a policy/assignment/etc. is understood by the student, it is their responsibility to remember it, use it, and follow it. I don't need to remind you of it. But I am responsible to make sure you do understand it.
• If you are missing class, it is for a good reason.
• I am responsible for making sure that class attendance is important to your learning (and not a waste of your time).
• If you miss class, it is your responsibility to get the material that is missed. If it is an exam (or something similar), you should make arrangements to handle the situation before the event (not after)
• Exceptions should be fair to all students. Waiving a policy should either be an extreme case or implied it is waived for all
• Taking notes in class is EXTREMELY important and I will do what I can to help you develop those skills