Liberal Studies Rules and Regulations

The Observation or Placement portion of your Liberal Studies class accounts for 1/3 or 33% of your grade in your Liberal Studies class.  You receive 3 units of credit for your class:  Of those units, 2 are for the lecture portion and 1 is for the placement.  The grade for your placement is computed as part of your class grade.

1. Placements for Liberal Studies 10 and 20 students will be according to Merced College requirements.
2. Placement will be in a traditional classroom.  Placements may not be with family members.  Any exceptions must be approved in advance by the Liberal Studies Coordinator, Delores J. Cabezut-Ortiz.
3. Placements will be limited to several schools in the Merced/Atwater/Los Banos areas.
4. All students will maintain a regular schedule of 3 hours per week in their placement for a total of 40-45 hours for the semester.
5. Liberal Studies students are accountable for getting their paperwork in on time and for arranging an observation by college personnel. You will need to check your Merced College e-mail address for messages.  
6. To arrange an observation, students must contact either Delores Cabezut-Ortiz  (cabezut-ortiz.d@mccd.edu) for Merced-Atwater placements or Barbara Penney (penney.b@mccd.edu)  for Westside placements.  During the orientation, you must provide your current phone and email. 
7. Students are to file their paperwork on a timely basis.  The first 4 weeks of a placement require a weekly evaluation from the placement teacher.  These will not be accepted for credit beyond the 6^th week of the placement.
8. Students must arrange for an observation within the first two months of the placement.  Each observation will be approximately 1 hour in length.  If a student is not present when the observer arrives, rescheduling is at the discretion of the observer and may only be done if time permits.  Students will receive one copy of the observation and another will be sent to the classroom instructor.
9. Students are to refrain from involving themselves in the politics of the school.  You are a guest in the classroom.  Remember this.
10. Be courteous at all times.  Be responsive to the teacher's needs and directions.  Do not hesitate to ask questions if you do not understand the directions, but never question the validity of the assignment.
11. Dress appropriately for your school site. 
12. If you have any problems whatsoever with your placement, do not wait; contact the Humanities Division immediately so the secretary can refer you to the appropriate personnel (384-6150).
13. Placements for each semester of Liberal Studies will be in a different grade level to maximize student experience.
14. Grading for the lab portion will be as follows:

Attendance:                            50

1^st 4 week Evaluations:          20

Observation:                           20

Final Evaluation (positive)     10

90-100= A; 80-89=B; 70-79=C; 60-69=D; below 60=F