Class Policies and Procedures for classes with Lisa Albinus/Illustrator
Refunds and Withdrawals Families will receive a full refund if they withdraw before the class begins. Families who withdraw after class begins will receive a prorated refund based on the time remaining in the class. (NOTE: Refunds made more than 30 days from purchase date will be docked a 15% administrative processing fee. If the withdrawal is for schedule conflicts or a learner struggling with class content (that is either too easy or too hard), I am happy to work with families to try to find solutions.
Class Cancellations I try my very best to avoid class cancellations. I often teach classes even if the minimum number of enrollees has not been met. However, I do reserve the right to cancel a class if the minimum enrollment is not met. I will do so 48 hours before class begins and issue full refunds. In the event of an emergency that requires me to cancel an individual class meeting, I will work with individual learners to find a sufficient make-up strategy. This may include a recorded session or a rescheduled session. In the rare event of an emergency that requires me to cancel a substantial portion of the class, I will either find a substitute or issue prorated refunds for the class. If I must find a substitute, families will have the option to receive a prorated refund instead of continuing the class.
Class Participation I recognize that students have different comfort levels and experience with participating in online class environments. Students are welcome to participate in the way that works best for them. While I prefer students to appear on camera and participate via microphone in live classes, I am also okay with students who do not want to appear on camera and use only the microphone or chat box (unless the class is specifically about live participation, which will always be noted in the class description.)
Homework My classes tend to be fairly involved, so there are often assignments between live meetings for live classes and throughout any other format. I highly encourage students to complete all homework assignments on time as I have designed them to scaffold future work. If students cannot complete homework, they are welcome to reach out to me for guidance or a possible extension on the due date. If families choose not to do some or all assignments, learners may stay in the class. However, I will only issue letters and certificates of completion to students who have met the assignment threshold as explained in that particular class. (Generally, completion of 70% of the work). Basically, I welcome families to do what works best for them, but I believe learners will get the best experience if they complete the work assigned.
Late Work Generally speaking, I try to work with students to make the class work as well as possible. If there is a good reason that a learner needs an extension on a due date, please reach out to me. Work that is turned in late may be late receiving feedback. There will be a point for every class (typically two weeks after its end date) where I can no longer accept assignments.
Respecting Learners My policies also extend to the way I treat learners in the classroom. I believe that respect is the foundation of positive educational experiences, so I have the following policies in place to help ensure that my respect for learners is centered in my interactions. I will call learners by their preferred name and pronouns. I will announce methods to get my attention in the case that a learner is having trouble being heard in class. These can include using the “raise hand” button, sending me a private message, or creating alternative ways for a learner to participate that works best for them. I will do my best to accommodate requests for alterations that help make materials accessible. I will be available for questions outside of class and answer those questions in a timely manner (generally within 24 hours). I will give feedback in a constructive way that respects the efforts learners have made. I will be understanding of learner differences and individual personalities and be as flexible as possible as I strike a balance between keeping the class productive for everyone and allowing room for everyone’s individual needs.
My general behavioral guidelines are as follows (and will also be announced directly to students in an age-appropriate way): Mute microphones if there is excessive background noise If we are in a large class, you may have to use the “raise hand” feature before speaking No mean-spirited comments in discussion boards (disagreements should be handled respectfully) Students must wear clothing when on camera No flooding the chat with off-topic content No name calling, bullying, or unwanted private messaging No sharing contact information with other students without parent permission No disruptive behavior that distracts other learners (such as constantly changing background screen, changing screen name to something silly, making faces at the camera, etc.)
Response to Behavioral Concerns My top priority is that all learners get the best experience they can out of the class. This means that my response to behavioral concerns is to address the individual problem with the least amount of disruption to the student concerned as possible. In general, I try to mitigate a specific behavior rather than remove a student from the classroom or limit their participation. Here are some examples of ways that I may address behavioral issues in order from least to most invasive: Disable particular functions of the online classroom (for example, turn off private chat, manually mute microphones, turn off a video feed) Privately reach out to students to ask them to stop the behavior during class Reach out to students and their families to brainstorm a solution to a behavioral issue outside of class Require a parent/guardian to be present during live sessions in the event of repeat behavioral violations Remove a student from live sessions but allow them to continue in the rest of the course and send recordings Remove a student from the class In the very rare event that a student is removed from a class for behavioral concerns, a prorated refund will be given.
It is important to me that learners feel safe and supported in the classroom. It is also important that I have the ability to document and investigate any safety concerns. I record live sessions and store them for a period of 12 months. I do not share these recorded sessions publicly or with other learners in the class (any make-up sessions will include a video summary without learner participation to protect learner privacy). I may share recordings with individuals (such as parents/guardians of involved participants) involved in the discussion of any classroom incident if necessary for a safety issue or a third-party (such as a charter school) as required by their safety protocols.
Online Interaction and Safety Safety in Live Meetings I use the “Waiting Room” so that learners cannot enter the classroom until I am present and open the class. This ensures I am present to observe group activity in live meetings and that strangers cannot enter our classroom. I am well-versed in the safety features to shut off cameras, turn off chat, eject a participant from a meeting. In the rare event that there is an incident during a live meeting that jeopardizes student safety (sexually explicit content, threats of violence, etc.), I will contact Parents/Guardians (using contact info given in the Welcome Survey) as soon as possible. Private Chat in Live Meetings Typically, I leave the feature for students to chat individually with other classmates on for small, ongoing classes. Learners are encouraged to communicate any abuse of this feature, and I reserve the right to turn it off at any time. Learners can also adjust their own device settings to make chat less obtrusive/distracting for their personal experience. Breakout Rooms in Live Meetings I often utilize breakout rooms as a way to break learners into smaller discussion groups. Research shows the use of these smaller discussion opportunities are pedagogically important to processing and synthesizing information. (Put simply, learners learn better when they can talk about it in smaller groups and with peers.) I cannot directly supervise all breakout rooms simultaneously, but I do move between them to check in. Learners also have access to a “Help” button (that they can press anonymously from peers) to call my attention to a room for any reason. As such, learners may be unsupervised with peers for short periods of time in virtual spaces. Discussion Boards I use internal discussion boards that are not accessible by people outside of the classroom. I monitor these discussion boards periodically (typically weekly). I have policies in place about respectful discussion board use. In the rare event that content on the discussion boards breaks these policies, I will take action as soon as possible and contact the Parents/Guardians of impacted learners (using contact information from the Welcome Survey). Sharing Personal Information Learners are instructed to never share physical addresses via the discussion boards or live meeting chats. Learners are instructed to only share personal contact information (such as email addresses, social media accounts, etc.) with parent/guardian permission.
