Lab Policies:

  • Attendance at all laboratories is mandatory. If you miss a laboratory, you are required to provide appropriate written documentation to the Laboratory Coordinator within 7 days of the missed lab (note that your vacation is not considered an appropriate reason for missing a lab!). Documentation provided later than this will not be accepted. It is also your responsibility to either a) attend an alternate lab section or b) schedule a make up lab. Alternate lab sections and contact information for instructors is posted in every lab room. Please contact the instructor of the lab you wish to attend, indicate when you will attend the lab in question, and have the instructor fill out an attendance sheet – hand this in to the coordinator. For make-up labs, you will have to provide a copy of your schedule to the lab coordinator and he/she will schedule a time for you to complete the lab missed. If you fail to schedule and complete a make-up laboratory, you will lose 5% of your final grade for each lab missed.
  • Late written work (e.g. assignments, lab reports, etc) will be penalized as outlined below. The instructor must be notified when late work is submitted.
  • Past specified due time but on the same calendar day:-10%
  • 1 calendar day late: -25%
  • 2 calendar days late: -50%
  • More than 2 calendar days late: -100%
  • Late or missing lab books will not be accepted. Lab books need to be present for all laboratory sessions. In the case of a missed lab (with documentation), the marks will be moved to the final exam.
  • Extensions will only be considered if a written application to your Laboratory Instructor including work completed on the assignment to date is made a minimum of 2 days prior to the due date.
  • Requests for regrading must be made within 7 days of receiving the graded material back from the instructor.
  • There is a zero tolerance policy for academic offences such as plagiarism, cheating, duplication, etc. It is your responsibility to understand what constitutes an academic offence and the discipline procedures and penalties that are associated with committing such offences. Please consult the Student Discipline Policy in the current University of Lethbridge Calendar.

Laboratory Performance:

Up to 5% of your final lab grade may be deducted for poor performance in lab. Poor performance includes, but is not limited to the following:

  • Lack of preparedness. Students are expected to have read the laboratories prior to coming to the labs themselves. In addition, most labs have associated background readings and/or appendices that the students should review and understand prior to coming to the lab.
  • Coming late to lab. The first portion of the lab is devoted to introduction to materials and equipment, introduction to techniques used, and to outlining safety issues.
  • Failure to take care of equipment. Detailed instructions are provided in your lab manual and by your instructors on use of equipment such as microscopes, spectrophotometers, and centrifuges.
  • Sloppiness and/or carelessness when carrying out experiments.
  • Failure to follow instructions for disposal of materials.
  • Not bringing personal protective gear (lab coats and safety goggles). These items may be available for borrowing for a one time use; however, students who require these items more than once will be penalized.
  • If at any point a student is asked to leave the lab due to creating an unsafe work environment for him/herself and other students the student will automatically lose the entire 5% (and may not be allowed to complete the laboratory).