Class Structure
Core Classes
Classes are divided into core classes and electives. Core classes are required ICly for all students or for students of a particular year. Messageboard Core Classes may either be divided by House or Double Houses and will generally be grouped by year. Live classes will generally combine all Houses for a particular year or years.

Electives
Electives are offered to Third Years and above. Third Year and above students are ICly required to take at least two electives per year. Elective Classes may be offered to multiple years or grouped per year and will be open to all Houses.

Attendance and Class Times
Classes will be held ICly on a specified day or days at set times. Students are ICly required to attend each class, but a member's OOC attendance does not necessarily represent his or her IC attendance. For example, if a person is on vacation one week and cannot attend the OOC class, they may still say that their character was in attendance. A student will be assumed to have been in attendance unless they specifically roleplay that they skipped class.

All classes will be held OOCly once per week, even if that class meets ICly more than once in a week. An OOC class will represent one of the week's classes, but it may be held on a different day. (Ex. Herbology meets ICly on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but the OOC class may be held every Thursday, and ICly represent the Friday class.) Students will be given class schedules to tell their classes IC and OOC meeting day/times.

Classes may be held in two forms- Live by AIM or standard MB. A live class will be held at a specific time on a prearranged day for any members able to attend. A messageboard class will be set up on a particular day, and members may "attend" as they have time, although they must respond within one day to be counted for OOC attendance.

Coursework
Homework may be either IC or OOC. IC homework may be assigned every class, but does not require the player to do anything other than post he or she turned in the work. OOC homework will require the player to complete the work and have the character turn it in.

OOC homework will be kept to a minimum. Any OOC homework due will be posted with the lesson or the announcement for the live class. Students should complete the homework before completing the lesson, unless otherwise instructed.

Teachers may assign one special project each term. Special projects will usually be group activities. Students will collaborate to do any OOC research and to roleplay working on and completing project. Special projects may earn students rewards.

Grading
Students will not generally be graded on each particular lesson, although teacher may choose to grade particular lessons if they wish. Grades will be given for special projects.

Overall class grades will be given at key points in the semester, including mid-terms and finals. These will be given by the teacher in regards to IC/OOC attendance, weekly homework, weekly performance, special projects, and overall improvement.

End-of-Term Grades will be posted the last day of the term. A student's grades may earn the member rewards and/or Chargen credits.

Live Classes
If a class is to be held live, the time span should be posted three days in advance so players may make plans to attend (ex. Thursday, December 5, 2002, from 7 – 7:30pm PST). Live classes should be held at times that are convenient for the teacher and for a majority of students.

Due to differences in time zones and schedules, teachers are not required to hold live classes, and students are not required to attend any live classes offered. They are offered for enjoyment only.

Live classes will always have an identical standard MB class posted as well. Students who cannot attend the live class may roleplay the MB class instead. The two will be identical and attending either will count as OOC weekly attendance.

Student Guidelines

• Students should check the announcements and attend classes as they are able.
• If homework is due at the class, it will be listed with the announcement. Students should have homework done prior to class.
• Students should ICly "arrive" before class. (The chat will be available 15 minutes before class is scheduled to begin.)
• Students should IM the teacher and request an invitation to the chat.
• Students may talk with each other before class begins.
• Class should begin promptly as scheduled, and classroom manners are expected throughout the class.
• If a student arrives after class begins, they may simply join the discussion without creating an IC late "arrival." If a student arrives after class begins and roleplays an IC late arrival, the teacher may deduct House Points if they deem it necessary.
• Once the teacher has explained the lesson, students should attempt to perform it, being realistic about their abilities and knowledge.

Teacher Guidelines

• The teacher must post the class time at least 3 days in advance.
• If OOC homework is due at the class, it should be listed with the announcement and any IC reading materials posted in the classroom or the library.
• The teacher should have the lesson plan prepared before class begins.
• The teacher should create the AIM chat 15 minutes before the class is scheduled to begin. Students will IM a request for a chat invitation.
• Classes should begin and end promptly as scheduled.
• Classes should be taught at the students' ability levels.
• Classes should be structured as outlined in the books.
• Classes should progress in an orderly and realistic fashion.
• The teacher should clearly explain the lesson.
• The teacher should direct any Question & Answer sessions.
• The teacher should oversee student's attempts to perform the lesson and help as needed.
• Once the live class is over, the teacher must post the chat transcripts in the classroom board.
• Once the live class is over, the teacher must post a MB version in the classroom for students who could not make the live class to attend.

Messageboard Classes
A messageboard class is considered the equivalent of a live class and may be offered by itself or in addition to a live class. A MB Class will be offered each week, whether or not an identical live class was offered. Students may attend either format, depending on their IRL availability. If the lesson was also roleplayed in a live class, the live class should be posted in a separate subtopic. An identical lesson should be contained in its own subtopic, allowing students to respond.

The MB class will be posted the same day every week, and students will have one day to respond to be considered in OOC attendance. Students may respond after this time, but it may not be counted in their OOC attendance records.

Student Guidelines

• Any OOC homework due will be posted with the lesson. Students should complete the homework before completing the lesson, unless otherwise instructed.
• Students should not post "arriving" or "leaving" the classroom boards. This should be roleplayed in the hallways.
• The lesson will be the first post of the subtopic. It will be explained completely, with instructions for performing and the expectations. There will not be a Questions and Answers period.
• Students should complete the lesson in one post.
• Students may roleplay ICly listening to the teacher, performing the required tasks, turning in homework, and other related activities.
• If a student wishes to interact with another student during class, they should do this first through AIM and post the complete conversation or interaction in one post. Do not clutter classrooms with multiple posts.
• The teacher may choose to respond to student posts, but is not required to do so. As such, students should not leave open-ended strings, such as asking the teacher questions or requesting him or her to check their work. Any teacher/student interaction should be done in a live class or roleplayed in AIM and posted in a single post after it is completed.

Teacher Guidelines

• The lesson should be clear, should not contain any open-ended questions or requirements, and should be contained in one post.
• If OOC homework is due at the class, it should be listed with the announcement and any IC reading materials posted in the classroom or the library.
• The lecture should be direct and not overly lengthy.
• If a hands-on activity is required, students should be given a single task or a short list of tasks.
• Teachers are expected to offer class once a week. If they are unable to offer a class on any given week, they must contact the Admin to work out a substitute.