Policies

Attendance & Participation Policy

Online courses turn the idea of attendance on its head. Online, you can "attend" class in your pajamas at 2 am, sitting by the pool on a sunny day, while commuting, or on your lunch break at work. Attendance is not marked by your body being in a class, but rather by your participation within the class activities. 

First-Week Participation Requirements

Participation in the course is mandatory, especially during the first week. During the first week of class, you MUST review the Orientation module and this syllabus site and then:

1. Submit the Orientation Quiz

2. Submit the Activating Your Profile assignment 

3. Post your introduction in the Icebreaker discussion

The due date for these three assessments is Friday, January 19th. Students who do not meet this deadline will be dropped from the course so that I can add wait-listed students in a timely fashion. Please reach out immediately if this is going to pose a problem with your schedule.

If you're on the waitlist, hang tight. I am usually able to add most wait-listed students by the end of the second week of classes. I will extend whatever deadlines you missed to accommodate your late start.

Participation guidelines for Weeks 2-16:

• The modules officially open on Sundays (each unit is 8 days long). Schedule 1 hour each Sunday to log in, review the module and assessments, take note of due dates, and plan your week.

• Check in and interact in the course as often as you need to complete course reading and activities.

• Participate in all discussions -- pay close attention to discussion due dates. Some discussions last two weeks, and others last only one week. 

• If you know you will be away from the course for more than a few days, contact me in advance so I am aware of your plans. 

Submission Policy - Plan on submitting work on time. 

Every assessment has instructions, expectations, and a due date for submissions. Students are expected to submit assessments on or before the assigned due date, which, in turn, allows me time to review their work and provide meaningful feedback. Due dates have been designed in the course to ensure time is provided to allow you to produce your best work.

Because time management is challenging, deadlines might not be met. But, you’re in luck. If you recognize a due date might be a problem, advocate for your success by following these steps:

1. Identify the problem

2. Contact me to propose a solution

3. Let's negotiate

Late assessments will be automatically accepted within 1 week of the original deadline - no need to contact me. Any later than that, and you'll need to reach out to me for an extension. 

What about ChatGPT?

There are a variety of Generative AIs that can be used to produce written work (and images, and videos, etc.). ChatGPT is just one example. Don't be tempted to use Generative AI to do your work. Generative AI isn't "plugged" into your brain (yet...), and therefore cannot replace the neural connections that are developed through actual learning. 

In my experience, it often takes more time to teach the AI to do the assignment than to just do it yourself. Also, AIs make mistakes just like humans do - last semester a group submitted an AI-generated slide deck about Sickle Cell Disease that featured images of plant cells instead of human cells. Oopsie!

Finally, you're getting an education because you want a career, right? Well, employers aren't just looking for a polished resume, they want characteristics like leadership, problem-solving ability, creativity, cultural sensitivity, and compassion. These skills are highly personal, and can only be refined with practice. You can't ChatGPT your way into being an effective leader or compassionate caregiver.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

I believe it is important that both instructors and students learn to use AI tools effectively and appropriately. This semester, we will have the opportunity to use AIs for some assignments - this will help us understand how to leverage them effectively, and when we should just do the work ourselves.

For assessments that do not explicitly ask you to use an AI tool, you are expected to submit your own work, written by you. Authenticity is more important to me than accuracy or perfect grammar - I want to hear your thoughts on what you've learned using your own voice. If you submit something that appears to be generated by Generative AI, I will ask you to resubmit, likely in another format where I can be assured of the authenticity of your work.