Sac State Policies

Communication, Deadlines,  and Late Assignments:

All major projects and informal assignments will have a deadline, and deadlines will be communicated via Canvas and will show up on your to-do list on Canvas. I will do my part and send out reminders via Canvas announcements when deadlines are approaching. I understand that all of you are still learning to manage your time in college as you juggle school, work, and family life; therefore, I highly encourage you to get in the habit of advocating and communicating your personal and academic needs. If you are feeling overwhelmed about a deadline that may overlap with another deadline in your other classes, or a family emergency arises, here is what I highly encourage you to do:

• Email me 1-2 days before the deadline, and provide me with an explanation of why you are unable to commit to the original deadline, and together will figure out a plan to help you meet the expectations of the course. 

• Side Note for missing deadlines- understand that when you make the choice of extending a deadline for major projects that require peer review, you will miss out on receiving constructive feedback from your peers to your developing project and there is a possibility that it will take longer for you to get feedback from me depending on my workload too; therefore, please be considerate of your peers and your teacher’s time as we all have deadlines we have to meet and our learning is dependent on one another.  

What is a complete assignment?

An assignment will be considered “complete” if it meets all of the criteria listed on the assignment sheet/rubric and is turned in on time. To earn a “B” in this class, all of your e-Portfolio Projects must be “complete” after you submit the Final e-Portfolio. In addition, for major assignments a ‘complete’ means you have participated in peer review; that is, you have received feedback from your peers and you have reciprocated feedback to your peers’ developing projects, too. 

What is an incomplete assignment?

An assignment will be considered “incomplete” if it does not meet all the criteria listed on the assignment sheet. If you receive an “incomplete” on an e-Portfolio Project, you will have the opportunity to revise for a “complete” in your Final e-Portfolio; however, there must be evidence of substantive revision, reflection, and effort. To earn a “B” in this class, you cannot have any “incomplete” e-Portfolio Projects after you submit your Final e-Portfolio.

Attendance & Participation Policy

Attendance is not marked by your body being in a class, but rather by your participation within the class activities. 

Here's the brief "rules" we'll follow to guide participation:

• Our modules officially open on Mondays (each unit is one-two weeks long). Schedule 1 hour each Monday to log in, review the module and assignments, 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--the first reply each week is due on a Friday of the first week of a unit, and replies are due Sunday.

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

Online Etiquette -- let's be collegial, ok?

Often referred to as "netiquette," here is a gentle reminder of the interaction practices and rules we'll follow in all our interactions in this course.

If you ever feel that someone is not following these rules, please send an email to me using the Canvas Inbox and describe your concerns.

View a text-only version of The Core Rules of Netiquette in a new window.

Academic Integrity and Responsibility

Academic integrity and responsibility mean acting honestly, conscientiously, and honorably in all academic endeavors. Students are accountable for all that they say and write. Since trust is the foundation of an intellectual community, and since student work is the basis for instructors to evaluate student performance in courses, students should not misrepresent their work nor give or receive unauthorized assistance.

Academic Honesty

The goals of this course are for you to develop your writing and revising processes and gain a better understanding of writing in your field. You should review the CSUS plagiarism information website at The University Policy Manual states that “plagiarism is the use of distinctive ideas or work belonging to another person without providing adequate acknowledgment of that person’s contribution. Regardless of the means of appropriation, incorporating another’s work into one’s own requires adequate identification and acknowledgment. Plagiarism is doubly unethical because it deprives the author of rightful credit and gives credit to someone who has not earned it. Acknowledgment is not necessary when the material used is common knowledge.” If you have questions or concerns, ask before you act. Note: Plagiarism may result in earning a “0” and potentially you being dropped from the course and suspended from the university.

My Plagiarism Policy

My goal is to support your learning—not to catch or punish you. If I suspect that a piece of writing you’ve submitted is not your own work, here’s what will happen:

1. I’ll reach out to you privately and let you know I have concerns about plagiarism or cheating.
   
   

2. You’ll have a chance to explain your process, and we’ll have a conversation about what plagiarism is, why it matters, and how to avoid it in the future.
   
   

3. If it's clear you didn't follow our guidelines, you’ll be asked to revise and resubmit the assignment with your own original thinking.
   
   

4. If it happens a second time, the consequences will be more serious: you may receive a failing grade in the course, and I may be required to report the incident to the Dean of Student Services.
   
   

Using ChatGPT and Other AI Tools

We’ll actually be talking about AI and tools like ChatGPT in class, because they’re part of today’s writing landscape. We’ll analyze how these tools write, critique the ideas they generate, and study how they construct language. These conversations will help you better understand your own writing voice and what it means to think critically.

Here’s how you can and cannot use AI in our class:

✅ Allowed Uses (with transparency):

• You may use ChatGPT or other AI tools to help brainstorm ideas, ask questions about confusing topics, get help narrowing or refining a thesis, or receive general feedback on structure and clarity.
  
  

• If you do this, you must be honest and reflective about how you used the tool—and you’ll often be asked to explain your thinking process in class or in your writing reflections.
  
  

❌ Not Allowed:

• You may not copy and paste AI-generated writing into your assignments.
  
  

• You may not rely on AI to do the critical thinking or writing work for you—this includes essays, discussion posts, reflections, or any graded assignment.
  
  

Why This Matters:
This class values your voice, your ideas, and your growth as a writer and thinker. Using AI as a shortcut robs you of the chance to discover what you believe and how you want to express it. Our goal is to develop confidence in your own writing—not to replace it with machine-generated language.

If you’re ever unsure about how to use AI responsibly, just ask. I’m here to help you navigate it.