All 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 you will miss out on receiving constructive feedback from your peers or teacher 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.
For students to successfully pass this class and to successfully learn the course material, students must attend classes on MW regularly. Students are expected to attend all assigned class sessions and participate in all online learning assignments.
Students may miss two classes without penalty; however, students must communicate with their instructor prior to missing class and must meet with the teacher to discuss topics missed.
If a student has more than 3 absences, a percentage of their course grade will be dropped.
Los Rios Attendance Regulation R-2222 states that a student may be dropped from any class when that student’s absences exceed six percent (6%) of the total hours of class time.
In addition, students who do not show up on the first day of class may be dropped by the instructor.
*Students who show up to class five minutes after class has started will be marked late. Further, 3 late arrivals will equate to an absence.
*Emergency situations, doctor appointments, and other personal-related issues that may contribute to being late or absent should be communicated with the instructor prior to missing class.
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.
Plagiarism
The word plagiarism comes from the Latin word "plagiarius," meaning kidnapper. Plagiarism is generally the taking of words, sentences, organization, and ideas from another source without acknowledging that source.
Plagiarism may include:
Submitting papers, examinations, or assignments written/completed entirely or in part by others
Directly copying portions of another's work without enclosing the copied passage in quotation marks for written work or without citing appropriately in an oral presentation and without acknowledging the source in the appropriate scholarly convention whether the work is presented in written or oral form
Using a unique term or concept without acknowledging the source
Paraphrasing or summarizing a source's ideas without acknowledging the source
Replicating a visual presentation, representation, or performance without acknowledging the source
Cheating
Cheating is similar to plagiarism in that it involves representing another's work as one's own. However, cheating often involves more overtly deceptive or fraudulent acts of academic dishonesty designed to gain credit for academic work that is not one's own.
Cheating may include:
Giving or receiving unauthorized assistance during an examination
Fabricating or altering a source of data in a laboratory or experiment
Collaborating with others when collaboration is not permitted, or when the contributions of others are not made clear
Using unauthorized materials or aids during an examination, including calculators, dictionaries, or information accessed via any electronic devices
Acquiring, without permission, tests or other academic material belonging to a member of the college faculty or staff
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:
I’ll reach out to you privately and let you know I have concerns about plagiarism or cheating.
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.
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.
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 Chat GPT 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.