Course Policies

Academic Integrity

All students are responsible for understanding and following the student academic honesty found in the following documents:

Student Conduct

Student Handbook

Honorable Academic Behavior

Honorable Academic Behavior refers not only to in-class behavior, but also to the quality of classroom interactions, assignments, and classroom presentations handed in for grading. The following mandatory guidelines will help maintain a positive learning environment for all students:

Respect for All Members of our Classroom Community. Respect is demonstrated by listening when others are speaking and valuing other opinions regardless of whether they are in agreement with your own. Respect is also demonstrated by arriving to class on time, prepared, and ready to engage in class discussions. Cell phones should be turned off. Please refrain from talking, texting, or emailing on cellular phones or other electronic devices inside of the classroom.
Diversity Statement. A course that is diverse in its people, curricula, scholarship, research, and creative activities expands opportunities for intellectual inquiry and engagement, helps students develop critical thinking skills, and prepares students for social and civic responsibilities. All members of the class benefit from diversity, and the quality of learning, research, scholarship and creative activities is enhanced by a climate of inclusion, understanding and appreciation of the full range of human experiences.
Avoiding Plagiarism. The free exchange of ideas depends on the participants’ trust that they will be given credit for their work. Intellectual progress in all disciplines demands the truthfulness of all participants. Plagiarism and cheating are attacks on the very foundation of academic life, and cannot be tolerated within universities.
The Free and Open Exchange of Ideas. As the instructor, I believe strongly in the free discourse of ideas. The open exchange of ideas is necessary to learning. I have opinions, and I will express those opinions, and you are free to express either agreement or disagreement without fear of consequences. Class discussions can easily be environments that are unfair to some students. My goal is to create a space in which everyone feels they can participate in the discussion. This does not mean people cannot disagree. This does not mean people cannot have emotions connected to their words. What it does mean is that we all need to be sensitive, appreciative, and respectful, no matter how strongly we might disagree.
Guidelines to Reduce Bias in Language. To quote the APA Manual 6th ed. (2009), we should “avoid perpetuating demeaning attitudes and biased assumptions about people in their writing. Constructions that might imply bias against persons on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, racial or ethnic group, disability, or age should be avoided. Academic writing should be free of implied or irrelevant evaluation of the group or groups being studied.” Additionally, “The trauma of racism is, for the racist and the victim, the severe fragmentation of the self” (Morrison 1989 16). Finally, “If sexism refers to the response of society to a particular sexual identity, gender refers to that sexual identity as it is experienced, acknowledged, and owned by the individual” (Grumet 1989 45).
Discrimination or Harassment. All students are entitled to personal respect and equal access. If you are experiencing discrimination or harassment, please contact me immediately. Please be aware, I am obligated to report sexual harassment.
Student Conduct. All students need to follow the rules set by District, these can be found in the Student Handbook under "student's rights and responsibilities": handbook: http://www.saddleback.edu/media/pdf/handbook.pdf.

Plagiarism

Academic Integrity Statement from the Saddleback College Student Handbook

Plagiarism involves the misrepresentation of someone else’s words, ideas or data as one’s original work, including, but not limited to, the following:

Intentionally or unintentionally representing as one’s own work the work, words, ideas, or arrangement of ideas, research, formulae, diagrams, statistics, or evidence of another.
Taking sole credit for ideas and/or written work that resulted from a collaboration with others.
Paraphrasing or quoting material without citing the source.
Submitting as one’s own a copy of or the actual work of another person, either in part or in entirety, without appropriate citation (e.g., from Paper Mills or other internet-derived products).
Sharing computer files and programs or written papers and then submitting individual copies of the results as one’s own individual work.
Submitting substantially the same material in more than one course without prior authorization from each instructor involved.
Modifying another’s work and representing it as one’s own work.

Your own commitment to learning requires you to be honest in all your academic coursework. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to Student Services, wherein a range of disciplinary measures may take place, including receiving an F for a plagiarized assignment, and possibly an F in the course and expulsion from the college. For the complete policy on academic integrity: Handbook: http://www.saddleback.edu/media/pdf/handbook.pdf.

Netiquette

Netiquette applies to discussions, group interactions, peer review, etc.

Discussions

There are three kinds of discussions in this class: informal discussions, critical responses, and discussion boards. ALL types are expected to follow Netiquette

Informal Discussions

These take place in the class Cafe and in various groups. the point is for groups to share resources and ideas. Nothing is graded, and most if it is largely unmonitored (unless there is a problem).

Critical Responses

These are designed to interact with the course content. Each critical response has readings attached to the assignment, and students are expected to follow the directions. The board is tied to fun groups, so only your fun group and the professor can see your posts. Then give warm or cool feedback to team members' submissions. The boards are also a place to post questions and clarification about the chapter to the group, so some of the communication will be informal. The grade is based on your critical response posted, not on the rest of your discussion.

Standard Directions:

Read this week's ZTC reading(s) or textbook chapter listed above.
Choose a response from the Critical Response Menu
- There is a rubric on the last page
- Each response has directions, including what needs to be submitted to this assignment.
Craft your response covering all of the assigned readings listed.
Submit your response based on the directions to the discussion board (pictures of hand created work are fine, but must be legible).
Comment on 1-3 posts with either warm feedback (something that was well done or was appealing) or cool feedback (something that could be improved).
- Handout on warm/cool/hard feedback

Models:

CR Models

Participation Discussion Boards

There are occasional participation discussion boards. These are often tied to readings outside the core content readings, and students are expected to craft an initial response then comment on 2-3 other posts.

General Netiquette

Behind Every Name There is a Person

Respect the privacy of your classmates and what they share in class.
Ask classmates for clarification if you find a discussion posting/comment offensive or difficult to understand.
Avoid sweeping generalizations. Back up your stated opinions with facts and reliable sources.
Understand that we may disagree and that exposure to other people’s opinions is part of the learning experience.
Be respectful of each other. We’re all in this together. On discussions, before posting a comment, ask whether you would be willing to make the same comment to a person’s face.
Keep in mind that everything you write, indeed every click of your mouse is recorded on the network server. On the Internet there are no take backs.
Keep in mind that you are taking a college class. Something that would be inappropriate in a traditional classroom is also inappropriate in Canvas.

Digital Communication

Be aware that typing in all capital letters indicates SHOUTING.
Be careful with humor and sarcasm. Both can easily be misunderstood!
Review all discussion postings before posting your own to prevent redundancy.
Check your writing for errors by reviewing what you’ve written before submitting it.
Acronyms (LOL, etc.) and emoticons (smileys) are commonly used online, but be careful not to overuse them.
Many communications with your instructor or fellow students are best handled through email or texting. Only post on the classroom discussion board if the conversation is relevant to others in the class.

Written communications can enhance opportunities for exchanging ideas, but they can also open opportunities for misunderstandings and conflict.

Be polite, sensitive, appreciative, and respectful to one another despite disagreement.
Avoid personal attacks. Keep dialogue friendly and supportive, even when you disagree or wish to present a controversial idea or response.
Mean what you say, say what you mean, but don’t be mean.
Be careful with the use of humor and sarcasm. Emotion is difficult to sense through text.
Be helpful and share your expertise. Foster community communication and collaboration.
Contribute constructively and completely to each discussion; don’t make everyone else do the work.
Avoid two word postings/responses (e.g.: "I agree", "Oh yeah", "No way", "Me too") and other constructs that do not advance the discussion in meaningful ways.
Think through your postings and write strategically. Re-read all e-mail and discussion before sending or posting.
Be succinct. Don’t use up other people’s time or bandwidth.
Remember that e-mail is considered a permanent record that may be forwarded to others (even though it should not be).
Use descriptive subject headings for each e-mail message or discussion board post.
Respect privacy. Don’t forward a personal message without permission.
Do not use the actual name of your boss, spouse, and coworker; try to present the truth but protect the people involved.
Cite references. Include web addresses, authors, names of articles, date of publication, etc.
Keep responses professional and educational. Do not advertise or send chain letters.
Do not send large attachments unless you have been requested to do so or have permission from all parties.
Keep your language professional and devoid of expletives.

Drops and Attendance

In accordance with Saddleback College policies, students may be dropped from a course if they miss six or more instructional hours during the term. For online classes, this would be missing three consecutive deadlines.

Students are responsible for dropping themselves from the course by the deadlines in the Saddleback schedule.

Saddleback College students are responsible for regulating their own conduct and for respecting the rights and privileges of others in accordance with the Code of Conduct set by the district Board of Trustees (AR 5401) (SB Student Handbook).

Attendance Regulations per Specific Courses

Attendance Protocols for Live Classes

Class attendance and participation are essential to this course. It has been purposefully structured as experiential learning involving book browsing, discussion groups, and class projects. You cannot make up for absences by getting class notes or reading the text. Active participation in class is key. Therefore please abide with the following protocols:

Illnesses are excused only with a doctor's note and notice given to the professor via text or email before class starts of the impending absence and if missed work is completed along with equivalent assignments.
Please silence all cell phones and turn OFF social websites in class. If you have an emergency that requires your phone to be on, please let me know before class begins.
Please arrive and settle in so we can begin promptly at the start of class. Expect to be working until class ends. Please limit trips to the bathroom during class to emergencies.

Attendance Protocols for Online Classes

Class attendance and participation are essential to this course. It has been purposefully structured as experiential learning involving book browsing, discussion groups, and class projects. Students who stop moving forward fall behind quickly. Active regular participation in class is key. Therefore please abide with the following protocols:

Make it a priority to complete assignments in a timely manner
Do not skip collaborative assignments (the system will show who did what work)
Text the professor if you need additional time or need help
“Meet” with the professor regularly

There will be 1-3 sessions offered each week for potential class “attendance.”

One offered synchronous session with your group and the professor, which will be set based on your class schedule
- This is to build connections, answer questions, and engage in clarity activities
One session with your collaborative team, which your team will schedule.
- This is to complete low stakes collaborative activities, support each other doing homework, etc. and can be done faster synchronously or slower asynchronously.
One session at least 4 times a semester, and as often as weekly (if needed) with the professor, which the student will schedule with the professor using the calendar on Canvas.
- Students are required to get feedback on papers before final submission.
- Students in the “re-write” cycle are required to meet with the professor every week while in this cycle.
- Students who fall behind more than one unit will need to need to meet with the professor weekly until caught up.

There will also be the option to do all work asynchronously for students who prefer that structure.

If no no work is submitted and the student does not show up for any of the Zoom sessions for the week, then the student will be considered “absent” for the week.

Cell Phones and Laptops/Tablets

Please turn all cell phones OFF during class and synchronous sessions. Cell phone should be put away and never out during class unless specifically required. Texting, email, or other forms of electronic communication are not permitted during class without prior direction.

While it is recommended that you use a computer/laptop/iPad/tablet in class, the only websites that should be accessed during live sessions are those you are directed to access during class—no surfing, messaging, emailing, messaging, etc. The instructor reserves the right to discontinue permission to use any technology for any individual student found to violate this policy, or for the entire class section. Violation of this policy will affect participation grades. Students caught off task may earn a zero on participation that day.

Zoom Expectations

If classes are held on Zoom, students are expected to show up on time and participate. The system uses Canvas and tracks attendance.

Turn your microphone off if there is background noise (and back on when you want to say something). When giving instructions, the class/group may be muted, and it is up to the student to turn their microphone back on to participate and ask/answer questions.

Backgrounds should be non-offensive, if used. Students are not required to turn on their cameras, but if your camera is on, please be aware of what you are showing. For example, if you need to step away for a bathroom break, set the break icon so we know you stepped away, but please do not take the class with you to the bathroom. Or to wash dishes. Or to answer the phone.

Sessions are not recorded. If a student is deaf/hearing impaired and needs closed captioning, please contact the professor immediately so someone can be set to type closed captions. (DSPS requires a 2 week notice for arranging transcription, so please contact the professor ASAP for this accommodation).

Headphones with a microphone are highly recommended for clarity and filtering out background sounds.

Students will typically be interacting with Canvas or class gSlides during sessions. Some computers have trouble doing both. “Attending” the session via phone app so your computer can access Canvas and class materials helps with this problem. If you have technical difficulties, text the professor and stay on after the session to troubleshoot technology.

Timeliness--Live Classes and Synchronous Sessions

Please make every effort to come to class 5 minutes early, and to attend the entire session. Please let the instructor know in advance if you will need to arrive late or leave early. Tardiness in excess of 30 minutes, or missing more than 30 minutes of a class session (whether the beginning of class, around the break, or leaving class early) will count as 1/2 an absence. You are responsible for all material presented or discussed during the time you have missed. Four tardies under 20 minutes equal one absence. The same applies to leaving class early.

Note: Twice-a-week classes during 16 week courses are treated as the first and second half of a class, so missing one day means you missed 1/2 a class. Twice a week classes during 8 week courses each count as individual class sessions.

Late Assignments

Late assignments earn 90% up to a week after the due date. Officially, after 1 week past the due date, late assignments are no longer accepted (unofficially, we can have a conversation about extending deadlines).

Late work is typically graded after all current assignments have been graded for the class.

For many assignments, if you are not happy about a grade, then you may revise it based on the Instructor feedback and resubmit it for reconsideration. You should include the original assignment with the Instructor's feedback notes attached. If digital, then everything can be tracked through your working portfolio on gDrive.

Papers in the Re-Write Cycle can be re-written as many times as desired as long as weekly sessions with the professor are held. Missing a session or failing to turn in the final draft can result in an "R" grade. While in the re-write cycle, papers are considered “on time” as long as meetings are held and progress continues. This includes incomplete papers.

NOTE: Missed collaborative assignments may receive a zero if there is no opportunity for makeup. Team members may leave a piece of collaborative work for missing team members to complete. Students who do not participate in collaborative assignments that team members completed will receive a zero. Alternately, students who do all the work and do not allow others to participate may only receive a portion of the points. Skipping preparation and participation in collaborative assignments will undermine the development of required skills.

Due to the nature of the assignment, missed Peer Review assignments cannot be made up after the class has been graded (typically after 1 week), leaving no options for makeups.

Don’t want the deduction?

If you foresee a potential conflict with a specific due date, plan and prepare to make an adjustment. We are more than happy to work with students to ensure everyone’s success. Follow these steps if you anticipate a future conflict.

Identify the conflict
Contact me to propose a solution
Let's negotiate

Fair Use / Copyright & Recording Policy

Keep in mind that the below policies are in keeping with Saddleback's policies.

Fair Use/Copyright

South Orange County Community College District AR 4000.2, Section III, 18.

Employees or students may not use copyrighted materials without the permission of the copyright holder. The connections represented by the Internet allow users to access a wide variety of media. Even though it is possible to download most of these materials, users shall not create or maintain archived copies of these materials unless the materials are in the public domain, e.g., freeware, shareware, etc.

Recordings

California Education Code Section 78907

The use by any person, including a student, of any electronic listening or recording device in any classroom without the prior consent of the instructor is prohibited, except as necessary to provide reasonable auxiliary aids and academic adjustments to disabled students. Any person, other than a student, who willfully violates this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Any student violating this section shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action. This section shall not be construed as affecting the powers, rights, and liabilities arising from the use of electronic listening or recording devices as provided for by any other provision of law. (Amended by Stats. 1990, Ch. 1372, Sec. 509.)

There is no auditory or video recording allowed of any kind in class, during conferences, or during tutoring sessions without prior permission from all participants present. Photos of work or materials are allowed without prior permission only if student names and faces are not visible.

Other than Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) directed auxiliary aids and academic accommodations, the use of any electronic listening or recording device in any classroom is prohibited without the explicit prior consent of the instructor (CA Ed Code Sec. 78907). It is in violation of South Orange County Community College District (SOCCCD) policies (BP 5401 & AR 5401) which address student conduct. It is also a crime to record any private communication, such as a classroom lecture, without the consent of all parties to the conversation (Cal. Penal Code § 632). Violation of such rules may result in disciplinary action.

Per the Student Handbook, “Students may be disciplined for… Unauthorized recording, dissemination, and publication of academic presentations or materials. This prohibition applies to a recording made in any medium” (39).

Privacy

FERPA laws were created to protect student privacy. Please keep in mind that you are not obligated to share any personal information with me or with your classmates on the discussion board assignments. Required examples can be hypothetical. If you give a personal example, only share what you feel comfortable with, consider using fictitious names. More information about FERPA can be found in the following links:

Instructor Mandatory Reporting Requirements

In accordance with Title IX, a federal law, educational institutions must provide a learning environment that is safe and free of discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, and violence. Instructors are obligated to report any incidents involving students who have experienced these issues. You should feel free to explore these topics in your writing assignments, but if you have been affected by these issues, I may need to contact the Office of Student Services to ensure that you receive support and resources.

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