Policies

Active Participation and Attendance Policies        

Regular active participation is expected of all students enrolled in the college.  Students not actively participating may be dropped from the course. A student shall be dropped by the instructor for lack of active participation prior to the census (20%) date and any time up to the 60% date. A student must complete the Introductory assignment, the syllabus quiz, and sign up for and attend the mandatory  Zoom Orientation Meeting prior to the census in order not to be dropped.  A student also shall be dropped by the instructor anytime up to the 60% date when he or she has been absent from or not actively participating in class for a total of two consecutive weeks, or the equivalent amount of time for a short-term class. Students MAY be dropped when non-consecutive absences number the equivalent of two weeks of the course, or the equivalent amount of time for a short-term class. While it is the responsibility of instructors to communicate attendance and participation practices and to apply them to all students, it is the responsibility of the student to be aware of his or her current attendance/participation status. Students who have been absent or not actively participating in a course should notify the instructor of the reason. Students are responsible for officially withdrawing from any course or courses in which they no longer wish to be enrolled.

Cerro Coso Academic Integrity Policy (below):

According to the Cerro Coso Student Conduct Policy:

Plagiarism is defined as the act of using the ideas or work of another person or person as if they were one’s own, without giving credit to the source.  This includes Artificial Intelligence (AI)--for example, content generated by ChatGPT or other AI generation tool. As with any other claiming of authorship of content generated from another source, like copying content from another source, paying for a paper to be written, using Course HERO or any other similar source, etc., using AI-generated content as if it is your original work is plagiarism and as such a student conduct violation.”Such an act is not plagiarism if it is ascertained that the ideas were arrived at through independent reasoning or logic or where the thought or idea is common knowledge.

Acknowledgement of an original author or source must be made through appropriate reference, i.e., quotation marks, footnotes, or commentary.  Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to, the following: the submission of a work, whether in part or in whole, completed by another; failure to give credit for ideas, statements, facts or conclusions which rightfully belong to another; in written work, failure to use quotation marks when quoting directly from another, whether it be a paragraph, a sentence, or even a part thereof; close and lengthy paraphrasing of another’s writing or programming.  A student who is in doubt about the extent of acceptable paraphrasing should consult the instructor.

Students are cautioned that, in conducting their research, they should prepare their notes by (a) either quoting material exactly (using quotation marks) at the time they take notes from a source; or (b) departing completely from the language used in the source, putting the material into their own words.  In this way, when the material is used in the paper or project, the student can avoid plagiarism resulting from verbatim use of notes.  Both quoted and paraphrased materials must be given proper citations.

As allowed by District Policy 4F8G, “Every instructor has the responsibility and authority for dealing with such instances of cheating and plagiarism as may occur in class.  An instructor who determines that a student has cheated or plagiarized has a range of options, which may be as severe as giving a failing grade for the course.  Furthermore, the student may face other penalties as stated in the college’s Student Conduct Policy.  Finally, it must be understood that “a student who knowingly aids in another student’s cheating, e.g., permitting the other student to copy a paper or examination question, is as guilty as the other of the offense.”  Penalties for plagiarism will include failure on the particular assignment and may include a failing grade in the course, an official report of academic dishonesty, suspension, or expulsion. 

DSPS Statement

Students with Disabilities.  The college will make reasonable accommodations and/or academic adjustments to ensure that students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate in the college’s courses, programs, and activities, including extracurricular activities.  Students with disabilities, who are requesting academic accommodations, auxiliary aides or services, should contact the ACCESS Program at 760-384-6250.

Participation by students with disabilities in Special Services is voluntary.  Any student choosing not to participate in the program may elect an alternative path for support services through the Office of Student Learning.  See Vice President of the ACCESS Program.

Code of Conduct and Confidentiality

In this class, you will be visiting Early Childhood Programs and we will be discussing various observations of real people. In accordance with Principle 2.9 in the Code of Ethical Conduct (NAEYC, 2005), all efforts will be made to protect the privacy of children, parents, students, and staff.  Identify children by using their first name only.  In addition, students conducting classroom assignments in Early Childhood Programs will adhere to Principle 3B-1, and will follow program policies. Breach in ethical conduct and/or confidentiality will lead to disciplinary action up to and may include expulsion from the course.