Policies & Expectations

Be Present, Punctual, and Prepared.

They say 80% of success is just showing up, but in a class like ours, you have to do much more to succeed. I have high expectations of you, and I hope you have high expectations of yourself.

Be Present. Anyone with a pulse can attend class. Successful students are present.

Contact me every time you are going to miss class.
Missing more than four classes puts you at risk of failure in an 8 week course.
Drop off your phone and all wearable technology at "daycare" when you arrive to class unless I permit otherwise.*
Regulate and monitor your laptop use. Be mindful of multitasking and "side quests" unrelated to what we're doing in class.
Students who struggle to regulate and control their use of technology may be asked to leave class and referred to a COD counselor for support.

Be Punctual. Students who are always late - to class, to practice, to work - rob themselves of the chance to be taken seriously.

Some people lack the concept of time; they don't always realize how long things take or might easily get preoccupied with other things. Tardiness can also be indicative of depression, anxiety, or lack of motivation. For these reasons, it's important to find out the root causes of your tardiness and to seek the support of a COD counselor.

Students must send me a text if they are going to be late.
Students who repeatedly arrive late will be denied entry and counted as absent until they start arriving on time.
Students must inform me ahead of time if they need extra time to complete an assignment, reading, or activity.

Be Prepared. The more prepared students are for class, the better the learning experience is for everyone.

Read the materials and complete assignments by their due date.
Do your part in discussions, activities, and group projects. People are counting on you.
Reach out to me or your classmates if you have questions.
Each class begins with a quiz or activity that will help you earn a passing grade. Use a poor performance on quizzes and activities the first time as a way to improve for next time.

Say hi to your classmates and instructor when you arrive to class. It's the first step toward reducing social isolation and creating community.

Model Respect.

Our class vibe is supportive and fun, but we are still serious about learning. We will explore controversial and sensitive topics. Some ideas, viewpoints, and beliefs may challenge your current views or values and we should be open-minded and curious so we can learn and grow from one another.

Our classroom community also leans heavily on respect. Students are expected to behave in a mature, responsible manner as discussed in the Code of Student Conduct. Repeated or serious misconduct may result in disciplinary action, which may include dismissal from class.

Sociologists and psychologists are noticing a trend - Americans are becoming less conscientious, less agreeable, and less caring toward one another. Society is also becoming more isolated, lonely, introverted, and anxious. There are many explanations and theories for this, which we will explore in our course.

Because we will discuss controversial issues, we will refrain from speaking or blurting out thoughts or answers during class. Instead, we will always raise our hands. Raising our hands gives everyone an opportunity to first think deeply before responding and allows everyone the opportunity to contribute to the conversation.

Your participation grade will be based on your ability to model respect in our learning community.

Behaviors We Will Avoid

Falling asleep during class*
Frequently stepping out of the room or walking around the room several times during class*
Dominating conversations or interrupting the instructor and classmates (maintain impulse control)*
Repeatedly getting sidetracked during a group activities which impacts your peers' ability to learn and master course objectives
Making jokes or having side conversations during class sessions
Saying/doing hurtful things to classmates or instructor
Eating huge meals, or bringing messy or smelly food to class
Roughhousing, yelling, shouting, and other forms of disruption
Making everything into a joke rather than learn

*We will discuss situations like this that call for compassion and understanding

Actions We Will Model

Saying hello and goodbye to classmates and instructors
Chatting with peers and instructor before class begins
Being intentional about learning names
Praising one another and expressing gratitude
Asking peers for their perspective
Listening to understand rather than to attack or disagree
Stepping up to help classmates when needed
Making meaningful contributions in group activities and assignments
Volunteering for class activities or taking the lead on projects
Reading directions and following instructions
Reading DuPage email and checking Blackboard daily

Ethical Conduct

Even in an Age of AI, plagiarism and cheating are still very serious offenses that can ruin your entire future.

Plagiarism and Cheating. A student who submits work which, in whole or part, has been created, generated, written, spoken, or designed by someone or something else (such as AI tools/software or bots), or which contains passages quoted or paraphrased from another’s work without acknowledgment has committed an act of plagiarism. Students who have plagiarized or cheated will be subject to various corrective or disciplinary actions, including re-doing the assignment, failing the assignment, failing the entire course, and/or possible expulsion from the college. See Academic Integrity for more information.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and Large Language Models (LLMs). I know AI may save you time on coursework, but I’m not interested in hearing from AI. I’m interested in hearing from you. I love learning about your original ideas, beliefs, thoughts, and interpretations. I truly enjoy reading student writing. In fact, watching students learn and grow is my greatest reward. COD students come here to learn, and you understand that doing the work and putting in the practice will make you a better writer and top performing employee.

In our time together, we will explore different ways in which AI is both harmful and helpful. Spoiler: It's mostly harmful. Studies are showing that GenAI is making us dumb (excessive cognitive off-loading), lonely, anti-social,and unmotivated, and it's an incredible resource hog of electricity and water, even impacting the Chicago area sooner than later.

Don't use Generative AI tools (including ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, Co-pilot, Grammarly, etc) for this class unless I allow it for an assignment. Submit your own work, and use AI only as directed. To help you determine appropriate situations for GenAI use, I add a stoplight icon to assignments: red = no; yellow = w/guidance; green = yes.

Consequences. If a student submits plagiarized work, including plagiarized or unapproved AI-generated work, and the student takes responsibility for it, the student can re-do the work ethically and responsibly and no further action will be taken.

If the student submits plagiarized work and does not respond to my outreach within three days (avoids me), I will report the violation to the Dean of Students where a formal investigation will take place. In this scenario, it is very likely the student will fail the course.

If the student denies submitting plagiarized work, I will report the violation to the Dean of Students where a formal investigation will take place. In this scenario, it is very likely the student will fail the course.

If the student submits plagiarized work or cheats for the second time, I will report the violation to the Dean of Students where a formal investigation will take place. In this scenario, it is possible the student will be expelled from the college due to a repetitive pattern of cheating.-

FERPA. No one other than you should have access to our course materials or your peers' materials. Parents who access our course materials and view student work in our learning platform are in violation of federal law (FERPA). If a parent or guardian would like access to your academic records, you, the student, must complete a FERPA waiver.

Accessibility

This course utilizes a variety of modalities (such as audio, video, and text) because people thrive and learn in different ways, but let me know if there are more ways I can support your learning.

College of DuPage is committed to the equitable access of educational opportunities for students with disabilities in accordance with The Americans with Disabilities Act, As Amended and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Any student who feels they may need an accommodation on the basis of an illness, injury, medical condition, or disability (whether temporary or permanent) should contact the Center for Access and Accommodations to determine eligibility for accommodations and to obtain an official Letter of Accommodation. Connecting with the Center for Access and Accommodations is an important way to make sure that any student who has a need based on a disability, illness, injury, or medical condition is provided with appropriate accommodations.

The Center for Access and Accommodations can be reached via email at access@cod.edu. Students may also initiate a request for services by going to www.cod.edu/access and clicking on the green box labeled "Request Accommodations." If you are already registered with the Center for Access and Accommodations, please email me your Letter of Accommodation as soon as possible. For your own privacy, please do not send any health documentation or doctor's notes to me.

Enrollment and Withdrawal

Instructors are required to complete first week roster verification to ensure students who receive financial aid are participating in the course. If you are receiving financial aid, it is critical that you attend and participate in class the first week to avoid being dropped from the course. Roster verification is also important to identify and prevent instances of financial aid fraud.

Similarly, midterm verification helps the state of Illinois identify students who are actively pursuing completion of the course and determine state funding for College of DuPage. Students who are withdrawn at midterm due to lack of participation do not receive a refund and may lose their financial aid.

The last day to withdraw is THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27. Incomplete grades are reserved only for unexpected emergencies; students must be in good standing (a ‘C’ or better) and have been a regular class participant for the majority of the course. Put simply, please do not let registration or performance issues sneak up on you. If you face any impediments that might affect your ability to perform in class, please contact me.

Religious Observances

The College will reasonably accommodate the religious observances of individual students with respect to class attendance and the scheduling of examinations and class requirements. The student should notify the instructor well in advance of any anticipated absence or a pending conflict between a scheduled class and the religious observance.

Technology Use

We'll use Google products in this course and some online learning tools to complete some assignments. This course also requires a minimum level of technological skills, i.e., typing essays on Google Docs, uploading and downloading documents, and using the Internet and COD-subscribed databases to locate and read research.

You'll need a laptop to complete some work in class. A tablet is not suitable unless you have a Bluetooth keyboard or stylus to help you type and take notes.

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