We want our learning environment to be honest and fair. Cerritos College has an Academic Honesty Policy that includes cheating and plagiarism as forms of dishonesty.
What is plagiarism? Generally speaking, it is any attempt to take credit for work done by another person. Yet, all scholars rely on the work of others to shape their own knowledge and interpretations. This means: In your writing, you must acknowledge the importance of other works through reference lists and/or direct textual references to influential books, articles, media texts (yes, including Internet resources!), and ideas.
When you…
use other people’s sentences, words, or concepts…
summarize or paraphrase ideas or opinions…
...you need to use quotation marks and/or cite your source.
Working with a professor, tutor, or friend to clarify your ideas and organization for a paper or presentation is generally not plagiarism. Using an outline or thesis given to you by someone else without substantial modification is plagiarism. Plagiarism and cheating are serious offenses and disciplinary actions include a “0” on the test or assignment, “F” in the course, and/or possible expulsion from the college.
The policy for cheating is: a requirement to complete the assignment and reveal your true level of content knowledge. If you have any questions about what may constitute plagiarism, please consult with me and/or our Writing Center: Writing Research Papers Workshop. Purdue Owls Online Writing Lab also provides a comprehensive guide related to plagiarism. And here is a link to the Online Student Expectations guide for Cerritos students.
Learning shouldn’t be done in isolation; humans are social animals. There will be online learning activities that will allow you to engage with your classmates. Participation in online activities is essential for your success in the distance learning experience of this course.
Strong participation means logging in to our course, completing learning activities, being actively involved in discussion boards, asking interesting questions, and demonstrating that you read and have thought about the material. Participation translates through showing curiosity about others’ perspectives on an issue, demonstrating respect for others’ opinions and ideas through acknowledging their view, and asking for clarification when you aren’t sure.
Generally, assignments are due by the date posted on the syllabus and our Canvas site because it gives me the chance to offer you feedback before you have to do the next assignment. But, I know things happen--sometimes you experience a situation that is beyond your control or maybe you need more time to process what you've read before participating in a discussion or writing a response.
Here's my policy for late work:
Ungraded Assignments
These are going to be due on Sundays, but you can submit them as late as the last week of instruction before final exams.
Graded Assignments
Talk to me ( before the due date, not after, please). I will always grant you an extension within the boundaries of the Cerritos academic calendar, but we need to work together to make a plan. In the professional world, retakes are often available; you might have to ask for them and put in some additional work.
Policy for missing work not turned in:
If you don’t turn in an assignment at all, you will receive 0. You can make up missed work for full credit until the answer key is released.
As you saw in the Grade tab, you have Discussion Posts (4 assignments) and Projects (2 assignments) for a total of 6 graded assignments (not including the Final Paper).
If you are unsatisfied with your grade and want to use my feedback to revise your work, you can resubmit one of your graded assignments. I would love to see you learn from feedback!
Because we are all human, you may find yourself submitting an assignment after the deadline due to circumstances outside of your control. If that happens, you can use an Oops Token anytime during the semester--before an assignment is due--not after. When you email me asking to use your Oops Token before the due date, you can advocate for a revised due date and submit your assignment, no questions asked.
If you recognize a due date might be a problem, advocate for your success by following these steps:
Identify the problem
Contact me to propose a solution
Let's negotiate
Dear Dr. Griffin,
I have a wedding to attend this weekend, so I would like permission to submit my paper 8 hours late.
I offer to provide a more fruitful discussion to my peers engaging in the material we are learning as well as relevant events, bring up questions, and personal experiences. In addition, I offer to do an additional assignment that is relevant to what we are learning in class to create a more knowledgeable experience. Thank you for your consideration.
I will check in on you if you forget to participate. If you choose to drop this course, you are responsible for dropping this course prior to the drop date. Failure to drop the class formally may result in a grade of “F” for the class. Consult with an advisor in the Financial Aid Office so that you can make an informed decision before the deadline that does not negatively impact your financial aid/transcript.