SCPS Syllabus Site

Communication Expectations

Always remember to have a professional and respectful tone and use civility in communicating with your fellow learners and the instructor, whether the communication is by electronic means, telephone or face-to-face. Written communication, both formal and informal, should use Standard English rather than popular online abbreviations and regional colloquialisms. Video interactions (Zoom, VoiceThread, etc.) should reflect a respectful tone in verbal communications and body language. Always proofread your writing before submitting; spelling and grammar should be correct.

Check the Instructor Information page in your course Sakai site for specific information about how (by email, phone, text, etc.) and when (during business hours, before 7 pm, etc.) your specific instructor prefers to be contacted.

Class Conduct

One important aspect of a Jesuit education is learning to respect the rights and opinions of others. Please respect others by (1) allowing all classmates the right to voice their opinions without fear of ridicule, and (2) not using profanity or making objectionable (including gendered, racial or ethnic) comments, especially comments directed at a classmate.

Standards for Students

School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) students are expected to abide by all university policies, including but not limited to the policies outlined within the Community Standards and the university’s Academic Integrity policy.

Students with any questions regarding the policies and codes should contact the SCPS office at 312-915-6501 or scps@luc.edu.

Our SCPS Students Share site includes Standards for Students and links to:

• LUC Community Standards

• Academic Standards and Regulations

• The SCPS Student Handbooks for both Undergraduate and Graduate Students

The following grading scale is used in all SCPS courses. Note that this grading scale may be different from other Schools and Departments within the University.

Grade Percentage Range

A 95-100

A- 92-94

B+ 89-91

B 86-88

B- 83-85

C+ 80-82

C 77-79

C- 74-76

D+ 71-73

D 65-70

F <65

Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest, and responsible manner. Academic integrity is a guiding principle for all academic activity at Loyola University Chicago, and all members of the University community are expected to act in accordance with this principle.

Failing to meet the following academic integrity standards is a serious violation of personal honesty and the academic ideals that bind the University into a learning community. These standards apply to both individual and group assignments. Individuals working in a group may be held responsible if one of the group members has violated one or more of these standards.

• Students may not plagiarize.

• Students may not submit the same work for credit for more than one assignment (known as self-plagiarism).

• Students may not fabricate data.

• Students may not collude.

• Students may not cheat.

• Students may not facilitate academic misconduct.

Review the entire text of the Academic Integrity Standards for more details about these standards, sanctions, and academic misconduct procedures.

All SCPS courses will require the use of technology. Students will be required to use technology to access course content, to complete and submit assignments, and to communicate with the instructor and other students during and outside of designated class times.

Recommended Technology

It is recommended that you have regular access to the following software and tools:

• Web browsers such as Firefox, Chrome, and Edge. Some tools work better depending upon the browser. Tools such as VoiceThread work better with Firefox.

• Access to an active e-mail account. Be sure to check your Loyola University e-mail regularly, including the Spam folder.

• Word processing program (Microsoft Word recommended)

• Antivirus software

• Adobe Acrobat Reader

• Access to a Windows or Mac computer to complete assignments, in the event your mobile device does not meet the minimum recommended technologies needed to complete your coursework.

Synchronous Meeting Equipment Requirements

Your SCPS courses will include online activities such as live (synchronous) meetings or, outside of designated class time, (asynchronous) activities. Loyola University Chicago does not require students to have a personal computer; however, it is recommended for both synchronous and asynchronous activities. For online synchronous activities, your instructors may require the use of computers with webcams and microphones. For these types of activities, it is expected that students have access to and set up the necessary equipment prior to the online class meeting. If you do not have this equipment and are looking for a recommendation, Loyola’s ITS department offers recommendations for Personal Technology Purchases on their webpage.

Email Messages

All email messages sent to students about your LUC courses will be sent to their Loyola email addresses. Students are expected to check their Loyola email address on a regular basis. You can access your web-based LUC email account online.

Microsoft Office and Microsoft Word: Free to all Loyola Students

Microsoft Office 365 is a suite of programs that includes Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive, and other Microsoft platforms. Loyola students have access to use Office 365 products. Students should visit Loyola’s ITS Microsoft 365 webpage for information about downloading a free version. If you have any issues accessing Office 365, please contact the ITS Service Desk.

Sakai Learning Management System

Much of your SCPS course materials will be located on the Sakai online learning management system.  Sakai is a web-based learning management system.  You will be able to access it from any computer connected to the internet. Instructional guides and video tutorials for using Sakai are available on the ITRS webpage.

Course content, including syllabi, PowerPoints, lectures, etc. will be available online.  Students should check Sakai often for announcements, assignments, and other course content.

Additional Student Support Resources

These resources may be of use to you in this course and throughout your education at Loyola University. These services are offered to help you achieve the best education possible.

• Library

  • Subject Specialists

• Student Accessibility Center

• Writing Center

• Ethics Hotline: Phone: 855.603.6988

• Center for Tutoring and Academic Excellence

• Loyola Bookstore

• Financial Aid

• Wellness Center

• ITS Service Desk: ITSServiceDesk@luc.edu or 773-508-4487

Loyola University Chicago provides reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Any student requesting accommodations related to a disability or other condition is required to register with the Student Accessibility Center (SAC). Students who have a documented disability and would like information about accommodations are encouraged to contact the Student Accessibility Center website. The Student Accessibility Center (SAC) is located in Sullivan Center and staff can be reached by phone or email: 773-508-3700 and SAC@luc.edu. Students will be directed to apply online and upload medical documentation of disability with their application. SAC staff will review the submission and follow up regarding eligibility for services and the next steps.

Note that accommodations are not retroactive. Students are highly encouraged to reach out to SAC early in the course, if not before the course starts, to begin the SAC application process.

Once your application is approved, professors will receive an accommodation notification from SAC. Students are encouraged to meet with their professors individually to discuss their accommodations and how they may be implemented in specific courses. All information will remain confidential.

Please note that in your SCPS classes, software may be used to audio record class lectures to provide equal access to students with disabilities. Students approved for this accommodation use recordings for their personal study only and recordings may not be shared with other people or used in any way against the faculty member, other lecturers, or students whose classroom comments are recorded as part of the class activity. Recordings are deleted at the end of the semester.

For more information about registering with SAC or questions about accommodations, please contact SAC at 773-508-3700 or SAC@luc.edu.

Audio Recordings of Class Lectures

Please note that an in-person or online class may use software to audio record class lectures in order to provide equal access to students with disabilities. Students approved for this accommodation use recordings for their personal study only and recordings may not be shared with other people or used in any way against the faculty member, other lecturers, or students whose classroom comments are recorded as part of the class activity. Recordings are deleted at the end of the semester.

Video / Audio Recordings of Online Synchronous Sessions

An online or blended course may use software to record live, online class discussions. As a student in any class that holds synchronous sessions, your participation in live class discussions will likely be recorded.  These recordings will be made available only to students enrolled in the class, to assist those who cannot attend the live session or to serve as a resource for those who would like to review the content that was presented. All recordings will become unavailable to students in the class when the Sakai course is unpublished (i.e. shortly after the course ends, per the Sakai Administrative Schedule.  Students who prefer to participate via audio only will be allowed to disable their video camera so only audio will be captured.  Please discuss this option with your instructor.

The use of all audio and video recordings will be in keeping with the University Privacy Statement shown below:

Privacy Statement

Assuring privacy among faculty and students engaged in online and face-to-face instructional activities helps promote open and robust conversations and mitigates concerns that comments made within the context of the class will be shared beyond the classroom. As such, recordings of instructional activities occurring in online or face-to-face classes may be used solely for internal class purposes by the faculty member and students registered for the course, and only during the period in which the course is offered. Students will be informed of such recordings by a statement in the syllabus for the course in which they will be recorded. Instructors who wish to make subsequent use of recordings that include student activity may do so only with informed written consent of the students involved or if all student activity is removed from the recording. Recordings including student activity that have been initiated by the instructor may be retained by the instructor only for individual use.

Copyright

Copyright law was designed to give rights to the creators of written work, artistic work, computer programs and other creative materials. The Copyright Act requires that people who use or reference the work of others must follow a set of guidelines designed to protect authors’ rights. Unfortunately, copyright law is complex and too often incomprehensible; that does not, however, excuse users from following the rules. The safest practice is to remember (1) to refrain from distributing works used in class (whether distributed by the professor or used for research); they are likely copyright protected and (2) that any research or creative work should be cited according to the standards of each discipline (i.e. APA, MLA, ABA, etc.).

LUC’s Copyright Resources are available online.

Intellectual Property

All lectures, notes, PowerPoints and other instructional materials in this course are the intellectual property of the professor. As a result, they may not be distributed or shared in any manner, either on paper or virtually without my written permission. Lectures may not be recorded without my written consent; when consent is given, those recordings may be used for review only and may not be distributed. Recognizing that your work, too, is your intellectual property, I will not share or distribute your work in any form without your written permission.

As we come together as a learning community, we acknowledge the land we live and work on by naming the Muscogee Creek, Cherokee, and Chickasaw Peoples upon whose unceded and stolen territory the university stands. Visit LUC’s Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy land acknowledgement page for more information.

Loyola University is committed to the recognition and respect for variations in racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds and with regard to class, gender, age, physical and mental ability/disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. The school values ethnically sensitive and culturally competent social work education and practice. You may visit Loyola University’s Anti-Racism Initiative for more information. Students must uphold the ethical standards set forth by the profession and the Jesuit ideals of the university.

Students in SCPS courses are encouraged to participate freely and share personal opinions, perspectives, and stories. There may be diverse, and perhaps contradictory ideas shared, in class. This variety is a strength of the academic community. Students are asked to show respect and treat peers in a way that validates various experiences and opinions based on a range of identities, including ability, economic class, ethnicity, faith tradition or no faith, gender identity and expression, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, and their intersections. Acts of bias, harassment, abuse, discrimination, relationship violence, sexual violence (i.e. sexual assault, sexual harassment, etc.), gender harassment, and stalking are not tolerated at Loyola. If you or someone you care about has experienced any one of these crimes and/or violations of LUC Community Standards, please know that you have rights, reporting options, and other support services available to you. Please visit the Dean of Students Get Help page for more information.

Addressing one another at all times by using appropriate names and gender pronouns honors and affirms individuals of all gender identities and gender expressions. Misgendering and heteronormative language excludes the experiences of individuals whose identities may not fit the gender binary, and/or who may not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. In your SCPS courses, we strive to provide an affirming environment for all students with regard to their names and gender pronouns.

SCPS instructors are considered Responsible Campus Partners (“RCP”) under Loyola’s Comprehensive Policy and Procedures for Addressing Discrimination, Sexual Misconduct, and Retaliation (located at www.luc.edu/equity). While our goal is for you to be able to share information related to your life experiences through discussion and written work, we want to be transparent that as RCPs, we are required to report certain disclosures of sexual misconduct (such as sexual assault, sexual harassment, intimate partner and/or domestic violence, and/or stalking) to the University’s Title IX Coordinator.

As instructors, we also have a mandatory obligation under Illinois law to report disclosures of or suspected instances of child abuse or neglect (https://www.luc.edu/hr/legal-notices/mandatedreportingofchildabuseandneglect/).

The purpose of these reporting requirements is for the University to inform students who have experienced sexual/gender-based violence of available resources and support. Such a report will not generate a report to law enforcement (no student will ever be forced to file a report with the police). Furthermore, the University’s resources and supports are available to all students even if a student chooses that they do not want any other action taken. Please note that in certain situations, based on the nature of the disclosure, the University may need to take additional action to ensure the safety of the University community. If you have any questions about this policy, you may contact the Office for Equity & Compliance at equity@luc.edu or 773-508-7766.

If you wish to speak with a confidential resource regarding gender-based violence, we encourage you to call The Line at 773-494-3810.  The Line is staffed by confidential advocates from 8:30am-5pm M-F and 24 hours on the weekend when school is in session.  Advocates can provide support, talk through your options (medical, legal, LUC reporting, safety planning, etc.), and connect you with additional resources as needed.  More information can be found at luc.edu/coalition or luc.edu/wellness.

All SCPS syllabi and this addendum are subject to revision. Students will be notified of any changes. Notices of changes will be sent to each student either through Sakai Announcements or via their LUC email address.