Syllabus Math 256: Differential Equations

Course Policies

Inclusivity Statement: Willamette University values diversity and inclusion; we are committed to a climate of mutual respect and full participation. My goal is to create a learning environment that is effective, equitable, inclusive, and welcoming. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that result in barriers to your participation, assessment of your work, or your achievement, please notify me as soon as possible. I will gladly honor your request to address you by your affirmed name or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this at any point in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records. If I accidentally use an incorrect gender pronoun or mispronounce your name when addressing you, please let me know, in whatever manner makes you comfortable, so that I can make every effort to correct that error. 

Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Accessible Education Services office in Smullin 155 at 503-370-6737 or Accessible-info@willamette.edu to discuss a range of options to removing barriers, including accommodations. 

Missed Classes:  Please make every effort to attend all classes and be an active participant in class activities and discussions. Much of your learning and understanding of new ideas will come from thinking and talking about them in class.   If for some reason you are unable to attend class or turn in an assignment, please let me know as soon as possible, preferably before the missed class or assignment. I know how important athletic commitments, personal events, and religious traditions can be, and will do my best to accommodate your personal needs.

Cell Phone/Screen Policy: Unless specifically stated for class use, no phones, laptops, iPads, or other devices which take your eyes off your fellow classmates and the class discussion are allowed. Electronic devices must be turned off or silenced during class meetings. If your phone goes off, or it is clear that you are using one of these devices during class, you will be responsible for bringing treats for the entire class at the next class meeting. 

Health: As a student, you may experience a range of challenges that can interfere with learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, substance use, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may diminish your academic performance and reduce your ability to participate in daily activities. Willamette services are available and treatment does work. If you think you need help, please contact Bishop Health as soon as possible at http://willamette.edu/offices/counseling/. Crisis counseling is available 24/7 at WUTalk: 503-375-5353 and Campus Safety is available at 503-370-6911. Emergency resources are also available from the Psychiatric Crisis Center at 503-585-4949 and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. 

Willamette is a community committed to fostering safe, productive learning environments, and we value ethical sexual behaviors and standards. Title IX and our school policy prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, which regards sexual misconduct including discrimination, harassment, domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. We understand that sexual violence can undermine students success, and we encourage affected students to talk to someone about their experiences and get the support they need. Please be aware that as a mandatory reporter I am required to report any instances you disclose to Willamette’s Title IX Coordinator. If you would rather share information with a confidential employee who does not have this responsibility, please contact our confidential advocate at confidential-advocate@willamette.edu. Confidential support also can 4 be found with SARAs and at the GRAC (503-851-4245); and at WUTalk - a 24-hour telephone crisis counseling support line (503-375-5353). If you are in immediate danger, please call campus safety at 503-370-6911. 

Academic Integrity: Students of Willamette University are members of a community that values excellence and integrity in every aspect of life. As such, we expect all community members to live up to the highest standards of personal, ethical, and moral conduct. Students are expected not to engage in any type of academic or intellectual dishonesty and are encouraged to display integrity, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility in all they do. Plagiarism and cheating are especially damaging and offensive to the College community as a whole. These acts involve intellectual dishonesty, deception, misrepresentation, and fraud, which inhibit the honest creation and exchange of ideas. Ignorance of what constitutes plagiarism shall not be considered a valid defense. Plagiarism and cheating may be grounds for failure in the course and/or dismissal from the College. For more information, see http://willamette.edu/cla/catalog/policies/plagiarism-cheating.php. If you are unsure of what constitutes cheating, please ask me. These are the practices I expect you to follow in each of the components of the course: 

on the readings, research journal, and homework assignments: You may, and are encouraged to discuss things with fellow students, and get help from your professor, your notes, or similar resources. However, your submitted written work should be your own or a collaboration with your assignment group. Copy/pasting sections of another's assignment,  reading and paraphrasing another source without proper citation, or providing your assignment to be copied by others, are violations of university policy. When working on a group assignment, all members of the group should contribute to producing all components of the finished product. Writing your name on work you did not contribute to in a substantive manner is a violation of university policy. 

on the use of Artificial Intelligence:  The ease of use and availability of artificial intelligence is increasing at a rate that is hard to fathom.  Open dialogue is crucial as we navigate this momentous shift in technology.  For this reason, consult your professor before using AI on any course assignment, and clearly cite AI as a source whenever you do use it.  Passing off the analysis, synthesis, or creative work of others as your own, whether surmised by an AI bot or not, is plagiarism.  Reasons you might consider using AI in an inappropriate way and why you should instead speak with your professor:

feeling crunched for time and under pressure: We have all felt overwhelmed at times and unable to complete all the tasks before us.  For that reason, there is a 24 hour grace period built in to almost all assignments and I am often able to offer even greater flexibility in due dates if you reach out to me within 24 hours of the assignment due date.  

do not see the benefits or purpose of the assignment:  It is never my intent to waste your time or make you do menial tasks that could easily be done by an AI bot.  If you do not see the educational value in an assignment, please ask me what the purpose is.  It is possible that I need to restructure the assignment given the technological tools available, or better explain the intended student learning outcomes.  

struggling to understand the material and synthesize new knowledge into an original product: When faced with an intellectual challenge, it is tempting to seek answers from the most readily available and anonymous source.  However, it is only by engaging with challenges that we learn.  If you need help processing a concept or solving a problem, turn to your classmates or me.  You will gain a deeper understanding, a greater connection with your peers, and an improved ability to advocate for yourself by collaborating with others in the Willamette community as opposed to turning to an AI bot for an instantaneous answer.  When you query an AI bot, you can not control the level of synthesis and analysis in the response.  Even if your intent was merely to summarize a text, review a concept, or perform some other low level task, the response you get may limit your ability to critically engage with the topic and shape your own opinions.  For this reason, I encourage you to engage with AI in a cautious and thoughtful way.  Given the impressive power of current AI bots and the speed at which they are improving, it is critical that you develop and strengthen skills that can not be easily supplanted by AI.  If you are using AI to avoid intellectual challenges now, what will you offer an organization or employer that can't be assigned to an AI bot in the near future?