<aside> ⏳ I recognize that we are all living through stressful times that can be far reaching and also very personal. This class is designed to be collaborative, where learning happens because of the perspectives, experiences, and knowledge that we all bring.
Compassion and flexibility will help us all get through this course together. I’ll check-in with you all periodically, and am open to hearing how you are doing and what might help you get through the course in a way that feels satisfactory to you and supports your well-being. If you tell me you’re having trouble, I won’t judge you or think any less of you. I hope you extend me and your fellow classmates the same consideration.
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What does academic integrity mean in this course? Our class focuses on collaborative learning and skill building—not simply on the memorization and recall of facts. In this style of class, academic integrity means that when you reference or rely on someone else’s work in an aspect of the performance of a task, you will give full credit in the proper form as discussed in class. It is always better to imperfectly credit external influences and work than to not credit at all.
“Citation is how we acknowledge our debt to those who came before; those who helped us find our way when the way was obscured because we deviated from the paths we were told to follow.” ~Sara Ahmed, 2017
If there is no attempt to credit ideas and work, the assignment will receive no credit and we will have a conversation about how to ensure respectful attribution and citation going forward. Additional instances of missing attribution and citation will be handled according to the college's Code of Conduct policies.
Another aspect of academic integrity is the respectful exchange of ideas. Discussion is encouraged in this course, with the firm expectation that all aspects of the class will be conducted with consideration for differing ideas, perspectives, and traditions. We will encounter challenging topics and materials in this class: things that are heavy, difficult, and may conflict with what we have learned before or may currently think. I ask you to pause in these moments of friction and consider what elements may be jarring, and ground your responses in the materials. When in doubt, please reach out to me for guidance and clarification before posting or responding to a classmate.
We will have a conversation in the early weeks of the semester as a class about what are acceptable uses of tools like ChatGPT. Together, we’ll create the academic honesty guidelines for the semester and update this section.
Update 9/14: algorithmic tool policy
For students to succeed in this course you will need to:
If you need technology help, you may check the IT support hub or call the IT help desk at 952-358-8181.
I encourage you to use Normandale’s Writing Center as you create and rewrite your assignments. The Writing Center is physically located in the central hallway between College Services and Fine Arts buildings, and support is available online. All good writers revise their work. Writing tutors can help you at any stage of writing.