Class Conduct & Academic Ethics

As often as you are able, please treat virtual classes like in-person classes by being on-time, staying until the end, being on-screen, and presenting your best version of you.

To help foster a friendly learning community, you are encouraged to keep your camera on during interactive virtual classes.

However, you may need to mute your camera if: you are multitasking, driving, at the gym, doing your make-up, not appropriately dressed, what have you. As your teacher (and I imagine your classmates too), we prefer a muted camera to an embarrassing or awkward "zoom fail."

Mute your camera or audio to prevent any inappropriate interruptions during class, but please have your camera on if you choose to participate in discussions, as long as you are in work clothes in a work space. Work clothes means modest, professional dress. Work space is a safe, quiet, private venue. Please don't ask me to define inappropriate!

Academic honesty and integrity are university policy.

Plagiarism is just plain wrong.

Please do your own written work this term in your own voice.

For Literature classes, your two major essays should be easy to succeed on with adequate preparation. We are not seeking ideas that you "look up online" but find within yourself.

Our textbooks and class lectures/discussions provide everything you need to write a good blog. Internet research may be used for personal edification, but certain sites should be avoided. Never use public sites like Amazon book reviews, Goodreads, or academic “cheat” sites to “get ideas” for your essays. It is never okay to copy and paste information from the internet without correct, robust attribution including quote marks, internal attribution, and a complete bibliographic citation. Be responsible. Be honest. —Mr. Andrew William Smith, Fall 2021