Orientation Week: Honor Code

For this assignment, read through the information on this page carefully. It's IMPORTANT, so you might even want to read it out loud, and then follow the instructions for the Gradebook Declaration that you will find at the bottom of the page.

The Class Honor Code: Do Your Own Work

In this class, there is an Honor Code that should govern all of your assignments. You will be working with a great deal of independence in this class, and I need to be able to trust that you are making honest representations of the work you do.

Reading Quizzes. The reading quizzes are meant to help you make sure you have done a good job with each reading assignment. These are open-book / open-note quizzes, and my number one piece of advice is: take notes while you read! You can then consult your notes while you are taking any quiz - if you take good notes, the quizzes will be very fast and easy for you, and your notes will also be helpful in the other assignments for the week.

Writing. Your writing assignments must be written in your own words. You should not copy from another source word for word. You also should not paraphrase sentence by sentence, making only minor editorial changes; that is also a form of plagiarism. To make sure you are writing in your own words, do your writing without looking at any other source other than your own notes. Later this week, you will do a writing assignment to help make sure that you are absolutely clear about the difference between original writing and plagiarism.

Gradebook Declarations

In addition to the reading quizzes every week that you take using Desire2Learn, you will also have a special kind of quiz called a Gradebook Declaration. A Gradebook Declaration is not a quiz to test your knowledge. Instead, a Gradebook Declaration is a  true-false declaration of the work you have completed. When you answer "true" to a Declaration, the points for that assignment will be recorded for you in the Gradebook. It is essential that you are honest and accurate in completing these Declarations. You should only take credit for work you have completed fully.

Make sure you READ THE DECLARATION carefully. I strongly recommend that you read the Gradebook Declaration OUT LOUD before you answer. When you answer "true," you are taking personal responsibility for your statement. If you have made a false statement - even by accident - the consequences are serious (see below). If you realize after reading the Declaration that you have actually NOT completed the assignment, do NOT make the Declaration. You can simply shut the browser window, go finish the assignment, and then come back and open the Declaration again. 

You should NEVER do a Declaration before the assignment is finished. There are no circumstances of any kind that justify completing a Declaration before you are done with the assignment. I repeat: under NO CIRCUMSTANCES OF ANY KIND should you complete a Declaration without having finished the assignment first. If you have a question about the Declaration, send me an email explaining the situation and I will record the points for you manually if needed - but do NOT submit the Declaration until you are 100% sure that your work is complete.

Violations of the Honor Code

Violations of the Honor Code are subject to serious penalties in this class, as governed by the procedures outlined by the University of Oklahoma's Office of Academic Misconduct. You should make sure you are familiar with the Student's Guide to Academic Integrity at the OU Provost's website.

For a FIRST violation of the Honor Code - such as cheating, plagiarism or a false Gradebook Declaration - you will receive a zero on the assignment and/or you may be required to do some kind of additional assignment, depending on the specific incident.

If you violate the Honor Code a second time, you will receive a zero on the assignment and, in addition, I am required to file a formal ADMONITION with the Campus Judicial Coordinator in the Academic Misconduct Office. This Admonition will be kept on file in the Provost's Office; the purpose of filing the admonition is, as the Provost's website explains: "to prevent repeat lenience by instructors unaware of the prior warnings a student has received." You can read more about the academic ADMONITION process at the OU Provost's website.

If you commit a third violation of the Honor Code, I am required to file a report of academic MISCONDUCT with the Provost's Office. Once an academic misconduct report is filed, the Campus Judicial Coordinator will handle the complaint. Academic misconduct charges may result both in a grade penalty for this class and also in penalties assigned by the Provost, up to and including expulsion from the university. You can read more about the academic MISCONDUCT process at the OU Provost's website.

I hope the information on this page has been helpful. If you have any questions, please send me an email and ask! Meanwhile, after you have read this page, you can now complete your first Gradebook Declaration for the class in Desire2Learn.  Here is the text of the Gradebook Declaration: