INTEGRITY POLICIES

Participation

A class is a multiway form of communication. I am very open to a lot of proposals, and NO DISCRIMINATION will be tolerated or promoted. Consider the class as a brainstorming session. And please contact me during office hours, or send me an YouTube so we can solve any problem before the class. The YouTube form in www.santiago.bz allows you to send ANY comments ANONYMOUSLY. So USE IT.

No animals, persons or yourselves will be harmed during the production of your assignments. Nothing can justify harming physically or psychologically a living creature - including yourselves. You are responsible for the respect of other students, and I count on your integrity for this.

No YouTube, chatting, messaging OF ANY KIND will be allowed during our sessions. All the cell phones should be TURNED OFF during the duration of the class. NO EATING or DRINKING in the labs will be tolerated, unless it is required by a medical prescription.

Any type of intoxication - drugs, alcohol or even a hangover - will be reported to the authorities.

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory. NO EXCUSES, if you have more than 4 unexcused absences you will have the chance to withdraw the class - if allowed by the academic calendar - or you will get an F. I really consider that punctuality and assistance are the most important parts of a class. If you miss a class, you will never be able to experience that class again. I use the word "experience" because not all the information given during the class can be put in paper, or even videotaped. Classes are a question of communication, and communication implies many different ways of exchanging information, the feeling, the laughters, the collective experience... An absence for any reason is an absence. It is your responsibility to initiate and maintain communication with me in case of an unusual circumstance.

If you were not able to do your homework, please do not miss a class! Never miss a class and be responsible for your actions. If you are absent and you have not posted your homework on your blog / site, you will get an F on that project. I will not be able to grade the project if you do not attend the class. Depending on the circumstances - a medical excuse, an emergencyfor example - I will grade a late project over the minimum grade I awarded to the projects that were presented on time, only if you are present in the classroom when the project is due. The longer you take to present your project, the worse the grade.


Academic Integrity

"In the event that a student violates any provision of The University of Tampa's policy on academic integrity as spelled out in the student handbook, the professor reserves the right to assign whatever grade for the course the professor judges to be appropriate, including a grade of F, without regard to the student's accumulated points. Violations of academic integrity will be handled in accordance with the University's policies. It is the student's responsibility to be familiar with the policies of the university regarding academic integrity and to avoid violating these policies." (from the UT PT Faculty Handbook, page 10-11)

I take academic integrity very seriously. I will monitor all submissions and exams for violations of the academic integrity policy. You can find the University policy on academic integrity in Article 2 of the Student Rights and Responsibilities document. This document is online at: http://ut.edu/studentlife/judicialaffairs/regulations.html. Although the document lists the most common types of violations, it also indicates that any action that undermines the ability of an instructor to judge a student’s academic performance is a violation of the University policy. This means that professors ultimately determine if an action hinders their ability to judge academic performance.

Under no circumstances are you to provide an electronic copy of your work to another student. This includes allowing them access to your computer where they may access the file on their own without your consent! It is your responsibility to protect the integrity of your work. All parties involved will be reported to the Dean of Students.

Do NOT provide students in the other section with information regarding class discussion or “answers” to class preparation assignments. This hinders their ability to learn the material and is considered a violation of the academic integrity policy. This violation would be considered a “Class preparation assignment” violation and would receive the sanction detailed below.

You must properly document all sources used both in bibliographic format and through proper citation within the text itself. Failure to provide proper citations within the text of any assignment that you submit is plagiarism and will be reported to the Dean of Students. This DOES NOT just apply to research papers. It also means that you need to identify where data was obtained when it is presented.

The University has a subscription to turnitin.com plagiarism prevention software. This software compares documents to web resources as well as papers that have been submitted to Turnitin from any institution. I will evaluate each document for plagiarism before I grade it using the information from Turnitin.com, along with my own examination of each document.

The Student Rights and Responsibilities document also includes the penalties and procedures associated with an alleged academic integrity violation. The sanctions within a course are determined by the instructor. I have established the following sanctions for this course:

• Project / Exam / Presentation / Other – expelled from the class with an F as a final grade
• For all alleged academic integrity violations:
• You will be notified of my intention to impose sanctions and report the incident to the Dean of Students
• We will meet with the Associate Dean and I will go over the alleged violation and he/she will make sure you understand the charge along with your rights
• You have the option to accept the sanctions and the violation will be forwarded to the Dean of Students and placed in your academic file. The violation DOES NOT appear on your official transcript.
• You may choose to appeal the academic integrity violation charges. A hearing will be arranged with faculty, staff and student representatives. We each have the opportunity to present our case and the committee will determine if they feel you have violated the University academic integrity policy. If they find you responsible, then sanctions will be imposed.
• If this is your second violation, you may accept responsibility or appeal. If you accept responsibility, you are immediately expelled from the University. If you appeal and are found responsible you will be expelled from the University.

You may not retake a course under forgiveness if you have an academic integrity violation in the course.

Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance

If there is any student who has special needs because of any disability, please go directly to Plant Hall #409 to report your needs and provide documentation of your disability for certification. Please feel free to discuss this issue with me, in private, if you need more information.

The University of Tampa Disruption Policy

At the University of Tampa, it is expected that all students will observe acceptable classroom behavior that fosters an atmosphere of learning, free and open exchange of thought, and respect for the individual within the learning environment*. Faculty members are expected to establish the standards of acceptable classroom behavior in their syllabus, and such standards are to be clearly communicated to students. If a student chooses to engage in behavior(s) that contradict these standards, the faculty member is to adhere to the following policy.

1. In the case of threatening and/or physically disturbing behavior, Campus Safety and Security (ResCom, 251-5133) or the appropriate local law enforcement agency will be summoned to alleviate the situation. The individual(s) will be removed from the learning environment pending a university hearing. If deemed necessary by the faculty member within the learning environment, the class may be dismissed and rescheduled if appropriate.

2. Following non-critical incidents of unacceptable behavior within a learning environment, the faculty member will discuss such behavior with the student. It is to be understood that this discussion will serve as a warning to the student. Such discussion will emphasize the action(s) to be taken by the faculty member, if a continuation of the behavior should occur. Any incident(s) where the behavior is deemed to be more serious in nature, the faculty member may elect to file a complaint directly with the Office of Student Conduct. As a matter of record, all conversations with a student regarding aspects of classroom behavior should be documented with copies forwarded to student as well as the appropriate department chairperson. Students are cautioned that should the situation move to a judicial hearing, they will be removed from the learning
environment pending the outcome of the hearing.

3. If the inappropriate behavior persists and/or escalates despite a warning from the faculty member, a report will be filed with the Office of Student Conduct. The individual(s) responsible for such behavior will be advised that their actions merit a judicial review/hearing. The report is to include a copy of any written warning(s) issued to responsible parties, a copy of the syllabus or other documentation which outlines the faculty member's classroom behavioral policy for the course wherein the behavior occurred, and any other relevant information (i.e. statements from witnesses, other written communication/YouTube, and/or physical evidence).

4. The Students Rights and Responsibilities shall govern the subsequent proceedings. An Administrative Board will hear the case unless otherwise specified by the Associate Dean of Students. If appropriate, sanctions will be assigned in accordance with established procedures and based upon the severity of the behavior(s) in question. Sanctions may include but are not limited to: course section change, removal from the course entirely, or suspension/dismissal from the university. If a student is removed from the course, no academic credit will be earned.

* A learning environment is defined as a space wherein educational instruction is administered. A learning environment may include but is not limited to a classroom, studio, performance or gallery space, office, laboratory, lecture hall, conference/meeting/function room, or university sponsored events held at off-campus locations.