There are three important rules that you must understand fully before you proceed this term.

1. The first rule has to do with plagiarism. Plagiarism includes unauthorized or non-cited use of another person's writing, of course, but it extends well beyond that. Most plagiarism that occurs in colleges probably occurs accidentally (i.e., with no bad intent); but that does not excuse the action. Plagiarism is ALWAYS academic misconduct, which has serious consequences. You need to be aware that plagiarism includes writing the same answers to questions as a fellow student writes, EVEN IF THE ASSIGNMENT ALLOWS FOR WORKING IN GROUPS. Also, answers do NOT need to be word-for-word duplications of someone else's answers to qualify for plagiarism. Simply changing one or two words of a sentence is not good enough; that's still plagiarism. The bottom line is that you must put all written answers in your own words. If you are allowed to work together on an assignment, that means you can figure things out together. But when it comes time to write your answers, you need to work alone. When working alone and using internet sources for information, you must ensure that every sentence you submit has been written entirely from scratch, by you.


I will not tolerate plagiarism in my classes even if it is accidental, which is why you are required to submit this form. If I receive an assignment that is involved in plagiarism (whether the assignment is the original version or a copied version), ALL students involved will immediately receive a zero for that assignment, with NO POSSIBILITY of making up those points. That is the very least that will happen. It is also possible to receive a zero for the entire course or to be expelled from the college for plagiarism, so just don't do it! The way to avoid this is to NEVER paste text from a source into your own document. It might be tempting to do so with the intent of changing words here and there in hopes of avoiding plagiarism. But that still qualifies as plagiarism, and those sorts of matches are detected by the software. Think of it this way. If someone tells you an account of something that happened, and you then tell someone else, you will not use the same words that the first person used to tell you. You will put it into your own words when retelling it. This is also how you should write about things that you learn from sources when you complete assignments.

2. The second rule has to do with unauthorized use of course materials. You are NOT allowed to photograph any part of my lecture tests, the answer keys for which will be displayed (usually in the laboratory) after the tests are taken. Furthermore, you are NOT allowed to take written notes while looking at the answer keys. I encourage you to always check the keys to find out where and how you made mistakes, and I especially encourage you to ask me if anything is unclear, but you are prohibited from recording the information in any way other that mnemonically. Anyone who photographs or otherwise records the information on any lecture test will IMMEDIATELY RECEIVE A ZERO FOR THE ENTIRE COURSE, with no possibility of reconsideration.

3. The third rule has to do with the websites. You are REQUIRED to check the websites REGULARLY and OFTEN, even if nothing changes for an extended period. If announcements are made via any website, they are to be considered official, even if they contradict a printed but outdated syllabus, and even if they contradict something I announced in class. It is your responsibility to stay current via the websites. If you are unaware of any changes to the course because you failed to check the websites, that will not be a valid excuse, and it could result in irrevocable loss of points.

If you have any question about these rules, do NOT submit this form. Rather, send me email so I can answer your question. However, you will not receive any credit until you submit this form.