Syllabus guidelines

See the following resources from the UW Curriculum Office and the Center for Teaching and Learning for guidelines to assist instructors in developing syllabi for new courses and for sample syllabus language and policies.

• UW Syllabus Guidelines and Resources
• Center for Teaching and Learning Course and Syllabus Design

Syllabus statements

Please feel free to cut-and-paste the following language for inclusion in course syllabi. Information on religious accommodation is required by State law, whereas information on accommodation, conduct, safety and diversity is strongly advised but not required.

Required syllabus language

Religious Accommodation

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request Form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/).

Optional syllabus language

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The University of Washington supports an inclusive learning environment where diverse perspectives are recognized, respected, and seen as a source of strength. In this course, I will strive to create welcoming spaces where everyone feels included and engaged regardless of their social and cultural backgrounds.

Disability Access and Accommodation

It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law, including establishing reasonable accommodations for all students. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please activate your accommodations via myDRS so that we can discuss how they will be implemented in this course.

If you have not yet established services through DRS, and you have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations, contact DRS directly (disability.uw.edu) to set up an Access Plan. DRS facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations.  Conditions requiring accommodation include but are not limited to: mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts.

In assessing whether you require reasonable accommodations through DRS, please note that full participation in this course requires the following types of engagement: [to be described by the instructor. See example here.]

Academic Integrity

The University of Washington Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-121) defines prohibited academic and behavioral conduct and describes how the University holds students accountable. I expect that you will know and follow university policies regarding all forms of academic and other misconduct.

Acts of academic misconduct include:

• Cheating:
  • unauthorized assistance in person and/or online for assignments, quizzes, tests or exams
  • using another student’s work without permission and instructor authorization
  • allowing anyone to take a course, assignment or exam for you without instructor authorization
• Falsification: intentional use of falsified data, information or records
• Plagiarism: representing the work of others as your own without giving appropriate credit to the original author(s)
• Unauthorized collaboration: working with other students in the course on assignments, quizzes or exams without permission
• Engaging in behavior prohibited by an instructor
• Multiple submissions of the same work in different courses without instructor permission
• Deliberately damaging or destroying student work to gain advantage
• Unauthorized recording, and/or subsequent dissemination of instructional content

If these definitions are not clear to you, please contact me or your TAs so that we can review them with you.  It is important that you fully understand what is and is not permissible in this course.

Any suspected cases of academic misconduct will be handled according to university regulations, which include:

1. submission of the case material (description of the incident and supporting documents such as an exam, paper, and any communications about the incident) to the College of the Environment Dean’s Office
2. suspension of the grade for the quiz, exam, homework, paper or other assignment in question
3. an X grade for the class in the case of the academic misconduct procedure continuing past the end of the quarter
4. a reduction, down to a zero, for the quiz, exam, homework, paper or other assignment in question should the academic misconduct hearing officer find you responsible

For more information, see the College of the Environment’s Academic Misconduct Policy and the Community Standards and Student Conduct website.

The College of the Environment Student Academic Grievance Procedures provide mechanisms for enrolled students to address academic problems or grievances in an equitable, respectful and timely manner. Academic grievances are defined as those involving conflicts between a student or students and their course instructors (including faculty and teaching assistants) or research mentor(s) with respect to differences arising within credit-bearing work and while the student is registered at the University of Washington.  If you have or are experiencing such a conflict in this class, and have not, cannot, or do not wish to attempt resolution with me, I encourage you to explore additional options open to you by accessing the website above.

Honor Code for Exams, Quizzes and Assignments

I understand that I am bound by the Honor Code and the University of Washington Student Conduct Code and by the academic policies and procedures in this course when taking exams or quizzes, or completing assignments.

By entering my name and student number in the space below, I attest that I am in compliance with the conditions specified on this [exam, quiz, assignment] with regards to time and materials permitted. I further attest that I have not received any assistance from others during the [exam, quiz, assignment] period; and also that I have not given any assistance to other students.

ABSENCE POLICY

This class is conducted in-person. Students are expected to participate in class to fully benefit from course activities and meet the course’s learning objectives.  Students should only register for this class if they are able to attend in-person.  To protect their fellow students, faculty, and staff, students who feel ill or exhibit possible COVID symptoms should not come to class. When absent, it is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor in advance (or as close to the class period as possible in the case of an unexpected absence), and to request appropriate make-up work as per policies established in the syllabus.  What make-up work is possible or how assignment or course grading might be modified to accommodate missed work is the prerogative of the instructor.  For chronic absences, the instructor may negotiate an incomplete grade after the 8^th week, or recommend the student contact their academic adviser to consider a hardship withdrawal (known as a Registrar Drop).

Safety

If you feel unsafe or at-risk while taking this or any course, please contact SafeCampus, 206-685-7233 anytime where you can anonymously discuss safety and well-being concerns for yourself or others. SafeCampus can provide individualized support, discuss short- and long-term solutions, and connect you with additional resources when requested.  For a broader range of resources and assistance see the Husky Health & Well-Being website.

Recording Zoom Class Sessions 

This course is scheduled to run synchronously at our scheduled class time via Zoom. These Zoom class sessions will be recorded. The recording will capture the presenter’s audio, video and computer screen. Student audio and video will be recorded if they share their computer audio and video during the recorded session. The recordings will only be accessible to students enrolled in the course to review materials. These recordings will be deleted after the course ends.

The University and Zoom have FERPA compliant agreements in place to protect the security and privacy of UW Zoom accounts. Students who do not wish to give consent to being recorded should:

1. Choose a Zoom profile name that does not include any personal identifying information like their name or UW Net ID, and not upload a profile picture
2. Not share their computer audio or video during class Zoom sessions

All students enrolled in this class may use recorded course material stored on the Canvas course page to achieve the learning objectives of this course at any time. However, students may not personally record (including still images, video or audio recordings) lectures or other class activities without written permission from the instructor, except as necessary as part of an approved accommodation plan from the Disability Resources for Students office (DRS). Any approved recordings may only be used for the student’s own academic use, such as for studying or completing assignments. No student may distribute recorded material to others, or upload the recordings to other platforms.

Guidance to Students Taking Courses Outside the U.S.

Faculty members at U.S. universities – including the University of Washington – have the right to academic freedom which includes presenting and exploring topics and content that other governments may consider to be illegal and, therefore, choose to censor. Examples may include topics and content involving religion, gender and sexuality, human rights, democracy and representative government, and historic events.

If, as a UW student, you are living outside of the United States while taking courses remotely, you are subject to the laws of your local jurisdiction. Local authorities may limit your access to course material and take punitive action towards you. Unfortunately, the University of Washington has no authority over the laws in your jurisdiction or how local authorities enforce those laws.

If you are taking this course outside of the United States, please exercise caution by examining the full syllabus, including all topics covered in lectures, readings, discussions, and assignments, to ensure you are in compliance with the laws of your local jurisdiction.