THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT BROWNSVILLE College of Education Syllabus

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT BROWNSVILLE
College of Education
Syllabus EDFR 6388: Sociocultural Foundations of Education
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Conceptual Framework & Knowledge Base
The conceptual framework contains four core
concepts that are themes through which we
organize and deliver our programs; hence they are
central to our vision of professional educators and
scholars. These include:
Interculturalism
Interrelatedness
Inquiry
Pedagogical Leadership
College of Education (COE) Mission Statement
To prepare highly skilled professionals to
assume roles and positions in teaching, research, educational leadership, and human development.
To provide undergraduate and graduate programs based on proven best practice, knowledge
acquisition, reflective inquiry, critical thinking, and respect for the cultural and linguistically
diverse learner.
To continuously develop a dynamic local, state, national, and international, dimension that
promotes innovations and contributes to scientific educational, economic, and social change.
College of Education (COE) Vision Statement
The vision of the College of Education is to be consistently recognized as fully-accredited and as a
nationally and internationally respected college in the areas of science, mathematics, educational
technology and intercultural dimension (language, literacy, culture and interdisciplinary studies in
regard to preparing teachers, counselors, administrators, educational researchers, and professional at
all levels, not only for the school system but for other economical and service areas which require
training, human resources, development and life-long learning.
Teacher preparation programs of the College of Education will be central to the mission of the
University and will have national prominence. It will be at the forefront in programs for English
Language Learners and, through teacher preparation, P-16 and life-long education initiatives will be a
model for helping to close the student achievement gap.
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College of Education
Department of Language, Literacy and Intercultural Studies
EDFR 6388: Sociocultural Foundations of Education
Summer 2013
Professor:
Dr. Sandra Musanti
Office:
EDBC 2.130
Phone:
Cell #: 956-590-0435 (my office phone number won’t be available during the
summer due to moving process)
Email:
[email protected]
Office Hours Summer 2013: Mo-Friday by appointment.
Class Location:
Class Day & Time:
This class is offered fully online. Please log in
to: http://myutb.blackboard.com
to access, and participate in, the course.
Please log in to the course and carefully review
the course Syllabus, Calendar, and Projects
pages to become familiar with the course
requirements and deadlines. Please contact me
if you have any questions.
Course Catalog Description
The focus of this course is to identify and analyze the cultural forces that shape the directions of
American education with emphasis on the purposes of education in their social and cultural
contexts, and the multicultural factors in society that affect public schools and influence learning.
Particular emphasis will be placed upon understanding the culture of Mexican-American
children.
Course Readings
Required textbook:
Canestrari, A. S. and Marlowe, B. A. (2010). Educational Foundations: An Anthology of Critical
Readings. 3rd edition Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (ISBN: 9781452216768)
Ballantine, J & Spade, J. Z. (2012). Schools and Society. A Sociological Approach to Education (Fourth
Edition). ISBN-10: 1412979242 | ISBN-13: 978-1412979245
Other required readings are available online or will be posted in Blackboard:
Berliner, D. 2009. Poverty and Potential: Out-of-School Factors and School Success.
http://epicpolicy.org/publication/poverty-and-potential
Burris, C. C. and Welner, K. G. (2005). Closing the achievement gap by detracking. Phi Delta Kappan,
86(8), 594-598.
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Dewey, J. (1916). Experience and Education. Available at:
http://ruby.fgcu.edu/courses/ndemers/colloquium/experienceducationdewey.pdf
Foucault, M. (1975). Discipline & Punish. Panopticism. http://dm.ncl.ac.uk/courseblog/files/2011/03/michelfoucault-panopticism.pdf
Giroux, Henry (2012). Punishing Youth: Saturated Violence in the Era of Casino Capitalism .
Counterpunch. August 9. http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/08/09/punishing-youth/
Ladson-Billings, G. (2006). It’s not the culture of poverty, it’s the poverty of culture: The problem with
teacher education. Anthropology & Education Quarterly 37(2), 104-109.
Reyes, A. (2010). School discipline and the criminalization of youth. In S. E. Tozer, B. P. Gallegos, A.
M. Henry (Eds.) Handbook of research in the social foundations of education. (pp. 469-488)
Rogoff, B. (2003). Cultural change and relations among communities. In The Cultural Nature of Human
Development (pp. 327-369). New York: Oxford University Press. Chapter 7 and 9
Suárez-Orozco, C. & Suárez-Orozco, M. (2002). The children of immigration in school. In Children of
immigration (pp. 124-153). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
NOTE: A Tk20 account may be required for this course. Your instructor will inform you of its necessity.
Tk20 is an electronic toolkit used by candidates and other school professionals to provide evidence that
they have mastered state and professional standards for the profession, as a necessary component of the
College of Education’s assessment program. Additional information regarding Tk20 is available at:
https://tk20.utb.edu/
Computer Requirements
In order to successfully complete this course, you MUST have access to a computer with Internet
access and an email account. You should expect to spend several hours per day accessing course
material, completing assignments, and participating in Internet-based activities.
Email Account: All students should have their own email account. Important: Verify and update
your email account on Scorpion Online. To learn how:
http://gemini.utb.edu/rcorbeil/3321/fall_schedule/Email_ScorpionOnlineTutorial.pdf
Course Overview
Sociocultural Foundations of Education course is an exploration and analysis of the underlying
issues within contemporary educational research, theories, policies, and practices. It is an attempt
to ground the day-to-day realities of the classroom within a larger philosophical, historical,
anthropological, political, cultural, and sociological context. Such an interdisciplinary
perspective will allow students to begin to reflect upon the structures and practices of American
education and provide a foundation from which to continue becoming reflective and critical
educational practitioners and leaders.
We will explore and discuss central questions on multiculturalism, inequity, identity formation,
the role of language in schooling, and issues of power. A fundamental component of this course
is student involvement, discussion, and debate. To this end, the course will make use of diverse
methods to help students grapple with the many socio-cultural issues of our educational system.
It is important to realize that this course is very intense in terms of content and readings. Given
that this is a summer class, the work that it is usually developed in 14-15 weeks will be comprised to only
5 weeks. You will need to organize your time so you can keep up with the readings, assignments and
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participation in DF. This means that you will need to dedicate some time in a daily fashion to this class,
between 2-3 hours minimum. I suggest you plan for that in advance or otherwise, you might feel
overwhelmed at some point during class.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students will:
SLO
SLO description
no.
Recognize different theoretical perspectives for viewing
1 schooling and make connections between local, state, national,
and international, contexts of schooling.
Understand the philosophical and sociohistorical roots of
2 education, and connect their knowledge of foundational
educational thinkers to their own participation in schooling
Examine categories, such as race, class, gender, ethnicity, sexual
orientation, language, religion, and physical and mental abilities
3 and disabilities, as social relations of power that impact school
experiences and individual and collective identities in a
democratic society
Link scholarship on socio-cultural foundations with the lived
4 reality of students and teachers in their schools and communities.
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Evaluate the challenges of educating a diverse population and
policies and practices for serving them effectively and ethically
in a democratic society
NCATE
Standards
1b, 4a
Conceptual
Framework
Interculturalism
1c
Interconnectedness
Inquiry
4a
Interculturalism
Inquiry
1c, 4a
Interculturalism
1b, 4a
Interconnectedness
Inquiry
Tentative Class Agenda
(Subject to change – Check for updates in Blackboard)
Class will be organized in five units of study. I will upload a calendar that will indicate when a
unit opens and when it closes, as well as the expected activities and deadlines. Each unit will
involve two discussion forums as indicated in the description of the course’s assignments and
other requirements. For each unit, I will upload a detailed description including a summary of the
themes we will discuss and instructions to complete the readings and assignments. With each
unit, I will post a video presentation and, when necessary I will include reading guidelines.
Alternatively, you will be in charge of facilitating the discussion on one of the unit’s topics.
Please, read the description of this assignment included in the Performance Tasks section of this
syllabus. I will indicate the readings required for that topic (marked as SGF) and you will need to
prepare in advance. I suggest you take advantage of the synchronous meeting time that I will
make available every week to discuss your questions and doubts in an informal way. You are
required to meet at least once with me via Collaborate. Of course, the calendar and agenda are
subject to change as I continuously assess how the class is developing and always adjust
assignments and calendar based on my assessment of your needs.
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The following is a detail of the units and required readings. Later, you will find in Blackboard
detailed instructions for each unit including dates, resources and activities.
Unit 1: 6/3 to 6/9 – SLO 1-2
The philosophical and historical roots of education
Themes
Historical and philosophical roots
of education
Progressive movement in education
(SGF)
Readings
Pioneers in Education (from Foundations of Education) (PDF)
Dewey. Experience and education. (PDF)
Progressive education in the 40”s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=opXKmwg8VQM
Philosophical roots of education:
Functionalism vs. Conflict Theory
Schools and Society. Chapter 1- Readings: 1, 2 and 4.
Unit 2: 6/10 to 6/16 – SLO 2-3
The sociohistorical and cultural context of education
Themes
Diversity and multicultural
education.
Readings
Canestrari and Marlowe Part II:
Chapter 4 – Lisa Delpit
Chapter 5 – Sonia Nieto
Race, gender, and identity.
Dimensions of diversity in schools
and classrooms
Canestrari and Marlowe Part II:
Chapter 6 - Inclusion
Chapter 7 – Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, and Transgendered
students
School and Society: Chapter 7 - Reading 37 (Gender and
Education),
School and Society – Chapter 7 – Reading 34 (Tuck in that Shirt),
Berliner, D. 2009. Poverty and Potential: Out-of-School Factors
and School Success. http://epicpolicy.org/publication/poverty-and-
Culture and social class (SGF)
potential
Unit 3: 6/17 to 6/23 – SLO 2-3
Equity in education.
Themes
The role of schooling in social equity:
Desegregation of American schools
Readings
School and Society:
- Chapter 7: Reading 32 Schools the Great Equalizer
- Chapter 8: Reading 38: Lessons Forgotten
The marketization of education and the S School and Society: Chapter 8:
accountability movement.
Reading 40: Charter Schools and the Public Good
Reading 41: Organizing for Success
Reading 43: Can schooling contribute to a more just society?
From banking education to teachers as
Canestrari and Marlowe: (SGDF)
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-
transformative intellectuals (SGF)
Part III. Chapter 8, 9 & 10. P. Freire + Video
Part VI: Chapter 18. Teachers as transformative
intellectuals. H. Giroux
An incredible conversation with Paulo Freire (15 minutes
long): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFWjnkFypFA
Unit 4: 6/24 to 6/30 – SLO 3-4-5
Curriculum and hidden curriculum.
Unit’s themes
The hidden curriculum and the
culture of power
Readings
Massialas, B. G. (1996). The hidden curriculum and social
studies. In B. G. Massialas and R. F. Allen (Eds.), Crucial issues
in teaching social studies K-12 (pp. 61-80).Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth Publishing Company. (download PDF).
School and Society: Chapter 6 – Reading 29
Standardization, Testing, and the
Dropout problem (SGF)
School and Society: Chapter 5, Reading 28
Canestrari and Marlowe: Part V (all essays)
Diane Ravitch on Public Education
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAivikFLJvU
The achievement gap and the
consequences of tracking. New
images of practice: detracking
Ballantine & Spade – Schools and Society- Chapter 7 – Reading
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Burris C. C. and Welner, K. G. (2005). Closing the achievement
gap by detracking. Phi Delta Kappan, 86(8), 594-598.
(Download PDF)
Watch the video: Ability grouping, tracking and grouping alternatives:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tItvMjRxL_c&list=PL9700D973DF142234
Unit 5: 7/1 to 7/7 - SLO 3-5
School Violence, and Disciplinary techniques in schooling.
Unit’s Themes
Disciplinary society and The
criminalization of youth
Different manifestations of
School violence: Bullying, sexual
harassment. (SGF)
Readings
Giroux, Henry (2012). Punishing Youth
Agustina Reyes. School Violence and the criminalization of youth
Ballantine & Spade (2012). Chapter 5 – Reading 27. Low-Level
violence. A neglected aspect of school culture.
Performance Tasks (Assignments)
Class Participation/ Online Discussion Forums (DF) (30 % - Whole class DF (WDF)= 10 points,
Small group discussion participation (SGDF) = 10 points, DF Facilitation (SGF)= 10 points):
Participation is extremely important and, as this is an online class, will be done mostly through online
discussion forums. The quality and dynamics of our discussions will depend entirely upon your
participation and the quality of your comments. You need to show that you have read the literature and
that you have critically thought about main ideas while establishing connections with practice or
experiences.
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This course is organized in 5 units, each unit will last approximately one week. Each unit will include:
- one general whole class DF that the instructor will moderate posting the discussion prompts.
Each student will be required to participate in a meaningful way (read above). After reading
the assigned readings or after watching indicated videos or presentations, you will be
expected to reply and post your perspective to weekly questions posted on the Discussion
Board and then comment on at least one of your peers’ postings. The deadline for posting in
this whole class DF will be on Friday.
- One small group discussion that will be lead alternatively for one student in the group
(facilitator). This means that the DF facilitator will be in charge to prepare a short video
presentation of the topic/readings specifically assigned for the small group discussion. The
same student will prepare a prompt question/activity for DF discussion. This means that the
small group members will first read the readings, watch your video presentation and then
answer the DF prompt. The facilitator will post the video presentation (10’ long max) and
discussion prompt on Friday evening. Peers will contribute by Sunday night. To receive full
credit for participation, small group members must participate in a meaningful way, and, then
comment on at least 2 of your classmate's responses to the DFs.
- Class participation includes interacting synchronically with the instructor via
Collaborate at least once during the 5 weeks. I will be available every Wednesday from
4:30 to 5:30 pm. You can link to the Live Classroom to interact with the instructor on class’s
topics, questions about projects, feedback on projects, feedback on facilitation planning and
so forth. If you need to connect at a different time, please let me know in advance and we will
arrange a time. I think it is important that we have some time to know personally in a more
direct manner, instead of only mediated by words or video presentations. I
Quizzes (20 %)
Quizzes will include multiple choice or open ended questions to show comprehension and critical analysis
of course’s readings. There will be two quizzes total. See calendar.
Project 1: Photovoice Project (20 %)
Photovoice is an action research approach that assists the participant in understanding their environment
and in developing a sense of agency. You will choose a theme to document that relates to the course’s
topics but mostly that attempts to raise questions and answers around the social issues that intersect (race,
social class, violence, discrimination, gender, power struggles, privilege, poverty, resources, program
quality, health, special services, etc) education in your community. Your collection should contain at
least 7 photographs with captions. You will write a draft or outline of your ideas for your photovoice
project and indicating some of your sources. You will post your photovoice online in the form of a video
presentation. You will use Tegrity or similar to record yourself presenting the rationale for your
photovoice. You need to establish clear connections with some of the class’s readings. You will include a
slide at the end with references.
Project 2: Mini inquiry project (25%)
You will develop mini inquiry project that requires some type of field work such as observations or
interviewing. You will select a topic or experience to explore and learn about and report on your findings.
You will need to search for related sources to build your literature review. For your inquiry you will have
to either observe a setting and collect field notes, interview one or two participants to gather data, or
collect and analyze specific documents (test scores, school text books, etc).
You will write a paper on mini inquiry project. The paper must be at least 5 pages, double spaced, 12
point font (not including references). Page limit does not include the reference list. You must use APA
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style for the paper formatting. You are expected to elaborate on how inquiry relates to one specific
philosophical, historical, anthropological, political, cultural, or sociological issue from the readings. The
paper will include an introduction (stating the problem or issue and citing appropriate literature), a short
literature review (using readings from class (at least 3) and other readings (at least 3), a description of the
experience or data collected, and a reflective analysis of the experience through the lenses of the literature
reviewed in relation to the topic. More instructions will be provided during class.
Final Exam (5 % )
The final exam will consist on a series of open ended questions to elaborate on class content.
Grading
Assignment
Participation and Online Discussion Forums
Quizzes
Photovoice project
Mini Inquiry project
Final exam
Assessment Weight
30%
20%
20%
25%
5%
Grading System
Partial evaluations will be made with numbers. Letter grades of “A+” through “F” (course final
grade) will be awarded based on the following scale:
Letter
Points
GPA
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
D
F
98-100
93-97-9
90-92.9
87-89.9
83-86.9
80-82.9
77-79.9
70-76.9
60-69.9
59 and Under
4.00
4.00
3.67
3.33
3.00
2.67
2.33
2.00
1.00
0.00
Incomplete Grades: A grade of Incomplete (I) may be given at the discretion of the instructor to
a student who has been unable to complete the course requirements due to a serious interruption
not caused by the student’s own negligence.
To include a course in the Program of Work for a graduate degree, a graduate student must earn
a grade of at least C. More information about the Program of Work is given in the graduate
catalog.
Evaluation Weights and Summary
Students will be provided with a final letter grade based on above criteria. The instructor reserves the
right to penalize any additional facets of unprofessional and irresponsible work dispositions or
conduct, if the need arises.
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Partial evaluations will be made with numbers (exams, tests, papers, presentations and so on). Letter
grades of “A” through “F” (course final grade) will be awarded based on the UTB Grading System
Policies and Procedures.
Course Policies
Grade Appeals: If the student does not agree with a grade on an assignment, it is the student
responsibility to appeal the grade to the instructor within two days after the assignment was returned. .
Late Assignments. All projects and graded assignments are due by Midnight of the official due date
as posted in the course schedule. Unless you have made prior arrangements with the instructor, late
assignments will be subject to a 10% grade reduction per week for a maximum penalty of 50% off
for late submission. No projects or assignments will be accepted after the final class day.
Syllabus Disclaimer: The instructor reserves the right to make changes in the syllabus and course
calendar as deemed necessary. Students will be notified of any and all changes.
Recommended readings
Bowles, Samuel & Gintis, Herbert (2002). Schooling in Capitalist America Revisited. Sociology of
Education 75(1) p. 1-18.
Coles, G. Hunger, Academic Success, and the Hard Bigotry of Indifference.
Demerath, P. (2009). “Generation stress” and school success. In Producing success: The culture of
personal advancement in an American high school (pp. 129-151). Chicago: University of Chicago
Press.
Dolby, N. (2003). Popular Culture and Democratic Practice.
http://literacystudies.osu.edu/academics/Dolby_PopCult_Democratic.pdf
Fallace, T. (2011). Tracing John Dewey’s Influence on Progressive Education, 1903–1951: Toward a
Received Dewey Teachers College Record Volume 113 Number 3, 2011, p. 463-492
http://www.tcrecord.org ID Number: 16057, Date Accessed: 11/29/2012 9:09:15 am.
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/23_02/hung232.shtml
Krashen, S. (in press) Protecting Students against the Effects of Poverty.
http://www.sdkrashen.com/articles/protecting_students.pdf
Lareau, A. & Horvat, E. (1999). Moments of social inclusion and exclusion: Race, class, and cultural
capital in family-school relationships. Sociology of Education 72(1), 37-53.
McLean Taylor, J., Gilligan, C., & Sullivan, A. (1995). Between Voice and Silence. Women and Girls,
Race and Relationship. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. [Chapter 2: Girls, risk and
Resilience, pp. 39-69]
Mendoza‐Denton, Norma (2008). La Migra. In Homegirls: Language and Cultural Practice Among
Latina Youth Gangs (pp. 10-41). Malden, MA: Blackwell.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9780470693728.ch1/summary
Molnar, A., Wilkinson, G, Fogarty, J., & Geary, S. (2010) Schools and the Machinery of Modern
Marketing http://nepc.colorado.edu/files/CommTrends2010.pdf
Ornstein, A. C., Levine, D. U. & Gutek, G. (2011). Foundations of Education. Belmont, CA: Cengage
Learning.
Pollock, M. (2004). The more complex inequality seems to get, the more simplistic inequality analysis
seems to become. In Colormute: Race talk dilemmas in an American school (pp. 109-146).
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Ravitch, D. (2010). NCLB: Measure and punish. In The death and life of the great American school
system (pp. 93-112). New York: Basic Books.
Reséndez, Andrés (1999). National Identity on a Shifting Border: Texas and New Mexico in the Age of
Transition, 1821-1848. Journal of American History 86:2. p. 668-688.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2567051
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Sternberg, R. (2007). Who are the bright children? The cultural context of being and acting intelligent.
Educational Researcher 36(3), 148-155.
Strouse, J. H. (Ed.). (2001). Exploring socio-cultural themes in education. Readings in social foundations
(2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Thompson, K. (Ed). (2005). Readings from Emile Durkheim. Revised Edition. NY: Routdlege. Available
at: http://www.revalvaatio.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/durkheim-readings_from_durkheim.pdf
Valenzuela, A. (1999) Subtractive Schooling. U.S.-Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring. NY:
SUNY.
Wenger, E. (1999) Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity (Learning in Doing: Social,
Cognitive and Computational Perspectives). NY: Cambridge University Press.
Online Resources:
Rethinking Schools http://www.rethinkingschools.org
Teaching Tolerance: http://www.tolerance.org/
EdChange. Informing Ourselves, Reforming Our Schools, Transforming Our World
http://www.edchange.org/
National Association for Multicultural Education http://nameorg.org/
No Name Calling http://www.nonamecallingweek.org
National Educational Policy Center http://nepc.colorado.edu/
Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: http://larrycuban.wordpress.com/
Rubrics
Photovoice Project Rubric (20 points)
Criteria
Theme is well identified
and raises questions and
answers around a
sociocultural issue and it is
thoroughly addressed
The oral explanation is
compelling and makes
connections with readings
The presentation is
original, images represent
topic and include relevant
captions
Instructors Comments:
Met Expectations
7-5
Met with Weakness
4.9-2
Not Met
1.9 -0
7-5
4.9-2
1.9-0
6-4
3.9-2
1.9-0
Total Points:
Inquiry Paper Rubric
Elements
Content
Distinguished
Proficient
Basic
Excellent elaboration Clear elaboration of Poor elaboration of
of important ideas
ideas presented about ideas about the
Unsatisfactory
Essay is not related to
the topic(s). There is
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about the topic(s).
Clear and relevant
connections are
established between
topics, course content,
and field experiences.
Excellent opinions
shared from the
perspective of a
teacher.
the topic(s).
Connections are
established between
topics, course content,
and field experiences.
Opinions from the
perspective of a
teacher are included.
topic(s). Poor
connections
established and/or
poor ability to provide
opinions from the
perspective of a
teacher.
no connection or
consideration of
teachers.
1
2
3
4
Appropriate format Paper is of specified
length and follows the
required style and
formatting
specifications of APA.
3
Paper is close to the
specified length, and
usually follows the
required style and
formatting
specifications of APA.
The paper is the
wrong length and /or
lacks alignment with
style and formatting
specifications of APA.
Paper is the wrong
length and does not
follow any clear style
or formatting.
0
1
2
Appropriate use of Highly effective use of Adequate use of the
the English language the English language. English language.
Paper is free of
Paper has minimal
grammatical errors.
grammatical errors.
Author has full
Reasonable attempt at
command of academic academic writing.
writing.
2
3
Adequacy of use of
Poor use of the
the English language English language.
is inconsistent. Paper Paper has major
has considerable
grammatical errors
grammatical errors
that obstruct meaning.
that interfere with
Paper does not include
meaning. Problems
academic writing.
with academic writing.
0
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INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
UTB monitors academic progress every fall and spring semester to identify those students who
are experiencing difficulty with their courses. Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is based
upon two components: GPA of 2.0 or higher and successful course completion of at least
70% of course work attempted. Students remain in good standing with the university and
Financial Aid when both criteria are met. Students who do not maintain these required minimum
standards will be placed on probation or suspension as appropriate. The complete Satisfactory
Academic Progress policy and the Undergraduate Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial
Aid policy can be found in the current Undergraduate Catalog. For more information, please
visit http://blue.utb.edu/vpaa/sap/.
Scholastic Dishonesty
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Students who engage in scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the
possibility of failure in the course and expulsion from the University. Scholastic dishonesty
includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, submission for credit of any work
or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for
another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student, or the attempt to commit
such acts. Since scholastic dishonesty harms the individual, all students and the integrity of the
University, policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced. (Board of Regents Rules
and Regulations)
All scholastic dishonesty incidents will be reported to the Dean of Students. Do not allow your
peers to pressure you to cheat. Your grade, academic standing and personal reputation are at
stake.
Students’ Academic Responsibilities
Students are expected to be diligent in their studies and attend class regularly and on time.
Students are responsible for all class work and assignments. On recommendation of the
instructor concerned and with the approval of the Dean, students may, at any time, be dropped
from courses. This may result in a “W” or “F” on the student’s permanent record.
Emergency Policy Statement
In compliance with the Emergency UTB Academic Continuity Program, academic courses,
partially or entirely, will be made available on the MyUTB Blackboard course management
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hurricane or any other natural disaster.
The university will use MyUTB Blackboard to post announcements notifying faculty members
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student’s responsibility to complete all the requirements for that course. Failure to access course
materials once reasonably possible can result in a reduction of your overall grade in the class.
To facilitate the completion of class, most or all of the communication between students and the
institution, the instructor, and fellow classmates will take place using the features in your
MyUTB Blackboard and UTB email system. Therefore, all students must use Scorpion Online
to provide a current email address. Students may update their email address by following the
link titled “Validate your e-Mail Account” in MyUTB Blackboard Portal. In the event of a
disaster, that disrupts normal operations, all students and faculty must make every effort to
access an internet-enabled computer as often as possible to continue the learning process.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Students with disabilities, including learning disabilities, who wish to request accommodations
in this class should notify the Disability Services Office early in the semester so that the
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appropriate arrangements may be made. In accordance with federal law, a student requesting
accommodations must provide documentation of his/her disability to the Disability Services
counselor. For more information, visit Disability Services in the Lightner Center, call 956-8827374 or e-mail [email protected].