Information Technologies and the Information Professions
Standards for Written Work
Style manual: The style manual for this course will be the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition. The APA Manual is available in the School of Information’s IT Lab and through the UT General Libraries. Students are encouraged to buy their own copies, as this manual is used by many courses and instructors at UT.
Title pages: Students should include with all printed assignments a title page with a descriptive title, the student’s name, the instructor’s name, the course number and title, and the date the assignment is due.
Format: Papers should be computer-produced using a program such as Microsoft Word or OpenOffice, and papers should be submitted in the Blackboard Digital Dropbox (preferred) or as an email attachment in PDF format. Papers submitted in PDF format should be double-spaced, with 1 inch margins on all sides, and should use Times 12 pt. font or similar. Web sites and other electronic submissions should use Arial 10 pt. font or similar.
Grading: Please see the memorandum from former Dean Brooke Sheldon dated August 13, 1991 and my “Grading Standards for Graduate Writing” for an explanation of the grades used in this course. The University of Texas does not use the +/- grading system that we do at the School of Information; UT accepts only full letter grades. Therefore, for example, a B- and B+ final grade at the School of Information both translate to a final grade of B at the University level.
Students should also consult the School of Information Web site (http://www.gslis.utexas.edu/programs/index.html) and the Graduate School Catalogue (e.g., http://www.utexas.edu/student/registrar/catalogs/grad01-03/ch1/ch1a.html#nature and http://www.utexas.edu/student/registrar/catalogs/grad01-03/ch1/ch1b.html#student) for more on standards of work and the responsibilities of students enrolled in a graduate degree program.
Expectations of Students' Performance
I expect all students to be involved, creative, and vigorous participants in class discussions and in the overall conduct of the class. In addition, students should expect to:
- Attend all class sessions. I encourage students to contact me if they will miss class so that we can make arrangements for making up any missed work.
- Read all assigned material prior to class. We will spend the majority of our time in class discussing the readings, and the quality of this discussion will suffer if students do not participate.
- Work approximately 4 hours a week in online assignments in addition to class time. If it is taking far more than that, please let me know. As a rule of thumb, students should expect to spend 9-12 hours a week on class assignments in addition to class time in a long semester; in a 6-week summer session, students should expect to spend 27-36 hours per week in addition to class time.
- Educate themselves and their peers. You are encouraged to bring in examples from your own experience and readings outside class to enrich our discussions.
- Hand in all assignments fully and on time. Because of the tight schedule in this class, late assignments will not be accepted except in unusual circumstances.
- Ask for any explanation and help from the instructor or the Teaching Assistant(s), either in class, during office hours, on the telephone, through email, or in any other appropriate way.
- Accept responsibility for academic success. While I will attempt to do everything in my power to make this both an enjoyable and useful course, ultimately you are responsible for your own success in this course and at The University of Texas at Austin.
Academic or scholastic dishonesty, such as plagiarism, cheating, or academic fraud, will not be tolerated and will incur the most severe penalties, including failure for the course. If you have any concern about behavior that may be academically dishonest, please consult the instructor. Students are also encouraged to refer to the UT General Information Bulletin, Appendix C, Sections 11-304 and 11-802 and the brochure Texas is the Best . . . HONESTLY! (1988) by the Cabinet of College Councils and the Office of the Dean of Students.
Expectations of Instructor's Performance
Students in this course have the right to expect that they will be treated as information professionals and that I as the instructor will do everything possible to make it possible for them to succeed. In addition, students have the right to expect:
- That all questions will be answered as promptly as possible. I will respond to emails and phone messages within 24 hours on weekdays and within 48 hours on weekends. In some cases, I may reply to the entire class instead of to a single individual.
- That all assignments will be graded and returned promptly. Generally, this means within one week but in any case before the next assignment is due. In most cases, assignments will be returned electronically. Students who need to make other arrangements (for example, because you do not have enough space in you electronic mailbox) to have their assignments returned should do so when the assignment is turned in.
- That student critiques and comments will be respected and will be used to improve the course for future classes.
Students who feel that the instructor has not or will not
respect these expectations should feel free to discuss their concerns
with the instructor and with Mary Lynn Rice-Lively, Associate Dean of
the School of Information. She can be reached at marylynn
<at> ischool.utexas.edu or by telephone at (512) 471-2371.