BES 301A

The nature of a hybrid course

Hybrid courses combine face-to-face meetings with extensive learning opportunities orchestrated through the course website. This course is 50% hybrid, meaning that class meets in person only once a week, and that you have more homework to complete. Our face-to-face meetings will help you succeed in this course. Active participation in both the face-to-face and online activities is required.

Hybrid courses require more time doing assignments than courses that are completely face-to-face. To succeed, you should:

• organize your time well.
• schedule times to work on class material, making good use of the Open Learning Lab, the Quantitative Skills Center, and the Writing and Communication Center. You may find it helpful to find a group of people with whom to work weekly—either in person or remotely at one of these centers, or working together remotely through a platform like Zoom.
• be prepared to read and write a lot, especially in an online setting.
• be comfortable with using the Internet, email, and various software applications.
• have easy access to computers and fast-speed Internet.
• be willing to discuss and interact with others online.
• be self-motivated enough to finish assignments on deadline with little to no supervision.

Our face-to-face class sessions help you complete the activities in the course. You are responsible for any material presented or announced in class sessions. If you miss a class, you can catch up on the material from our class notes and by watching the video. Please pay attention to course announcements. If you have questions about material you may have missed you can see me during office hours or schedule an appointment.

In the Classroom

Please bring your curiosity to class and be prepared to work. Class meetings are workshops designed to help you complete your assignments. During class meetings, I encourage you to ask questions and participate in discussion. During collaborative time, as you work in groups on analyzing and interpreting data, let's aim for a quiet and conversational working environment.

Illness

If you are sick, stay home. It's OK. It happens. If you have been exposed to anyone with COVID, stay home. You can make up the in-class assignment.

If I am sick or exposed to COVID, I will stay home. My hope is that I will continue to be able to offer class remotely with a Zoom session at our usual time to replace our normal in person session. I am vaccinated for both flu and COVID.

I'm happy to talk to you about accommodations for more serious illnesses.

Online etiquette

As you know, it’s easy to miscommunicate online. In this class, we’ll adopt the following netiquette policies (adapted from Madison College) to minimize miscommunication and foster a respectful and supportive online environment.

• Respect. Respect each other’s backgrounds, feelings and opinions.
• Talk gently. It’s easy to be abrupt, and unintentionally hurt someone’s feelings when writing. So, talk without strong language. Try not to be sarcastic or funny, as these are easy to misinterpret. If you’re writing something that is emotionally charged, start by writing a draft, let it sit for a while, and re-read a few hours later to make sure the tone is appropriate. Send it only after you are sure it is courteous.
• Allow for mistakes. Despite best intentions, sometimes you might be hurt by something that someone in the course says. Please talk to the instructor about this, as she can help resolve the conflicts. Remember that usually—but certainly not always—the writer does not intend to be hurtful.
• Respect privacy. Please don’t share people’s work or email messages. What happens in this class, stays in this class.
• Write well. Be clear and concise, use good spelling and grammar. Stay on topic. To check clarity, read your message aloud to yourself before sending it.
• Read thoroughly before you write. Read other people’s comments before making your own.
• Responding to a previous message. Post comments under that message in the string to keep related topics organized. Specify the person and the particular point you are commenting on.
• Conventions. Avoid caps, exclamation points, acronyms (wrt, btw, b/c, etc) and emojis.

Academic integrity

Please see the UW Bothell General Catalog, the documents you signed upon admission to IAS for policy statements and crucial information regarding academic integrity. You are responsible for knowing what constitutes a violation of the University of Washington Student Code, and you will be held responsible for whether they were intentional or not. For crucial information regarding academic integrity, see the library guide about plagiarism and this student guide. Make sure you know how to properly cite any ideas or words you have taken from outside sources.

Work of any kind (including written, video, audio, performance, artistic, etc.) produced outside of this course may not be submitted for credit without first discussing it with your instructor. In most circumstances, work produced for one course may not be submitted for another course.

In plain language, this means that you should not plagiarize. Plagiarism will result in a grade of zero for the assignment in question, and may even result in a grade of zero for the entire course.

Generative AI

Whether you use AI-based tools (such as ChatGPT) is up to you. Recognize that it is a tool, and if you use this tool, you need to know how to use it in a way that is effective. For example, you may ask ChatGPT to edit what you’ve written. Or, if you're having trouble understanding the primary literature, you can ask ChatGPT to paraphrase—and then check to see if its restatement seems accurate to you. Keep in mind that generative AI can be grammatically great without saying anything meaningful. Since this is a writing course, you will be learning how to write with meaning.

If you use AI in your writing, you must cite it properly. In your final paper, you would also include it in the Material and Methods section.

Please note that AI results can be biased and inaccurate. It is your responsibility to ensure that the information you use from AI is accurate. Additionally, pay attention to the privacy of your data. Many AI tools will incorporate and use any content you share, so be careful not to unintentionally share copyrighted materials, original work, or personal information.

Learning how to thoughtfully and strategically use AI-based tools may help you develop your skills, refine your work, and prepare you for your future career. If you have any questions about citation or about what constitutes academic integrity in this course or at the University of Washington, please feel free to contact me to discuss your concerns.

Respect for diversity

I expect students to respect individual differences that may include race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, cultural background, differences in ability, ethnicity, family status, gender presentation, immigration status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and veteran status, etc. In this class, as in others, please engage respectfully in discussion of diverse worldviews and ideologies embedded in course readings, presentations, and artifacts, including those course materials that are at odds with personal beliefs and values. Any behaviors that are intolerant, disrespectful, threatening or otherwise disruptive are absolutely prohibited. Students who make it difficult for others to learn in a positive, and supportive environment will be asked to leave the class. See the UW conduct code. If you're seeking support around these issues, you can find more information and resources on the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website.

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. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.

Access and accommodations

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

If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), contact DRS directly to set up an Access Plan. DRS facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations. Contact DRS at uwbdrs@uw.edu.

For our veterans

Welcome! We at UW Bothell understand that the transition into civilian life can be challenging for our veteran students and we have many resources for any who may want to reach out for guidance or assistance. This includes our Vet Corp Member through the WDVA/AmeriCorp and our Student Veterans Association (SVA). Please contact Veteran & Military Resources Office at 425.352.5307 or a rosal@uw.edu. For those of you needing more URGENT support, please dial 988 and press 1 (https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/). The phone number for The Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1.800.273.8255, or connect with the UWB CARE Team.

Incompletes

A student who cannot complete a course is not automatically granted an Incomplete. University rules state that “an incomplete is given only when the student has been in attendance and has done satisfactory work until within two weeks at the end of the quarter and has furnished proof satisfactory to the instructor that the work cannot be completed because of illness or other circumstances beyond the student’s control.”

Inclement weather

Please check if the campus may be closed due to weather. If campus is closed, then we will meet online through a Zoom link posted on Canvas.

Information on suspension of operations will be made public and available through the media, and are also available on the website or by calling the Campus Information Hotline 425.352.3333. You may also sign up with an alert system that will contact you via email or text message if classes are canceled. For more information, see here.

Safety

Though unlikely, there is always a possibility that there might be some type of emergency during the quarter. Emergencies come in different forms—weather, medical, fire, and ones involving people intending to do harm. If there is an emergency when we are meeting, I will stop teaching right away. When it is safe to do so, we will call 9-1-1 and identify our building and room number, as well as the issue. The first warning of an emergency may come to our attention through a personal electronic device, a speaker announcement or a messenger at the classroom door. In case of a fire alarm, exit quickly and as orderly as possible. We also must plan for any active threat situations, evaluate the situation, and make a decision on how to respond. There may not be a clear “right” answer. You will need to act quickly and choose to run, hide or fight. If you need to exit the building, go as far away as possible while still staying safe. Keep going until you know you are out of danger. If it is not safe to evacuate, take cover behind a building, car, or other large object.

If you have safety concerns about yourself or others, in urgent or dangerous situations, please call 911.

Here is a link to UW Bothell safety.