Collaboration
Many faculty and students alike report that a particular area of concern is unauthorized collaboration among students in a class. Expectations vary among faculty, even in the same department, about the parameters of permitted group work, so students make assumptions, potentially incorrect, about what is permitted in any particular course. Students also take liberties because they assess that faculty are not focused on student misconduct in this domain. Thus, it is recommended that you identify explicitly what forms of collaboration are permitted in your course so that there are no ambiguities. Be as specific as possible: “For this course, collaboration among students in the class is allowed in the following instances [list instances].” Also, if students are permitted to help one another (or receive help from parents for that matter), tell them whether they must acknowledge the assistance.
Allowable Resources
Course rules regarding the scope of reference materials upon which students may rely when completing assignments and taking prelims and finals varies widely across campus. So that your expectations are not ambiguous, and students do not make assumptions, tell them precisely what is permissible. Be particular and concrete; consider spelling out in your syllabus precisely what reference materials you permit along the following continuum:
- Nothing (only what is in a student’s head)
- A student’s own notes on lectures, readings, etc.
- Assigned readings (and other assigned materials)
- Lecture notes, PPT slides, etc. provided by the instructor
- Review/formula sheets provided by the instructor
- Practice exams provided by the instructor
- General course background information found through internet searches
- Practice exams and other study materials provided by students who have previously taken the class
- Answers to course-specific questions or example problem solutions found or solicited on sites such as Quora
- Exam questions found through internet searches and on “study sites” such as Chegg, CourseHero, Slader (and any other such site)
- Information obtained upon request from “expert tutors” on sites such as Chegg, CourseHero, Slader (and any other such site)
- Information about exams obtained from other students in the course via group texts, GroupMe, WhatsApp, etc.
