Policies

Course Policies

Course Philosophy (ie. Why I Don’t Like Grades)

My main priority as a teacher is that this course is as useful as possible for its students. Each of you have different starting points, perspectives, and goals in terms of what you would like to get out of this semester and the best way to achieve them. Some of you might already have lots of technical experience; others might be starting from scratch. Regardless of your starting point, my goal is to foster experimentation, creativity, and even failure - all useful, and even necessary, for learning new technical skills.

To that end, I am abandoning some of the familiar tenets of college courses. In particular, I won’t be using traditional grading. I’ve found that letter-grade models cause students to focus on the wrong things: “What do I need to do to get an A in this course?” rather than “What can I do to learn?” Instead of a judge telling you what you did wrong, I see my role as a coach and mentor. I want you to take intellectual chances and push yourself in ways that you might not otherwise if you were worried about getting a low grade.

So what does this philosophy look like in practice? I will be using a system of consultative grading in which you take ownership over your own learning. I have established a baseline of expectations for the course along with more formal assignments, which you can find under the course website’s Assignments Page. I won’t be giving you a letter grade for each of these assignments. Instead, you will receive qualitative feedback: what you did well and what I would like you to improve on for future assignments. You can find this qualitative feedback in Canvas under either Grades or the individual Assignment Page (follow these instructions to view feedback).

Given the number of students and number of assignments, I’ll be keeping track of everything in Canvas in two ways:

• For smaller assignments, you will receive a basic Complete/Incomplete.
• For more substantive assignments, you will receive a score on a 0-3 point scale. Ignore the numerical value - it simply corresponds to the following categories:
  • 0: Did not complete the assignment
  • 1: Completed the assignment (inadequate/minimal effort)
  • 2: Completed the assignment (adequate)
  • 3: Completed the assignment (excellent)

I will, of course, submite a final letter grade for the course that appears on your transcript. This grade is based on how well you met baseline expectations and the quality of your formal assignments. It is also based on a series of three self-assessments. Throughout the semester I will ask you to reflect on your learning goals and how well you feel are accomplishing them, along with what you are doing “behind the scenes” - ie. helping classmates, taking intellectual risks, etc. In your final self-assessment you will assign yourself a grade for the semester and explain your reasoning behind it. I reserve the right to adjust this grade up or down if I think you are either being too harsh on yourself or taking advantage of this system.

In short, let’s stop worrying about grades and focus on what matters: learning.

Health and Wellness

Every student should prioritize their physical, emotional, and mental health. Any student who is struggling to do so (lacking a safe and stable place to live, having difficulty affording sufficient food to eat every day, facing financial stresses, etc.) is urged to consult the resources listed here: https://www.ucdenver.edu/student/health-wellness, and in particular the University’s Counseling Center.

Learning Community

My goal is to build a strong learning community for all of my students. You will be doing a lot of this learning directly with your classmates through discussions (both in person and online) and in-class activities. I expect everyone to treat fellow classmates and the professor with respect: listening attentively, not interrupting, and maintaining a civil discourse. It is my intent to create an environment that respects diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, religion, and culture, etc., and supports a wide array of thoughts, perspectives and experiences. To maintain this learning community, bullying or personal attacks will not be tolerated. Learn each other’s names and, if volunteered, preferred pronoun. Always assume the best intentions in each other. If something was said in class (by anyone, including myself) that made you feel uncomfortable please talk to me about it either directly or through anonymous feedback forms that I will periodically administer in class.

Teaching Assistant

The teaching assistant for this course is Whitney Roberts, who is pursuing an MA degree in Public History at CU Denver. Whitney will be helping administer the course, providing technical help and assistance, and helping Professor Blevins evaluate assignments on Canvas. If you need to contact Professor Blevins about logistical matters related to the course (ie. “I have to miss class Wednesday for a doctor’s appointment”; “How do I submit this assignment?”; etc.) please include both Prof. Blevins AND Whitney on your message.

Communication Platforms

There are three main ways in which you will be communicating with Professor Blevins and classmates (in order of preference:

• Slack: Slack has become a widely used communications and collaboration platform in many workplaces.We will be using a Slack workspace for the class as a communication platform for announcements, backchannel discussions, sharing files, links, etc., and as a place to ask for help on assignments outside of class. Using Slack will not only help us communicate during the semester, but give you relevant experience with this platform moving forward. It is your responsibility to either check the course Slack workspace regularly or set up notifications so that you receive direct messages and posts.
• Email: You can contact Prof. Blevins at cameron.blevins@ucdenver.edu and TA Whitney Roberts at whitney.roberts@ucdenver.edu.
• Canvas: Although I would prefer communicating Slack Direct Message or email, you can also reach me through Canvas Messages. If I have a particularly urgent class-wide announcement I will occassionally send a Slack communication via Canvas Announcements to make sure everyone receives it.

Canvas vs. Course Website

I will be using Canvas primarily to collect and track your assignment and give you feedback on them. For everything else (schedule of readings, in-class activities, assignment descriptions, etc.) please refer to the course website. Bookmark the website and regularly check it each week; I may update readings, activities, etc. according to how the semester progresses. I will communicate any major changes over Slack.

Office Hours

I will be conducting office hours on Wednesdays from 3:30-4:30pm. You can attend these in person (Student Commons 3108) or over Zoom, whichever works better for your schedule. If that time does not work for your schedule, please contact me over email or Slack DM and we will find a different time to meet. Take advantage of office hours as an opportunity to talk with me about any aspect of the class: the week’s readings, ideas and strategies for upcoming assignments, feedback you have received, or difficult themes and concepts. Or, just drop by and let me know how the rest of your classes, work, etc. are going! I enjoy hearing about what my students are doing and look forward to getting to know each of you.

Required Course Material

College is expensive enough; I have tried to make sure all required readings, software, etc. is available for free and that there are no required books or textbooks to purchase. However, the course does require a functioning computer. Because of this, you will need to bring a laptop to class with you to class - please notify me ahead of time if your computer runs into technical glitches and you will be unable to bring it to a particular class.

Late Assignments

If unforeseen circumstances come up during the semester and you need an extension on a particular assignment, please notify me via email or Slack. Otherwise you are expected to submit all assignments by the due date.

HIST 5260 / COMM 5081 Students

To fulfill requirements for a graduate-level course, you will be completing additional readings (see Schedule Page) along with two additional formal assignments (see Assignments Page).

College/University Policies

Reasonable Accommodation

I am committed to providing everyone the support and services needed to participate in this course. If you have a learning disability please contact Disability Resources and Services at 303-315-3510 or by e-mail at disabilityresources@ucdenver.edu and, if you are comfortable, notify me directly as well. If you have a temporary medical condition or injury, please reach out to Disability Resources and Services.

Discrimination and Sexual Misconduct

The University of Colorado Denver is committed to maintaining a positive learning, working and living environment. The University prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, pregnancy, creed, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, political philosophy or political affiliation in admission and access to, and treatment and employment in, its educational programs and activities, working, and living environment. If, because of religious obligations, you have conflicts with required assignments/attendance please email me directly as soon as possible at the beginning of the semester.

University policy prohibits sexual misconduct, including harassment, domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or related retaliation. If you have experienced some sort of sexual misconduct or discrimination, please visit the Office of Equity/Title IX web site to understand the resources available to you or contact the Office of Equity/Title IX Coordinator (303-315-2567).

Students Called for Military Duty

Students in the military with the potential of being called to military service and/or training during the course of the semester are encouraged to notify their school/college Associate Dean or Advising Office.

CLAS Incomplete Policy

The faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences passed the following policy relating to the awarding of incomplete grades. Incomplete grades (IW or IF) are meant for students with special circumstances beyond their control that preclude them from attending class and completing graded assignments. They are not granted for low academic performance, and students must have completed a majority of the course’s assignments and classes in order to qualify. Incompletes cannot be awarded that stipulate: (1) a student may repeat the entire course, (2) repeat or replace existing grades, (3) allow the student an indeterminate period of time to complete a course, or (4) allow the student to repeat the course with a different instructor. The CLAS Course Completion Agreement is available from the CLAS Advising Office, NC 2024.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to know, understand, and comply with the ethical standards of the university, including rules against plagiarism, cheating, fabrication and falsification, multiple submissions, misuse of academic materials, and complicity in academic dishonesty.