Policies
Below are our departmental policies, which apply to students enrolled in our courses:
We at the Office of First-Year Composition recognize that disabilities can be visible and invisible and are dedicated to creating inclusive classroom environments. If you have a disability or think you may have a disability, we encourage you to contact your instructor so you can work together to develop strategies for your success.
The Accessibility and Disability Resource Center is committed to supporting students with disabilities to ensure that they are able to enjoy equal access to all components of their education. This includes your academics, housing, and community events. If you are experiencing a disability, a mental/medical health condition that has a significant impact on one or more life functions, you can receive accommodations to provide equal access. Possible disabilities include, but are not limited to, learning disabilities, AD(H)D, mental health, and chronic health. Additionally, we support students with temporary medical conditions (broken wrist, shoulder surgery, etc.) and pregnancy. To discuss potential accommodations, please contact the ADRC at 730 College Avenue, (ph.) 405.325.3852, or adrc@ou.edu.
Even if you do not have a documented disability, please consider contacting your instructor if you believe that reasonable steps might be taken to create a more inclusive learning environment.
You may accrue 3 unexcused absences for a MWF schedule or 2 unexcused absences for a TR schedule, but your final course grade will be reduced by 2% for a MWF schedule or 3% for a TR schedule for each unexcused absence thereafter. For example, if you have an 80% in the class but have 4 unexcused absences (for a MWF class), your final course grade will be a 78%.
To receive an excused absence, you must provide official documentation; if for a sponsored University activity (such as intercollegiate athletics), documentation must be provided in advance. Otherwise, you must provide documentation within 2 weeks of the date of the absence for it to be excused.
Accommodations and excused absences may be granted in such situations on a case-by-case basis.
Revision is central to the development of your projects in each unit. You will regularly workshop your ideas and projects with others in class and you will revise your arguments and designs throughout the course. You will also receive feedback from your instructor on your rough drafts.
Final essays that do not meet minimum word count requirements will receive a percentage deduction (for example, an essay that includes only 75 percent of the required word count will start with a maximum grade of 75 instead of 100). If I provide word counts for homework assignments, incomplete work will also receive deductions based on completion percentage.
If a final essay does not meet the minimum length requirement and you have not used your one time, two-calendar day late work extension, you may use your extension on this essay. However, the two-calendar day extension begins on the original due date, meaning that in order for your essay to be accepted and graded, you must turn in a complete draft within two days of the original due date. This counts as your one-time extension and you will not be able to use it more than once. To be clear, your Works Cited does not count toward the word count.
Daily homework assignments are critical for developing research and writing skills and used for in-class activities, so daily work cannot be made up unless student has accrued an excused absence or has made arrangements with me to complete missing work in advance and the type of assignment is appropriate for make-up work (meaning, assignments that are required for in-class peer work cannot be made up). No daily assignments from previous units may be made up, as assignments work toward specific unit goals. Because essay drafts are used for peer review, no late drafts will be accepted.
Each student has one two-calendar day extension for major essay assignments. In order to use this extension, you must notify me by email, and that notification must be submitted to me by the assignment’s original due date. You cannot use this extension for your final project (Unit 4), because there is not time at the end of the semester to accommodate extensions.
OU’s Academic Integrity website provides the definitions of academic integrity, academic misconduct, plagiarism, collaboration, and cheating that are used by all instructors, in all courses at the University of Oklahoma. You are individually responsible for accessing, reading, and understanding these definitions, and for seeking assistance if you don’t fully understand any terms or concepts before you submit any work for a grade.
The most common violation of academic integrity in First-Year Composition courses is plagiarism; according to the Office of Academic Integrity, the following rules apply to these cases:
- It is plagiarism to copy words and present them as your own writing.
- It is plagiarism to copy words, even if you include the source, unless you also indicate that the copied words are a direct quotation.
- It is plagiarism to copy words and then change them a little, even if you give the source.
- Even if you express them in your own words, it is plagiarism to present someone else’s ideas as your own.
- Unless both instructors expressly allow it, submitting an assignment already submitted for another class is a form of academic misconduct (also known as self-plagiarism).
AI assisted or composed assignments:
You may use AI for homework exercises IF your instructor directs you to do so
You may not use AI to complete whole assignments. This is considered to be cheatin
Violations of academic integrity carry penalties up to and including suspension or expulsion from the university.
Important note regarding contestation of misconduct: In the event of plagiarism, instructors have the ability to assign either an admonition or a violation. Any student who receives an admonition or violation can contest it. To do so, the student must request an investigation by contacting Lexi Walton at acwalton@ou.edu. Any student who receives a charge of academic misconduct can deny the charge through an appeals process.
Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact your professor or the Accessibility and Disability Resource Center at 405-325-3852 as soon as possible. Also, see the Institutional Equity Office FAQ on Pregnant and Parenting Students’ Rights for answers to commonly asked questions.
Anyone who has been impacted by gender-based violence, including dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, harassment, and sexual assault, deserves access to resources so that they are supported personally and academically. The University of Oklahoma is committed to offering resources to those impacted, including: speaking with someone confidentially about your options, medical attention, counseling, reporting, academic support, and safety plans. If you would like to speak with someone confidentially, please contact OU Advocates (available 24/7 at 405-615-0013) or another confidential resource (see “Can I make an anonymous report?”). You may also choose to report gender-based violence and discrimination through other means, including by contacting the Institutional Equity Office (ieo@ou.edu, 405-325-3546) or police (911).
Because the University of Oklahoma is committed to the safety of you and other students, instructors are mandatory reporters. This means that they are obligated to report gender-based violence that has been disclosed to us to the Institutional Equity Office. This includes disclosures that occur in: class discussion, writing assignments, discussion boards, emails and during Student/Office Hours. For more information, please visit the Institutional Equity Office.
The English Department requires instructors to collect all graded major writing assignments by the end of each semester, and keep them until the grade challenge period for that semester has passed.
FYC Grade Challenge Policy
Academic Appeals at the University of Oklahoma and the Department of English follow a three-step process:
- First, the student must meet with her/his instructor in an effort to come to a resolution about the grade in question.
If resolution between student and instructor is not reached, during or after the semester is over the student may submit the essay in question to the Office of First Year Composition. FYC will review the essay according to the process stipulated below.
If the student is unsatisfied with the grade review assessment performed by FYC, s/he may choose to appeal to the College of Arts and Sciences by filling out and submitting the required form from their website: http://www.ou.edu/cas/students/student-forms
Office of First Year Composition Process of Grade Review
When a student has questions about essay grades or the final course grade, the first step is to meet with their instructor face-to-face to discuss the grade. Normally a student’s instructor can explain how grades are assigned as well as answer questions about student performance and evaluation. If issues related to the assigned grade remain unresolved even after the student meets with her or his instructor, the student may file a grade appeal with the Office of First Year Composition. The nature of the grievance must meet the criteria stated in this policy. Disliking a teacher or a teacher’s style is not reason enough for a grade change. Instances when a student feels a teacher is too harsh or strict in evaluation or when a student believes a teacher is ineffective are normally not grounds for filing a grade appeal.
You may appeal the assigned grade if the instructor has violated published policies and procedures, if the instructor has demonstrated prejudiced or capricious evaluation, or if the instructor has shown a consistent inability to communicate with students in ways necessary to their success.
Students may submit an essay during the semester or after the semester concludes up until the grade appeal deadline. If the student decides to appeal a grade during the semester, s/he must first meet with her/his instructor within 15 business days of receiving the grade. If the student and the instructor are unable to reach an understanding, the student may submit the essay in question, along with the completed grading rubric, to the Office of First Year Composition. Students appealing a grade must also submit a written request via email. This request should explain the student’s reasons for disputing the grade and should also indicate how the conversation with the instructor was unable to produce resolution or clarity.
The instructor must submit a letter of explanation, the original graded essay(s), assignment sheet(s) and grading criteria/rubric(s), and any other relevant material. All materials will be reviewed holistically by at least two members of FYC staff. Each reviewer will determine if the instructor’s assessment practices are consistent with published policies and procedures and avoid prejudice or capriciousness. Once two members of FYC staff have reviewed all materials (collected from both teacher and student), they will each put their assessment in writing and submit all materials to the Director of First Year Composition. The Director(s) will make the final assessment. Once the decision has been made, both instructor and student will be notified immediately.
If the student is unsatisfied with FYC decision, they must meet with the Director of The Office of First Year Composition. After this meeting, the student may appeal to CAS within 10 business days.
The deadline to file a grade dispute for a fall course is February 15th. The deadline to file a grade dispute for a spring course is September 15th.
