Important Information: English Department Policies

Important Information:

English Department Policies

Attendance	General Statement	The English Department of Alamance Community College has set the following attendance policy for all English classes. This policy will be enforced regardless of circumstances. For attendance purposes, an absence is an absence; there are no excused or unexcused absences. Although you are allowed the equivalent of two weeks' absence, we do not recommend that you miss this many classes. You may receive zeroes for class work you miss on those days. Furthermore, instructors who give a participation grade will penalize you for missing this much time. Be sure you know your instructor's policies.
	Three-hour classes	For classes that meet three (3) hours per week, students will be allowed six (6) hours of absence before being dropped. 3 classes per week: student allowed 6 absences, dropped on 7th 2 classes per week: student allowed 4 absences, dropped on 5th 1 class per week: student allowed 2 absences, dropped on 3rd
	Five-hour classes	For classes that meet five (5) hours per week, students will be allowed ten (10) hours of absence before being dropped. 5 classes per week: student allowed 10 absences, dropped on 11th 2 classes per week: student allowed 4 absences, dropped on 5th
	Summer classes	During the summer session, the policy is as follows: 5 classes per week: student allowed 5 absences, dropped on 6th 4 classes per week: student allowed 4 absences, dropped on 5th 3 classes per week: student allowed 3 absences, dropped on 4th 2 classes per week: student allowed 2 absences, dropped on 3rd
	Financial Aid Issues	Many students have financial aid packages that may be affected by a drop. Maintaining financial aid is the student's responsibility, not the instructor's. If being dropped cancels your financial aid, be sure you do not exceed the maximum number of absences allowed.
	Tardies	Three tardies add up to one absence. Do not make a habit of showing up late for class.
Plagiarism	A Warning	Plagiarism is stealing another person’s words or ideas and passing them off as your own. When you put your name on a paper in an English course at ACC, you are claiming ownership of that paper. You are saying, "I wrote this paper and the words and ideas in it are my own, except where I have credited my source through proper MLA documentation."
	Global Plagiarism	Global plagiarism involves copying an entire paper from another source, perhaps by borrowing a paper someone else wrote or downloading one from an Internet site. This type of plagiarism is grossly unethical and inexcusable. If you are caught committing this type of plagiarism, even on a rough draft, you will receive a zero on that assignment. This typically results in an "F" in the course. Sometimes students commit this type of plagiarism because they have waited until the last minute to do an assignment and they panic. However, a student would be much better off dropping the course than earning an "F" because of plagiarism.
	Patchwork Plagiarism	Cut and paste plagiarism, also called patchwork plagiarism, is no more ethical than global plagiarism. This type occurs when the writer cuts and pastes words, paragraphs, and even pages from different sources to create a whole paper which he or she then turns in as his or her own work. The student may have written an introduction, conclusion, or even a few transitions, but copied the rest of the paper word for word from different sources. Committing cut and paste plagiarism will also result in a zero on that assignment and can result in an "F" in the course.
	Incremental Plagiarism	Incremental plagiarism sometimes happen through carelessness or by accident. It occurs when the writer composes most of the words, but does not properly cite or credit the sources or does not paraphrase or quote correctly. Simply rearranging the words in the passages is not enough. A paraphrase should truly be in the writer's own words. Students are responsible for understanding how to use MLA Documentation, which is covered in class, course textbooks, handbooks, the laminated guide (included with the Hacker handbook), and online. Rough drafts with incremental plagiarism may be rewritten to eliminate the problem. Final drafts with incremental plagiarism will receive a grade penalty consistent with the amount and seriousness of the plagiarism.
	Turnitin.com	The Arts and Sciences Division now uses a plagiarism detection service called Turnitin.com to check papers plagiarism. You will probably be asked to submit your English papers to Turnitin online or to submit your papers in electronic format to be checked for plagiarism.
	Final Thoughts on Plagiarism	As a student, you are responsible for the integrity of your work. If you are not confident about your writing ability, your instructor and the English tutors in the Academic Skills Lab are there to help you. We as an English department are committed to the idea that writing is a process and that we all make mistakes and can learn from these mistakes. We allow submission of rough and final drafts to help you grow and learn as a writer. How can we help you if the words and ideas you turn in are not your own? Please do not put us in the position of having you fail one of our courses because of plagiarism. The experience will not be pleasant for any of us.
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