Shared Expectations for this Class
Preparation and Pacing
This class is a broad overview of the field of data analysis, and foundational skills in data and programming. We will cover a lot of information during the semester, and you will have many opportunities to practice these skills, discuss ethical aspects of data mining with your peers, and collaborate on projects. Group learning, coding, and discussion are key aspects of this course. This means that we all need to do our part to be prepared for each class, and to foster a positive and inquisitive learning environment. W&J four-credit courses are designed to require 10 hours of total work each week; this includes, at minimum, 180 minutes of weekly contact time with instructors.
In between classes you should:
- Review your notes from class
- Read relevant portions of your textbook or any online readings
- Refer to this site for updates to the schedule
- DO NOT wait until the last minute to begin your projects and assignments
- Proofread your writing and coding assignments
- Check your email and Sakai at least once a day to see if there are any updates
- EMAIL your instructor with any questions. Ask lots of questions!
Good participation should be understood as consistent and thoughtful contribution to the classroom community, an engagement with course materials and conversations, and a general responsiveness to (and respect for) one’s fellow students and instructor. Each class must create its own learning community as the result of shared efforts on the part of all members. It is your responsibility as a member of this learning community to help your fellow students by attending class and turning in assignments on time.
Ground Rules for Learning Technology Together
These rules are taken almost verbatim from Miriam Posner, and her original version can be found in this tweet.
THIS IS NOT A CONTEST. The only way to win is for everyone to win. If anyone has a question during class or outside of it, don’t hesitate to help (while upholding with the Academic Honesty policy).
YOU ARE NOT BAD AT TECHNOLOGY. That doesn’t even make sense, because technology is not any one thing; it’s a whole bunch of different skills, and it’s really unlikely that you’re bad at all of them.
YOUR MISTAKE IS ALMOST INVARIABLY MINOR. This is really common when people are learning new coding skills for the first time. I have seen people give up in frustration because they can’t remember where they saved their file. THIS IS FIXABLE. It does not mean you are a hopeless case!
NO ONE IS AN EXPERT AT EVERYTHING. You just can’t be on the cutting edge of exploratory data analysis, statistical modeling, Python, data visualization, network analysis, GIS, etc., etc. Even seasoned experts are usually only great at one or two of these. Our goal here is to be good generalists!
WE DO NOT SINK OR SWIM IN MY CLASS. There is no shame in reaching out to me or your classmates for help. Everyone swims or no one swims!
Attendance & Lateness
Attending class is not optional: regular attendance is necessary to succeed in this course. Each day will have new content, activities, and learning opportunities. You’ll want to attend as much as possible to avoid falling behind. You can miss 3 class sessions without penalty. This is a generous policy that should cover absences due to illness, sports, academic trips, interviews, etc. If you have a special case, such as a long-term illness, contact me as soon as possible.
However, if you miss more than 3 classes, you will be marked down one grade “step” for each additional class missed. (For example, if you miss four classes and your final grade is 90% (A-), your fourth absence will cause you to have a B+ instead.) There are no “excused” absences, so you do not need to contact me if you have missed or will miss a class. You will be marked absent regardless of your reason for missing class.
Though you’re not required to, you can always reach out to me or a classmate to find out what you missed. Missing class is not an excuse for missing assignment deadlines, being unprepared for the next class session, or falling behind on the weekly workshops. You are responsible for keeping up-to-date with the work of the course or for communicating with me about unexpected circumstances which change your ability to do so. You can always reach out to me or a classmate to find out what you missed. We’re all in this together, and I’ll do my best to make sure no one falls behind.
You should make every effort to be in class on time, since that is the best way to be a thoughtful member of our classroom community. However, I understand that sometimes you get held up and may arrive a little late. Keep in mind that any lateness over 30 minutes will be counted as an absence. Also, if you are consistently late we may need to have a conversation, and repeated, consistent lateness may be counted as absence.
Late Assignments and Extensions
All assignments are due by the time listed on the prompt. I know that things don’t always go according to plan. If you need an extension, simply ask for one (using the web form), and you’ll almost always receive it. You don’t need an excuse to receive an extension!
However, you must ask for the extension at least 24 hours before the assignment deadline. To request an extension, simply fill out this form, where you will propose a new deadline for the assignment (a good rule of thumb is a day or two after the original deadline). Any work received late (less than 48 hours) without an agreed-upon extension will receive a point deduction.
But keep in mind: I cannot accept any assignment more than 48 hours late. Assignments more than 48 hours late will receive a 0.
Academic Honesty and Integrity
In this course, as in all courses, you are expected to adhere to W&J’s standards of academic honesty and integrity. You should refer to the College Catalog on MyW&J for the details of this policy and how cases of academic misconduct are handled.
In general, when completing writing assignments, ensure all work is your own, and give credit where it is due in your citations. Writing should never be generated with AI platform or software tool in this course, under any circumstances. Remember that you are permitted to work together on workshop assignments, but not on individual assignments. If you have any concerns about whether you might have plagiarized (e.g., if you’re not sure about some particular rule), please get in touch with me immediately—I will gladly discuss the matter with you.
Academic Honesty & Coding
These standards of academic integrity apply to coding as well as other kinds of classwork. Citation isn’t just for papers! It’s very common, and perfectly permissible, to borrow code snippets from a classmate or from somewhere online. When you do, make sure to include a note in your code’s comments about where the code came from, including a link if possible. Not only will this let you give appropriate intellectual credit and avoid plagiarism, it will also help you remember what you were trying to do when you revise your code later.
With regard to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, GitHub Copilot, or any related generative AI systems, keep in mind that in this class you are only permitted to use these systems to help with your code, never with your writing. If you do use a code assistant to help, you must cite what you used in a comment and include a link to the chat record every time you use it. And keep in mind that these tools may not give you the best advice! It’s always better to work from our course guides or ask a classmate for help.
Names and Pronouns
Everyone has the right to be addressed as they feel most comfortable. It’s hard to learn if you cringe every time I call on you or address you in communication. I will ask everyone at the beginning of the semester to tell me their preferred name, pronunciation, and the pronouns they use. I will do my very best to get it right. Please do not feel the need to change your name or pronouns to “make it easy” for me, and please correct me if I get it wrong! This policy goes for everyone—use the names and pronouns dictated by the person to whom they belong. Also, our personal growth does not always align with the semester system: If your name or pronoun changes part way through the class, please send me an update!
Class Technology
Please be respectful with your use of class computers, laptops, and other technology in class. I request that you only use them for class related purposes, as I and others may find them distracting (For example, no email or social media should be open in your browser tabs!). Phones should be kept silent and put away at all times, and you can expect the same from me.
Email Response Time
I encourage you to email me anytime with questions or thoughts about the class. It can sometimes take me up to 24 hours to respond to your message, but I will do my best to get back to you within that period. On the weekends (Friday 5pm–Monday 9am), the response time is 48 hours. This means that if you have a question about an assignment that you email to me the night before something is due, I may not be able to get back to you until after the assignment was due. In these cases, it’s best to plan ahead. But don’t hesitate to email whenever you have a question, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!
Important Resources for this Class and Your College Journey
CIS PAL Tutors
The CIS department has its own PAL tutors: they’re available to help Sunday–Thursday evenings from 7–10pm in the CIS Lounge on the second floor of the Tech Center. (I’ll post more detailed tutor bios and schedules on Sakai.)
All the CIS PAL tutors are students who’ve taken this class before and/or have lots of knowledge about Python and data analysis. They’re a great resource, and they’re there to help you! I encourage you to take advantage of their expertise when you have questions or need help.
Mental Health
What we do in college is not easy, on many fronts. Students are challenged with feelings of depression, anxiety, and self harm at astonishingly high rates. Learning is hard, and you will likely be challenged in college in ways that you haven’t experienced before. Learning while life is hard is even harder. Please take care of yourself. Drink water, eat well, and get more than seven hours of sleep. Have some hobbies, but don’t feel the need to do everything. If you are feeling depressed, withdrawn, anxious, like an impostor, or you are having specific problems with harassment, assault, bias, etc., please seek help. There are many resources on campus, and my door and email are always open.
- Please also consider contacting the Crabtree Center for Student Wellbeing at 724-223-6107 or scheduling online through MyW&J: https://mywj.washjeff.edu/office/Student-Counseling
- The Center for Wellbeing offers both in-person and telehealth counseling options if you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, lost, or are struggling with personal issues. Telehealth therapy can be accessed through our partnership with BetterMynd: https://www.bettermynd.com/. These sessions are free and confidential.
- As a student, you also have access to a 24/7/365 Counseling Support Line 844-287-6963 if you need to speak to someone immediately.
Disability Support Services
Washington & Jefferson College is committed to providing academic accommodations for students with disabilities. Accommodations are available for students with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, and mental health diagnoses that meet the definition of a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Students who believe they may qualify for academic accommodations should contact the Director for Academic Success on the Clark Family Library Ground Floor at 724-223-6008 or dss@washjeff.edu. Additional information about the accommodations process is available to the public on the College’s website, and to faculty and staff on the MyW&J landing page for the Disability Support Services Office.
W&J Library
I highly recommend that you make use of the W&J Library resources while navigating your work this semester. That includes not only primary literature, access to databases, and book references, but also the friendly members of the library staff. They are excellent resources for finding information efficiently, or learning what you can access through W&J subscriptions that might not be freely available on the internet. The W&J Library page for CIS is https://libguides.washjeff.edu/cis. There is also a dedicated LibGuide for Data Science at https://libguides.washjeff.edu/datascience.
Writing Center
Staffed by student Peer Writing Tutors, the Writing Center is a free resource available to all W&J students. Writing Tutors from many majors help writers one-on-one in all phases of the writing process, from deciphering assignments, to discussing ideas, to developing an argument, to finalizing a draft. Because proofreading is a last step in that process, you should leave plenty of time (like at least a week) for getting your ideas right before expecting proofreading help. Consultants also can help writers with personal documents, like job and internship applications. The Center welcomes student writers with all varieties of backgrounds and college preparation, including multilingual writers. Please visit the Writing Center’s page on MyW&J for specific information regarding hours of availability and how to schedule an appointment.
Cautions regarding copyright and licensing
All documents provided to you (i.e. syllabus, paper prompts, tests, etc…) are the property of the instructor or author. It is a violation of intellectual property to post these online (especially to websites promoting copying/cheating) or to provide them to students not in our class or in future classes. Your papers are your property, and while you can do with them as you wish, it may be a violation of academic integrity to make them available to others who might use them for plagiarism. Basically, keep course materials and your work to yourself except in the process of editing and peer review.
Inclusion and Diversity
This course is open to anyone interested in data science and analysis. It is my intent to make all students feel welcome and served in this course by addressing their learning needs. We all (including myself) are continuously learning about different lived experiences and in this course we will encounter anti-racist pedagogy and confront inequities in how data is collected and used. In this course, if you encounter anything said (intentionally or unintentionally) that made you feel uncomfortable, please talk to me about it. If your learning is impacted by your background, or any life event going on outside of class, feel free to talk to me. Even if you choose not to share details, I would be happy to direct you to the right resources on campus.
This semester we will address topics which may be emotionally difficult. I acknowledge that each of you has their own specific life history, family context, identity, body—and that these realities have an impact on how you understand and interact with our course materials. Therefore, I ask you to generally familiarize yourself with the content of our discussions ahead of time, and if for any reason you believe you will be unable to participate in a discussion of certain themes or elements, please contact me beforehand and/or seek the support of any of the formal or informal resources available to you on campus, some of which are included in this syllabus. I look forward to creating a safe learning environment together this semester!