Instructor Policies

CJA304
Interpersonal Communications

Facilitator Information
Ross Horme
rhorne20026@email.phoenix.edu (University of Phoenix)
fyrcop1@gmail.com (Personal)
312 613 9182 (Central)
Facilitator Availability
I am available from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Central Time on most days, but I attempt to reserve Sunday for my
family. On Saturdays, I tend to be online in the morning only. If these times are not convenient for you,
please let me know. I will be happy to accommodate your schedule, if possible. I provide you with these
times to make it easier to communicate with me, and not to limit our contact.
I want you to know that, should you need to contact me outside these time frames, you should not
hesitate to do so.
For emergencies, when you are not able to gain access to messages in the classroom, please send a
message to my personal email address. In the event a third party needs to contact me, please direct them
to my contact information listed under "facilitator information." No third party should use your login
credentials to gain access to the classroom.

Late Assignments
Late assignments receive a 20% deduction for each day they are late if assignments are not posted by
11:59 p.m. M.S.T. on the day they are due. Assignments more than 2 days late will not be accepted.
Technological issues are not considered valid grounds for late assignment submission. In the event of a
University of Phoenix server or classroom outage, students should submit assignments to the instructor
via email to demonstrate timely submission and when systems are restored, submit those assignments
according to syllabus instructions. Unless an Incomplete grade has been granted, learner
assignments submitted after the last day of class will not be accepted.

Learning Teams
One of the learning goals at the University is to help students develop the skill of effective collaboration
and team competence.
Several of the assignments in this class will be completed in Learning Teams of three to five students. I
will set up these teams by the end of Week 1. If you have any requests for teammates, please let me
know by Thursday of the first week via private message. Learning Team Charters and Peer
Evaluation forms are required. Please see the instructions in the weekly sections of the syllabus for more
information about the team assignments.
University of Phoenix students are expected to work effectively in diverse groups and teams to achieve
tasks. They must collaborate and function well in team settings as both leaders and followers. They
should respect human diversity and behave in a tolerant manner toward colleagues and peers. If you
experience difficulties working with your team, you are expected to resolve them within the team if
possible using the terms of the Learning Team Charter. However, please feel free to contact me for
guidance if you have concerns in this area.
It is expected that you will actively participate with your learning team and contribute to the team
discussions and assignments by a) contributing original work that is accepted and used by the team with
proof of originality b) participating in the project from assignment organizing through meaningful final

review of the team project for submission, and c) ensuring to your team that your contributions are your
original work and properly quoted, cited, and referenced.
Because Learning Team projects are outcome-based, all members of your Learning Team will generally
earn the same grade for Learning Team projects. However, I reserve the right to report different grades for
different Learning Team members if I see a substantial imbalance in individual contribution. The Learning
Team as a group is responsible for the APA formatting, originality, and grammatical correctness
work of each individual member. Learning Teams may hold conference calls, work in a real-time chat
room, or get together outside the OLS (Online Learning System) environment in another way; however,
do not use any of these supplementary communication tools unless everyone on your Learning Team
agrees to the method and to the schedule. If you have any questions, please contact me.
One of the assignments in this class will be completed in Learning Teams of three to five students
(dependent upon class size). Participation in the discussions related to this assignment will not count
towards your individual class participation score.
A learning team functions as a team; it does not function as a group comprised of specific students. One
of the most commonly made mistakes regarding learning teams is that team members look at each other
as group members instead of team members. In a group, certain responsibilities can be assigned or
volunteered for and other group members can assume that the task has been accomplished by a specific
member. In a learning team, everyone is responsible for everything; although a team member may take
on a specific task, a team functions as an individual entity and not just a group of individuals.
Although your team may divide parts of an assignment among individual members, each team member is
responsible for every other team members work. A team member that fails to include proper APA
formatting or uses incorrect grammar or spelling is at fault; however, the team is at fault if these mistakes
are not corrected through team editing. Although a team member posts a message in the team forum
stating that the teams assignment has been posted, the entire team is responsible for ensuring that the
assignment has been posted and that the post in the Assignments tab is the correct assignment.
The team assignment is graded as a product of the teams efforts; it is not necessarily an indicator of an
individual team members grade. Members of a team are expected to contribute equally to the completion
of the project. A team member who is deficient in this regard can expect to earn a grade that is lower than
the grade earned by other team members.
It is important that all team members understand the distinctions made above. If there are any questions
concerning this topic, please let me know.
Learning Teams should provide a brief summary of any communication held outside the classroom.
Therefore, if you hold conference calls, work in a real-time chat room, or get together outside the
classroom environment in another way, please post a log, transcript, or summary in the Learning Team
discussion section. Further, do not use any of these supplementary communication tools unless everyone
on your Learning Team agrees to the method and to the schedule. If you have any questions, please
contact me.

Plagiarism____________________________________________________________
The Certificate of Originality that is required as a submission along with each assignment submitted to the
Assignments section is your signed certification that you have not plagiarized your assignment.
Assignments include:
Weekly assignments, Individual or team, including worksheets, papers, or PowerPoints
Assignments are to contain your own words, your thoughts and research. If you use an outside source in

any assignment you must include a reference to that source.

Plagiarism is a serious academic offense carrying serious consequences. Faculty has experience
and extended resources in detecting plagiarism and routinely submits all assignments through the
Plagiarism Checker.
The policies against plagiarism are not to be construed as intolerance for mistakes. Purchasing
assignments from Internet web sites, copying and using material from web sites without properly citing
and referencing the material, and/or using any work of someone else and passing that work off as the
work of the student, is deemed unacceptable. This also includes using previously submitted material.
It is suggested that you visit the Library; then select the Center for Writing Excellence. On the left side of
the page, you will see a link for Tutorials and Guides and below that link; you will see a link for Grammar
and Writing Guides. Both of these sections provide a lot of great information regarding APA as well as
plagiarism avoidance. There is also a Plagiarism Tutorial that contains an Avoiding Plagiarism Mastery
Test. Completion of the mastery test is strongly suggested.
Self-Plagiarism, Double Dipping, or Dovetailing
Another form of plagiarism that most people do not think of is self-plagiarism, also known as double
dipping or dovetailing. This type of plagiarism occurs when you include information in an essay from a
paper that you had previously written, but you do not include a correct citation. Many believe that since
they wrote the paper, it is not necessary to cite their own words.
Self-plagiarism, however, is just as serious as any other type of plagiarism and carries the same
consequences. This type of plagiarism occurs in the following instances when you

Copy words without citation from a paper you had previously written

Paraphrase information from your previously written paper

Submit a paper written for another class (with or without changes)

In order to avoid self-plagiarism, be sure to do the following when using information you have previously
written:

Obtain approval from the current faculty member to include the material

Cite the source in the text

It is recommended that you include a reference entry for your paper even though it is information that the
general reader may not be able to access. Use this format for referencing your work:
Author, A. B. (Year). Title of paper. Unpublished paper, Course prefix/NumberTitle of course, University
Name, City, State.
Reference;
University of Phoenix (2009) Students Rights and Responsibilities pg. 29-30

Participation
For full participation credit during participation weeks, you are required to contribute a total of eight
substantive messages each week in the classroom. The eight messages must occur on at least three

different days during the online week to earn full credit.

I will subtract a grading penalty for not meeting the three day or eight posting minimum. I will deduct one
third of the available points for posting on only two days of the week, and two-thirds of the available points
for only posting one day of week. Points (.37 of a point per post) will be deducted for each post less than
the required eight per week.
Your responses to the DQ answers of your classmates and the ensuing discussion are also considered
participation in the discussion. In order for your responses to count towards participation, the posts
should be no less than 50 words in length, and relevant to the topic being discussed. See below
for required DQ responses.
The purpose of earning weekly points regarding participation is to provide a grade for that weeks
discussion. The discussion for the week ends at midnight on Monday. Any posts contributed after Monday
night at midnight do not count toward participation for that week. If you wish to continue a previous weeks
discussion, by all means do so. The continuance of the conversation is not discouraged. However, there
are no points given for posts to a previous weeks discussion. Participation requirements and points for
the week pertain only to the current weeks discussion.
*A Substantive Response

Encourages additional discussion by

asking thought-provoking questions that
expands the discussion.
Shares ones own experience in
relationship to the topics being
discussed.
Suggestions solutions.
Constructively disagrees at times.
Refers to course readings.
Is relevant to the course objectives.
Demonstrates content knowledge in
relationship to the discussion.
Offers creative contributions with
examples.
Shares resources.

An Un-substantive Response
Only shares thoughts.
Is not interactive.
Does not enhance the discussion.
Lacks of real world examples.
Does not reflect content knowledge.
Is very brief (less than 50 words) and
lacks details.
Does not expand the discussion with
follow up questions.
Is not relevant to the course topics or
objectives.
Simply repeats or states an agreement
to another post.

*One or
more
bullets
from the substantive column would qualify the post for a substantive rating.

Expectations for Discussion Question Responses

Please post responses to the threads provided. To respond, open the appropriate thread, click on Reply,
type your response, and post. The use of reference material is highly suggested however; reference
material should not exceed more than 20% of the response.
Unlike your formal written assignments, I do not require that your discussion question responses adhere
to specific formatting requirements. However, please make sure to proofread carefully. Grammar and

spelling errors may impact your grade.

I expect your discussion question responses to reflect critical thought. Whenever possible, please try to
relate the course content to real-world applications from your work experience.
NC icons -

and

The S symbol stands for substantive. I will mark all candidate substantive participation notes with this
icon. If you see an S next to your message, then you will know that the facilitator has deemed your post
as substantive. Candidate participation posts that add relevant ideas or analysis to the discussion and
help move the conversation forward will earn this mark. Note that only you can see the marks next to your
posts. You will not see the marks next to other candidates posts. All applicable candidate messages will
be marked within a 24-48 hour period.
A U notation next to your message means that the post was unsubstantive. You may see a U next to
one of your messages if it is brief or social in nature. When you reply to one of your peers with an I agree
or Good job type message, then the U may apply. This type of marker is not designed to discourage
participants from sending short, supportive type messages to their peers. This is not a negative symbol; it
merely makes the distinction between substantive or unsubstantive participation posts.
Note. It is okay to post messages that do not qualify for a green S, especially when you simply wish to
compliment someone for an outstanding posting or acknowledge that you understand someone else's
thoughts, etc. Messages that are not marked as substantive do not count against your work in class; they
simply indicate the posting did not qualify for participation credit.

Attachments
Please do not use attachments in the Main forum. Post DQ responses in the body of OLS
messages. Please post formal assignments and your Team assignment in the Assignment Section.
Navigate to the Assignments link on eCampus. Locate the link to submit your assignment as an
attachment.

Assignment Requirements
Critical Thinking: I like to see more critical thinking in your own words in an assignment. It
is good to use quotes but they should not be more than 20 percent of the paper. If there is
more than 20 percent that is copied from other sources then there will be a point deduction.
Using mostly quotes and block quotes for the majority of your paper is not critical thinking. Of
course, I will be looking for proper in-text citations in APA style for quotes and block
quotes.
All assignments should reflect college level writing abilities and be formatted
according to APA guidelines. Templates to assist in formatting your papers can be
found; at eCampus, go to Library > Center for Writing Excellence > Tutorials & Guides
> APA Information.
References: All course work must uphold the high standards of academic integrity
established by University of Phoenix. The research conducted by students/learners must be
peer reviewed academic journals, such as those in the University Library, or the additional
readings on the course materials for each course. Internet searches often lead to
nonacademic information resources such as Wikipedia.org, Ask.com, Encarta.msn.com,
Infoplease.com, About.com, Enzine, Yahoo Answers, Answers.com, and several other

inappropriate websites. These sources are not to be used as they are not academic in
nature. The student/learner is responsible for the accuracy of any facts in assignments-UOP
Policies.
This is a reminder that it is each students responsibility to make sure that assignments are correctly
posted. If an assignment is posted as an attachment, this includes making sure that the correct
attachment is included and in the correct format.
Please take the following steps when posting assignments:
1.

After you post your assignment, please double check that you can open and read your
assignment before you exit the classroom.

2.

If you worked on the assignment in multiple drafts, please make sure the correct draft is posted.

3. Make sure that you have posted the assignment to the correct class, and to the correct forum.
4. If you are posting your assignment as an attachment, be sure the correct attachment is included.
In addition, please make sure your attachment is posted as a Microsoft Office 2003 or 2007
document. Do not post your assignment as a Works or WordPad document.
Please understand that if the wrong attachment is included, or if the attachment is in the
wrong format or posted in the wrong class, the assignment will be considered missing. If the
assignment needs to be reposted later to correct the problem, the lateness policy will apply.
20% will deducted for each day the assignment is posted after the deadline, and the
assignment will not be accepted if it is more than two days late.

Word Count Requirements

The word count in the assignment instructions serves the purposes of standardizing the length of
everyones paper, providing some parameters regarding what is expected concerning the paper, and
encouraging the expansion of the presentation of information. Encouragement regarding the expansion of
the presentation of information allows for the demonstration of knowledge, understanding of the topic, and
a greater degree of research concerning the information.
The word count requirements for your papers do not include the title page or the references page. The
word count is only applicable to the body of your paper. Also, quoted material will not be considered
toward the word count requirement. The minimum amount of words is required while, in this class, the
maximum amount of words is not applicable.
Pay particular attention to the word count requirements of the assignment instructions. If the instructions
call for 1450 to 2250 words, in this class, you may write more than 2250 words but not less than 1450.
If there are any questions about this, please let me know.

Student Code of Conduct

The Student Code of Conduct of University of Phoenix supports the University's mission to provide
access to higher education opportunities that enable students to develop the knowledge and skills
necessary to achieve their professional goals, improve the productivity of their organizations, and provide
leadership and service to their communities.
Students are expected to conduct themselves ethically, honestly, and with integrity as responsible
members of the University's academic community. This requires the demonstration of mutual respect and
civility in academic and professional discourse.

A University is a marketplace of ideas and, in the search for truth, it is essential that freedom exists for
contrary ideas to be expressed. Accordingly, students are expected to respect the rights and privileges of
others and to foster an environment conducive to learning. Students are accountable for their actions and
are required to work independently, as well as collaboratively in achieving learning goals and objectives.
By virtue of membership in the University's academic community, students accept an obligation to abide
by this Student Code of Conduct. Conduct, either on or off-campus, that is determined to impair, interfere,
or obstruct the opportunities of others to learn or that disrupts the mission, processes, or orderly functions
of the University will be deemed misconduct and shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.
Misconduct for which students are subject to disciplinary action includes, but is not limited to, the following
enumerated violations:
1. Actions, oral statements, and written statements which threaten or violate the personal safety of any
member of the faculty, staff, or other students, or any conduct which interferes with the educational
process or institutional functions.
2. Harassment, sexual or otherwise, that has the effect of creating a hostile or offensive educational
environment for any student, faculty, or staff member.
3. Disruptive behavior that hinders or interferes with the educational process.
4. Violation of any applicable professional codes of ethics or conduct.
5. Failure to promptly comply with any reasonable directive from faculty or University officials.

Technical Support
Technical Support is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call 1-877-832-4867, or use the e-mail
support form.
Answers to the most common issues are found in the Knowledge Base by clicking Help, found at the top
of every student Web site.

Feedback
Each week, I will provide grades or scores and comments on assignments within 6 days of when they
were submitted.

Grading Scale
Grade
Percentage

A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
95+ 90-94 87-89 84-86 80-83 77-79 74-76 70-73 67-69 64-66 60-63 <60