Assignments and Graded Activities

Possible Points

First Examination

Basic Expectations Regarding Assignments

All assignments should be well‑researched, well‑written, and free of grammatical and spelling errors., They must include appropriate citations and references.  All research papers must adhere to APA format.  For more complete information about APA format, consult the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association.

Your reports should build upon the theories  and skills developed in this and prerequisite courses, including Research Methods and other core courses as well as the organizational communication courses you have completed or are taking concurrently.  Your reports should also draw from a variety of research  sources including articles from scholarly journals and books,  from trade books, and from training materials.  You must cite the source for any materials you use which you did not create; if you copy or adapt something from another source, give credit.  Although it would be fine to interview other faculty as part of your research,  please do not expect them to provide you with materials.  Some will be nice to you but will then tell me how lazy you were for expecting them to do your research for you or how arrogant you were for wishing to appropriate their materials and pass them off as your own.

Written Assignments should be well‑researched, well-written and free of grammatical and spelling errors.  They must include appropriate citations and references, and should conform with APA stylistic guidelines covered in the APA manual.

You and your team will work together on classroom exercises, on a report of a communication audit instrument/procedure, and on a communication audit term project.  You and your team may also need to coordinate your individual reports on communication instruments uses to assess communication competence, communication style, group communication, source valence, etc.

Team presentations will be evaluated by the instructor; your individual contributions to the group effort will be evaluated by the instructor and your fellow group members.  The instructor will consider all data before assigning your individual grade for group presentations.

The University does not tolerate academic dishonesty.  If you are unsure what that means, see "Chapter UWS 14-Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures" in the UWEC Student Services and Standards booklet.

Cheating.  If you are caught cheating on any exam, quiz, or homework assignment you will fail the course, and you may be (as others have been) expelled from your major or the university.  Cheating is defined as attempting to improve your grade through any method considered unethical by UWEC, including copying from another student’s work, bringing a “crib sheet” to an exam or quiz, etc. 

Plagiarism. According to Plagiarism.org, plagiarism is " the improper use, or failure to attribute, another person's writing or ideas (intellectual property). It can be as subtle as the inadvertent neglect to include quotes or references when citing another’s words or ideas, or as blatantly unethical as knowingly copying an entire paper verbatim and claiming it as your own work.

Plagiarism is a form of cheating. Depending on the extent of the dishonesty involved, plagiarism may result in a failing grade for the assignment, a failing grade for the course, expulsion from your major, or expulsion from the university.