Welcome to our class! I created this guide to help you navigate the most important and used resources of our class as quickly and efficiently as possible. Please use this guide as a tool to help you navigate the course and be successful in your endeavours.
Tutoring Assignment:
A requirement for this class is that you attend at least one tutoring session during the course of this class. In an effort to be proactive instead of reactive, you must attend the tutoring session within the first 2-4 weeks of class. You can access tutoring as many times as you need during the term, but you must attend at least once to receive credit for this assignment.
Tutoring is available face-to-face and online all week long.
Scheduling a Tutoring Appointment:
Plan ahead and schedule your appointment early to guarantee your preferred availability. You can meet with the tutor in person in the LRC (library), Writing Center (Wilkerson Hall), or STEM Center (Wood Building). You can also book an online tutoring session which will allow you to visit with a tutor virtually. You must book a 15-minute session or longer to count for this assignment. Watch Video on Scheduling Tutoring Appointment
Click on the following link to schedule an appointment:
Use your OC email address to create your account and set your password to: oc#### (last four digits of SSN or ID number)
Pro-Tip: Make sure to VERIFY your email address after you create your account and set up your profile with your phone number to receive appointment notifications!
To Receive Credit for your Tutoring Appointment:
Instructors will receive bi-weekly reports of students who attend tutoring for each course.
Preparing for your Tutoring Session:
Maximize your time with a tutor by coming prepared with all necessary materials (i.e. class notes, assignment guidelines, textbooks, writing drafts, flash drive, calculator, etc.). Tutors are strictly prohibited from assisting with exams, but they can help you review assignments and study for exams/quizzes.
Artificial Intelligence, including large language models like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Google Gemini, can supplement learning and writing processes when used ethically and sensibly. However, using any AI tool for any assignment in this course in a way that doesn’t meet the criteria of “original effort” is not accepted. Your work in this course should demonstrate that you are thinking for yourself about complex ideas and issues.
AI technologies are constantly changing and being used more broadly for a variety of purposes. As a result, it is difficult, if not impossible, to provide a comprehensive set of rules for how and when it should be used. For our purposes, though, here are some general guidelines that distinguish acceptable and unacceptable uses for assignments:
| AI Use | Acceptable? | |
|---|---|---|
| Summarizing, simplifying, or clarifying a reading assignment or text | Yes | |
| Brainstorming ideas and strategies for answering an assignment prompt, such as asking for guidance on developing a thesis statement, organizing an essay, and using evidence to support claims | Yes | |
| Spell checking, proofreading, and learning about how to correct grammar issues | Yes, but with caution: AI’s spelling and grammar checking is not always accurate | |
| Creating an essay outline | Yes, but the writing in the outline should primarily be your own | |
| Translating text from one language to another | Yes, but the translation may not be 100% accurate and may sometimes be biased against non-English languages | |
| Improving text to sound “better,” “more sophisticated,” or “smarter,” and/or screening text for feedback and correction | Yes, but with caution: ensure any synonyms AI suggests make sense within the context of your writing | |
| Using it as a search engine like Google to find information and sources | Yes, but most publicly available AI aren’t trained on the most current information (breaking news, etc.) | |
| Selecting quotes or important information from a text | Yes, but the AI needs very specific prompting from you and even then may not complete the task correctly | |
| Citing sources or incorporating sources into your writing | No, because AI can be wrong and often creates "hallucinations" that look correct but often don't exist | |
| Writing a response to a prompt for you to copy and paste as your own without further reflection, editing, revision, or addition on your part |
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| Writing a discussion post, journal, or essay for you | No, because this doesn't meet the standard of "original effort." |
If you plan to use AI appropriately and successfully in this course, you should:
While AI-writing checkers do exist, they aren’t reliable (yet). However, if your instructor suspects that AI tools have been used to complete an assignment, you may be requested to provide the following before a grade is assigned:
Until these materials have been submitted and reviewed by your instructor, a zero may be given for the assignment.
Violation of this course’s AI policy is a form of academic dishonesty. It could result in more serious consequences beyond failing a single assignment, including academic probation, suspension, expulsion, and loss of financial aid.
Did you know? Students at Odessa College have free access to the Microsoft office suites. Microsoft Office 365 gives students online versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote. It also provides 1TB of online storage (for free) and access to OneDrive (Microsoft's cloud space).
To Get Started with Office 365 Students Need to Do the Following:
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