LASB Course Policies & Guidelines

LASB Professionalism Statement

To aid us in meeting the Nevada State (NS) mission, the School of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Business (LASB) fosters both physical and virtual learning environments where our individual differences can deepen our understanding of one another and the world around us. In our learning environments, people of all races, ethnicities, genders, gender identities, religions, ages, sexual orientations, disabilities, socioeconomic backgrounds, linguistic backgrounds, regions, and nationalities are encouraged to share their rich array of perspectives and experiences.

LASB’s norms of student professionalism serve as a guideline for a productive learning environment through civil discourse. This includes maintaining politeness even in the face of deep-rooted disagreements; claiming and caring for one’s own needs without degrading others; intentionally negotiating interpersonal dynamics with courtesy; seeking common ground; maintaining a high level of integrity and ethics; contributing to a disruption-free environment; and, staying present to the moment with others and oneself.

If you feel your differences may in some way isolate you from this learning community, please speak with the instructor early in the semester about your concerns as to help you become an active and engaged member of our class and community.

The following items are designed to ensure we uphold the Student Professionalism Statement in all learning environments.

The Student Professionalism Statement applies to all persons in the learning environment including students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
All members of our learning community are expected to act and speak with professionalism and with respect for the dignity of others.
Our communication is open, honest, and respectful in conveying thoughts, ideas, feelings, and behaviors.
We all take responsibility for our own behavior within the learning community.

Plagiarism, Cheating, and Copyright Infringement

Plagiarism can involve directly quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing the work of others without specifically citing sources, or handing in work that is not your own. The video linked here reviews what plagiarism is and how to avoid it (closed caption is provided).

Cheating can involve deception about your own work or about the work of someone else, and can include unauthorized giving or receiving of information in exams or other exercises or assessments. The use of books, notes, mobile devices, or other reference materials and/or collaboration with other students is strictly prohibited on all quizzes and exams unless specific permissions have been given by the professor. Violating this rule is considered cheating. All assignments, quizzes, and exams, for both in-person and online classes, are to be completed by each student individually, unless otherwise documented by the instructor.

Detailed explanations and examples of plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic misconduct can be found in the LASB Academic Conduct Policy under the Resources & Policies section. You are responsible for reading, understanding, and abiding by these policies.

The grade of 0 or F may be assigned for any assignment, quiz, or exam in which plagiarism or cheating is discovered; depending on the severity of the incident (including whether the student has previous incidents), a grade of F may be assigned in the course and a Student Conduct charge may be filed. Evidence of such dishonesty will be kept on file, and will not be returned to the student. Instructors have the responsibility to report such incidents to the NS Conduct Office.

Copyright infringement includes sharing or posting course materials on external websites or other locations; NS instructors’ course materials are their intellectual property and are protected under copyright. Review these sites for more information about understanding copyright:

This section is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License and contains content from a variety of sources published under a variety of open licenses, including:

The video of “Plagiarism: How to Avoid It” was created by Bainbridge State College. This video is copyrighted and is not licensed under an open license. Embedded as permitted by YouTube’s Terms of Use.
Original content contributed by Lumen Learning

If you believe that a portion of this Open Course Framework infringes another’s copyright, contact us.

Turnitin

By taking courses in LASB, students agree that all required assignments may be submitted to Turnitin for detecting plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of the Turnitin service is subject to the Turnitin End-User License Agreement posted on the Turnitin site. If students do not agree, they should contact their instructor immediately.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use by Students

Please see the course syllabus in each and every class for the instructor’s stance on use of AI. It is important to note that each course and each instructor may have their own unique policy on AI. This is done to ensure the best learning outcomes for students in each course.

Student Email Policy

In order to ensure the delivery of official university communications, NS adopted a Student Email Policy that requires all formal emails from the university, except course-specific messages and announcements from instructors, to be sent to students using their official NS issued email address (@students.nevadastate.edu). Instructors may use the Canvas Inbox and announcements to send messages about specific courses.

How do I find my student email address? You can view your address by visiting the NS Portal -> Student Center -> Personal Information -> Email Addresses. Your NS email address will be listed under “NS Campus.”

How do I access my email account? You can access your account by visiting the NS Portal and clicking on the email link in the QuickLaunch area. You can also add your account to your smartphone by downloading the Microsoft Outlook app available for Android and Apple devices.

Who should I contact if I have problems accessing my email? Contact the NS Support Center at (702) 992-2400 (menu option 3) or online at the NS Support Center.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

It is the policy and practice of Nevada State University (NS) to comply with principles of nondiscrimination and accommodation in academic programs, as described in the primary laws that affect higher education and disability. These include Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) (as amended in 2008). The Disability Resource Center (DRC) ensures that all students with disabilities are afforded the opportunity to access the same educational opportunities, receive the same information, engage in the same interactions, and are empowered to enjoy the same university experience as students without disabilities. They coordinate support services and reasonable accommodations for students qualifying with a disability. These services are free of charge. If you believe you may qualify for disability accommodations, contact the DRC directly.

Diversity and Inclusion Statement

At Nevada State University, we celebrate the storied backgrounds of our campus community. We operate with a shared commitment to represent and serve the diverse population of Nevada and to encourage the exchange of ideas that respects and honors the lived experiences of our students, staff, and faculty. We foster a culture of inclusive excellence so our members can live authentically, fully engage, and flourish. In order to strengthen the university and progress its mission, we dedicate ourselves to intentional and ongoing reflection to meet the evolving needs of our campus, the surrounding communities, and the state of Nevada.

Appropriate Online and Video-Conferencing Behavior

Students are expected to follow proper etiquette when communicating in an online environment. These universal practices are commonly referred to as “netiquette.”

Best practices in general:

Use capital letters sparingly. THEY LOOK LIKE SHOUTING.
Forward emails only with a writer’s permission.
Be considerate of others’ feelings and use language carefully.
Cite all quotations, references, and sources (otherwise, it is Plagiarism).
Use humor carefully. It is hard to “read” tone; sometimes humor can be misread as criticism or personal attack. Feel free to use emoticons like 🙂 for a smiley face to let others know you are being humorous.
Use complete sentences and standard English grammar to compose posts. Write in proper paragraphs. Review work before submitting it.
Text speak, such as “ur” for “your” or “ru” for “are you” etc., is only acceptable when texting.

Best practices to keep video conferences efficient and productive:

Remember your audience when using backgrounds. For less formal situations, changing your background can be fun, as long as the content is not offensive or inappropriate. But often, simpler backgrounds are a better choice. They prevent distraction, set a more professional tone, and avoid issues that arise with backgrounds that may be perceived as inappropriate for an educational environment.
Be aware of your light source. Ideally, you want to face a light source or have it at your side. A light directly behind you, such as a window, creates backlighting and makes you hard to see.
Keep audio muted in large meetings. If there are more than three or four people in your conference, it is usually best to mute your microphone and unmute only when you are actively speaking.

Discussion board Netiquette:

This link is a helpful video explaining discussion board etiquette. Closed Caption is provided. Byuicurdev. (2012, June 12) Discussion Board Netiquette. Retrieved July 9, 2014.

This section is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License and contains content from a variety of sources published under a variety of open licenses, including:

Original content contributed by Lumen Learning

If you believe that a portion of this Open Course Framework infringes another’s copyright, contact us.

Video- or Audio-Recording Lectures

Students must seek specific permission from the instructor or guest lecturer before recording any lecture using either video- or audio-recording devices. If a student has DRC accommodations for recording lectures, they are covered by their accommodation letter.

This notice aligns with Board of Regents policy (Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 21): The use of covert video surveillance for anything other than a criminal investigation on campuses of the Nevada System of Higher Education is prohibited. If, in a criminal investigation, such video surveillance is used, it must be approved by the President or the President’s designee. This policy shall not interfere with the legitimate use of videotaping for academic purposes.

Withdrawing from a Course

If students do not actively attend and participate in a course during the first two weeks of regular-length fall and spring terms (dates for shorter terms and summer terms will be posted), they may be administratively dropped from that course for non-attendance, as explained in the Enrollment Cancellation for Non-Attendance (Ch 11) section of the NS Academic Operations Policy. It is the student’s responsibility to actively engage in each course and to verify with their instructor how they are counting “attendance” for the purposes of the policy.

Beyond the initial administrative drop for non-attendance, NS does NOT assign an automatic “W” or “Withdraw” grade if students stop coming to class or handing in assignments. Students will receive the grade they earned in the course based on work completed, and will be responsible for tuition and fees related to the course. It is the student’s responsibility to officially drop or withdraw from courses by posted deadlines. These dates are listed for each semester in the Academic Calendar more information regarding drops and withdrawals, see the Nevada State University Catalog.

Medical Withdrawals. If students need to withdraw from a course for medical reasons, additional options may be available. Read the Medical Withdrawals (Ch 17) section of the NS Academic Operations Policy for more information.

Enrollment Cancellation for Non-Attendance

Faculty/instructors must report whether students begin attending and participating in the academic content of all courses, including online courses. The Registrar’s Office will administratively drop students reported by faculty as not participating by the end of the second week of fall and spring terms (shortened deadlines apply to accelerated terms).

Administratively dropped students will be removed from the course and the course will not appear on their transcripts. The Cashier’s Office will reverse all charges related to the course and the Office of Financial Aid will make any necessary adjustments to dropped students’ award packages.

For more information, refer to the Enrollment Cancellation for Nonattendance (Ch 11) section of the NS Academic Operations Policy. Students who wish to drop or withdraw from a course remain responsible for doing so through their myNS student account.

Veterans and Military Students

Veterans and active duty military personnel with special circumstances are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to their instructors. If students are active duty, National Guard, or reserve and will be missing class due to military obligations, they are encouraged to submit those absences through the Student Absence Notification System. For more information regarding this process, please contact Academic Advising at aac@nevadastate.edu or call 702-992-2160. For complete information regarding the policy, please see the Military Leave for Students (Ch 10) section of the NS Academic Operations Policy.

Technical Support

Technical support is available to all currently enrolled students. To submit a question or request to support, please contact the Information & Technology Services (ITS) Support Center using one of the following methods: (1) the NS Portal; (2) via email support@nevadastate.edu; or (3) call (702) 992-2400 (live technical support is available to all currently enrolled students Mon-Fri, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm). If a technician is unavailable, please leave a detailed message including:

Your name and contact information.
Your student ID number.
A detailed description of your issue/request.

Once available, a technician will respond to your request in the order it was received. You may also log on to the online Support Portal to submit a work order and track the status of existing requests. The ITS Support Center is located on the second floor of the Rogers Student Center.

Canvas Support. Canvas provides help through its guides where you can search by topic or issue.

Minimum Technical Requirements

Using the eLearning environment WebCampus Powered by Canvas. Canvas runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, and mobile device operating systems iOS and Android. Download the free Canvas App for use on your mobile device.
Verifying your browser is the most current version and browser privacy settings are correct. Canvas recommends using the newest version of the following browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Respondus Lockdown Browser – supporting the latest system requirements. Visit the Canvas Guide on Supported Browers for the most current information.
Emailing your instructor and attaching files to emails using the Inbox (also referred to as the Conversations Inbox).
Creating files using MS word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint and attaching these files to your assignment submissions.
Managing your files. Create a folder for each course you are taking under My Documents on your computer. Create a folder for each week. Save your files often and with Lastname_WeekX-assignmentX.docx. It’s recommended that you save several versions to revert back to by adding -v1, -v2 etc. to the end of your filename for example Lastname_Week1-assignment1-v1.docx and Lastname_Week1-assignment1-final.docx.
Uploading MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Excel, PDFs in completing assignments.
You may also be asked to use a webcam and upload videos or audio files, use social media to communicate with your classmates, or collaborate electronically.
Researching information in the Library or using the Library databases. Make sure to include citations to avoid plagiarism.
Copying and pasting (Control C for copying and Control V for pasting on a PC, Command C for copying and Command V for pasting on a Mac) into a MS Word document or PowerPoint file.
Downloading and installing software and applications.