Syllabus Statements

Instructors sometimes wish to include statements regarding specific policies or procedures in their syllabi. The following template syllabus statements can be used or modified as appropriate.

Academic Misconduct

The University of Michigan community functions best when its members treat one another with honesty, fairness, respect, and trust. The college promotes the assumption of personal responsibility and integrity and prohibits all forms of academic dishonesty and misconduct. All cases of academic misconduct will be referred to the LSA Office of Student Academic Affairs. Being found responsible for academic misconduct will usually result in a grade sanction, in addition to any sanction from the college. For more information, including examples of behaviors that are considered academic misconduct and potential sanctions, please see lsa.umich.edu/lsa/academics/academic-integrity.html

Use of ChatGPT and other AI Tools

Instructors in this course may ask you to provide evidence of your learning through written work. When they do, the writing you submit must be of your own creation. Your writing will naturally be informed by other written work. When it is, you must be sure to acknowledge this influence through appropriate citation.

In the past, the ‘other written work’ was always created by another human. These days, artificial intelligence (AI) tools can be used to generate text, code, and images in response to a prompt. Such automatically generated text is not your work and cannot be submitted as if it is.

Work generated by AI tools like ChatGPT is a source that may inform your writing, just as books, papers, lecture notes, websites, and the results of Google searches can. As always, it’s your responsibility to assess the reliability of every source you use. In that context, you should be aware that the output of AI tools is constructed to sound plausible, and not checked by any expert. These results are often completely invented.

Course Recordings

Instructor Wishing to Record Course Activity

Course lectures may be audio/video recorded and made available to other students in this course. As part of your participation in this course, you may be recorded. If you do not wish to be recorded, please contact [instructor/gsi email address] the first week of class (or as soon as you enroll in the course, whichever is latest) to discuss alternative arrangements.

Instructor Wishing to Prohibit Student Recordings

Students are prohibited from recording/distributing any class activity without written permission from the instructor, except as necessary as part of approved accommodations for students with disabilities. Any approved recordings may only be used for the student’s own private use.

Additional information regarding course recordings and privacy concerns can be found on the UM ITS Recording and Privacy Concerns webpage.

Disability Statement

The University of Michigan recognizes disability as an integral part of diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive and equitable educational environment for students with disabilities. Students who are experiencing a disability-related barrier should contact Services for Students with Disabilities https://ssd.umich.edu/; 734-763-3000 or ssdoffice@umich.edu). For students who are connected with SSD, accommodation requests can be made in Accommodate. If you have any questions or concerns please contact your SSD Coordinator or visit SSD’s Current Student webpage. SSD considers aspects of the course design, course learning objects and the individual academic and course barriers experienced by the student. Further conversation with SSD, instructors, and the student may be warranted to ensure an accessible course experience.

Additional information for Faculty: Actively invite accommodations requests. You will receive notice about student accommodation needs through the Accommodate system run by Services for Students with Disabilities (https://ssd.umich.edu/).  These notices will outline accommodations you are required to implement in order to create equitable access to learning for the student.  For various reasons, students might not always choose to disclose accommodation needs right at the beginning of the term. If you let students know the kinds of pedagogies and learning activities you have planned, it can help them determine whether they are likely to require accommodations in your course. It is also useful to stay in communication with a student who has an accommodation need, especially if their apparent needs over time do not match your expectations based on the Accommodate information. 

Use this link to see SSD’s suggested syllabus statement (scroll to bottom of page) and to review other important information.

Mental Health and Well-Being

University Students may experience stressors that can impact both their academic experience and their personal well-being. These may include academic pressures and challenges associated with relationships, mental health, alcohol or other drugs, identities, finances, etc. If you are experiencing concerns, seeking help is a courageous thing to do for yourself and those who care about you. If the source of your stressors is academic, please contact me so that we can find solutions together. For personal concerns, U-M offers a variety of resources, many which are listed on the Resources for Student Well-being webpage. You can also search for additional well-being resources on that website.  

A longer syllabus statement option and additional information can be found on the Student Life Syllabus Statement for Student Well Being webpage.

Sexual Misconduct Policy

Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, which includes sexual misconduct — including harassment, domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. We understand that sexual violence can undermine students’ academic success and we encourage anyone dealing with sexual misconduct to talk to someone about their experience, so they can get the support they need. Confidential support and academic advocacy can be found with the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center (SAPAC) on their 24-hour crisis line, 734.936.3333 and at sapac@umich.edu.

Alleged violations can be non-confidentially reported to the Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX Office (ECRT) at ecrtoffice@umich.edu.

Student Parents and Caregivers

If you are a pregnant, parenting student, or primarily responsible for providing care for a loved one or family member, and you are in need of any accommodations, please let the instructor know at your earliest convenience. You may also reach out to mcasp.org and CEW+ for resources and community support.

Inclusive Syllabus Language

LSA Inclusive Teaching also has Inclusive Syllabus Language that may be adopted and adapted for instructor use.