Syllabus Statements

NIU requires all syllabi to include a statement about disability accommodations, as specified in the Operating Procedures for Curricular Items. Students have the right to request disability-related accommodations for any course after registering with the Disability Resource Center, whether or not such a statement is included in the syllabus. Faculty may use the recommended statement, which is approved by the President’s Commission on Persons with Disabilities, or a similar statement of their own creation. The following recommended statement is available at Statement of Accessibility.

If you need an accommodation for this class, please contact the Disability Resource Center as soon as possible. The DRC coordinates accommodations for students with disabilities. It is located in the Campus Life Building, Suite 180, and can be reached at 815-753-1303 or drc@niu.edu.

Also, please contact me privately as soon as possible so we can discuss your accommodations. Please note that you will not be required to disclose your disability, only your accommodations. The sooner you let me know your needs, the sooner I can assist you in achieving your learning goals in this course.

Include a statement on academic integrity in your course syllabus. The following statement is from the NIU Undergraduate Catalog:

Good academic work must be based on honesty. The attempt of any student to present as his or her own work that which he or she has not produced is regarded by the faculty and administration as a serious offense. Students are considered to have cheated if they copy the work of another during an examination or turn in a paper or an assignment written, in whole or in part, by someone else. Students are guilty of plagiarism, intentional or not, if they copy material from books, magazines, or other sources without identifying and acknowledging those sources or if they paraphrase ideas from such sources without acknowledging them. Students guilty of, or assisting others in, either cheating or plagiarism on an assignment, quiz, or examination may receive a grade of F for the course involved and may be suspended or dismissed from the university.

The following samples are provided to assist you in developing coherent policies on the use of generative AI tools in your course. Please adjust the guidance to fit your particular context. Remember also to note in specific assignment descriptions where AI use is allowed or disallowed.

Acceptable Use of AI

This syllabus statement is useful when you are allowing the use of AI tools for certain purposes, but not for others. Adjust this statement to reflect your particular parameters of acceptable use. The following is an example.

The use of generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Dall-e, etc.) is permitted in this course for the following activities:

• Brainstorming and refining your ideas;
• Fine tuning your research questions;
• Finding information on your topic;
• Drafting an outline to organize your thoughts; and
• Checking grammar and style.

The use of generative AI tools is not permitted in this course for the following activities:

• Impersonating you in classroom contexts, such as by using the tool to compose discussion board prompts assigned to you or content that you put into a Zoom chat.
• Completing group work that your group has assigned to you, unless it is mutually agreed upon that you may utilize the tool.
• Writing a draft of a writing assignment.
• Writing entire sentences, paragraphs or papers to complete class assignments.

You are responsible for the information you submit based on an AI query (for instance, that it does not violate intellectual property laws, or contain misinformation or unethical content). Your use of AI tools must be properly documented and cited in order to stay within university policies on academic honesty. For example, [Insert citation style for your discipline. See these resources for APA guidance, and for other citation formats.]. Any assignment that is found to have used generative AI tools in unauthorized ways [insert the penalty here*]. When in doubt about permitted usage, please ask for clarification.

Use Encouraged and Permitted

This syllabus statement is useful when you are allowing, and perhaps encouraging, broad use of generative AI tools.)

You are welcome/expected to use generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Dall-e, etc.) in this class as doing so aligns with the course learning goal [insert the course learning goal use of AI aligns with]. You are responsible for the information you submit based on an AI query (for instance, that it does not violate intellectual property laws, or contain misinformation or unethical content). Your use of AI tools must be properly documented and cited in order to stay within university policies on academic honesty. For example, [Insert citation style for your discipline. See these resources for APA guidance, and for other citation formats.].

Use Prohibited

This syllabus statement is useful when you are forbidding all use of generative AI tools for any purpose in your class.

The use of generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, etc.) are not permitted in this class; therefore, any use of AI tools for work in this class may be considered a violation of NIU's Academic Integrity policy and Student Conduct Code, since the work is not your own. The use of unauthorized AI tools will result in [insert the penalty here*]

* We highly recommend that you have conversations in your department about the appropriate penalties for unauthorized use of an AI. It is important to think about the appropriate level of penalty for first-time offenders and those who repeatedly violate your policies on the use of AI.

View additional sample generative AI use statements

If you plan to include content or discussions that cover sensitive topics, it's helpful to include a statement in your syllabus notifying students of your plan to do so. You might want to use content warnings when discussing or presenting materials that depict sensitive topics, such as violance and death; war and genocide; physical, psychological, or sexual abuse; drug and alcohol use or addiction; sexual activity and pornographic content; and hate speech or discriminatory stereotypes.

When writing a content warning, identify what the sensitive topic is, where it occurs, and why it’s used.

This [material/case/video/set of images/class session] contains [description/depiction/live discussion] of [violence/death/abuse/self-harming behavior/hate speech/discrimination/other]. I’m including this content in order to [rationale for why the material is used].

Content notices are not intended to permit students to skip class or censor your material; they give students the forewarning necessary for them to make use of strategies that decrease the harmfulness of encountering the triggering material.

After your content warning, you may want to include a statement that recommends how students can approach you with their concerns and what resources exist at NIU to help them mitigate harm. Some resources you might share with your students include Well-being at NIU, Counseling and Consultation Services, and Togetherall.

For examples and more information, see Writing Content Notices for Sensitive Content.

Include a statement about copyright ownership of course materials in the syllabus. The statement should state that faculty members hold copyright in the course materials they create and, as a result, students are not allowed to reproduce, distribute, or publicly post their course materials without express faculty permission. A suggested syllabus statement:

My lectures and course materials, including presentations, tests, exams, outlines, and similar materials, are protected by copyright. I am the exclusive owner of copyright in those materials I create. I encourage you to take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. However, you may not, nor may you knowingly allow others to reproduce or distribute lecture notes and course materials publicly without my express written consent. This includes providing materials to commercial course material suppliers such as CourseHero, Chegg, and other similar services. Students who publicly distribute or display or help others publicly distribute or display copies or modified copies of an instructor's course materials may be in violation of the university's student code of conduct. Similarly, you own copyright in your original papers and exam essays. If I am interested in posting your answers or papers on the course web site, I will request your written permission.

You may also want to include a copyright notice on the course materials themselves to emphasize that they are protected. The form of the notice should contain the word copyright or then © symbol, the year the materials were created (multiple years may be listed when new material is added in different years), and the name of the faculty member. The faculty member may want to add notations to the notice such as "All rights reserved" or "Authorization is given to students enrolled in the course to reproduce this material exclusively for their own personal use." Note: Copyright protection is not contingent on including a copyright notice on your course materials. The materials are protected as soon as they are created. However, including a notice reminds students of faculty ownership and copyrights and of students' obligations to respect those rights.

Include a statement on free expression, aligned to NIU's Freedom of Expression policy:

Northern Illinois University supports and upholds the First Amendment protection of freedom of speech and the principle of academic freedom to foster a learning environment where open inquiry and the vigorous debate of a diversity of ideas are encouraged. Students are not penalized for the content or viewpoints of their speech if student expression in a class context is germane to the subject matters of the course and conveyed in an appropriate manner.

For courses that have been approved for general education, include a statement identifying which of the three General Education Knowledge Domains (Creativity and Critical Analysis, Nature and Technology, and Society and Culture) the course will help fulfill. The following statement was developed and approved by NIU’s General Education Committee on March 24, 2022, and Baccalaureate Council on November 10, 2022.

As part of the general education requirements, this course fulfills three credit hours in the Knowledge Domain of (_______) towards the minimum of 21 hours across the three domains.

For more information on General Education Requirements, please see your advisor or review the “General Education Requirements” for the appropriate undergraduate catalog.

The University Honors Program has provided the following syllabus statement for faculty to modify and use when teaching Honors mini-sections.

The University Honors Program believes in setting up students to become lifelong learners, develop critical-thinking, interpersonal and problem-solving skills, as well as the ability to perform self-assessment. Students in honors mini-sections will receive credit towards their University Honors Program requirements if they achieve an overall grade of B- or better in this course. The mini-section requirements are available to you in [insert relevant info] (e.g., the syllabus, a supplemental document). The honors components of this course are intended to [insert relevant info] (e.g., encourage active student participation, challenge students to stretch their curiosity, provide opportunities to delve more deeply into the material, etc.). The honors component of the course comprises [insert relevant info] (ideally from 10-33%) of the total points available. Once enrolled in an Honors mini-section, it is the University Honors Program’s policy that a student should only change their course registration to a regular section in extraordinary circumstances and not without seeking counsel from a University Honors Program advisor.

Include a statement directing students to the library support available for their discipline. The following statement is a sample statement by University Libraries that can be customized for your course discipline:

Your librarian for this course, Firstname Lastname, can help you narrow a research question, manage citations, and use library services. You contact him/her/them at email@niu.edu to request an appointment. For recommendations and links to the best library resources, please see your department's Library Research Guide. For any research question, you can also chat live with a librarian.

See the Subject Specialist Librarians and Subject Areas for the name and contact information for your subject specialist librarian. Also, reach out to your librarian for their personal link for requesting an appointment.

The high cost of textbooks can be a barrier to students' academic success. If you have adopted low or no-cost course materials, consider the including following statement recommended by the Course Materials Affordability Task Force:

As a commitment to education affordability, this course uses course materials that are either open educational resources (OER), available from the University Libraries under fair use guidelines, or identified as low-cost (under $40).

You should also notify the course scheduler for your department so that your course can be designated with a Low Cost or Zero Cost attribute in MyNIU. Students are able to search for courses based on this attribute.

The Committee on the Improvement of the Undergraduate Academic Experience (CIUAE) has proposed the following syllabus statement in support of the mental health of our students at NIU in collaboration with our campus resources.

I understand that college students may experience a range of academic, social, and personal stressors, which can be overwhelming. You are not alone. Well-being at NIU offers resources, programs, and services. If you or someone you know need assistance with comprehensive or crisis mental health support, Counseling and Consultation Services (CCS) at 815-753-1206 is ready to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Additionally, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 988.

Sometimes it is necessary to make changes to the course syllabus for reasons such as unexpected university closure due to weather-related emergencies or to adjust content based on course and student progress. Therefore, it can be beneficial to include a syllabus change policy statement such as the example below.

This syllabus is a guide and every attempt is made to provide an accurate overview of the course and its requirements. However, certain circumstances may make it necessary for me to modify the syllabus during the semester for your benefit and the changes may depend, in part, on course progress and our needs. I will announce any change to the syllabus as early as possible so that you can adjust your schedule. The department/ school will also be notified of any change.

NOTE: Changes to the syllabus after the fourth week of a course, or deviations from the standards set in the syllabus, can be a basis for grade appeal: Procedures for Appeals of Course Grades by Undergraduate Students.

Include a statement on gender identity and pronoun use. The following statement is recommended by the NIU Gender & Sexuality Resource Center:

Class rosters and University data systems are provided to faculty that contain either your legal name or your preferred/proper name. As an NIU student, you're able to change how your preferred/proper name appears on class rosters. This option is helpful for various student populations, including but not limited to students who abbreviate their first name, students who use their middle name, and transgender students. As a faculty member, I am committed to using your proper name and pronouns. We will take time during our first class together to do introductions, at which point you can share with all members of our learning community what name and pronouns you use, as you are comfortable. Additionally, if these change at any point during the semester, please let me know and we can develop a plan to share this information with others in a way that is safe for you.

Should you want to update your preferred/proper name, you can do so by looking at the following guidelines and frequently asked questions:

• Student Preferred/Proper Name Information
• Preferred/Proper Name Frequently Asked Questions

As you set the tone in your syllabus for a welcoming community, consider including a land acknowledgement statement such as the following that echoes the sentiment of the NIU Land Acknowledgement Statement:

Northern Illinois University operates and is built on the traditional lands of the Oceti Sakowin (Sioux), Miami, Bodewadmiakiwen (Potawatomi), Sauk and Meskwaki, and Peoria. We acknowledge this land and these peoples in order to honor the legacies, struggles, and current existence of Indigenous peoples.

Include a statement of support for students whose first language is not English. The following statement is recommended by Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:

I am committed to making course content accessible to all students. If English is not your first language and this causes you concern about the course, please speak with me.

Include a statement of support for undocumented students. The following statement is recommended by Undocumented Student Support and is included in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Educators Toolkit:

Undocumented students: You are welcome in this class. NIU’s Undocumented Student Resource Center (USRC) can help you with advising, campus services, scholarship information, and other resources. Their services are confidential and are also available to students from mixed-status families. For more information contact the Director, Sandy López (slopez1@niu.edu), or the Assistant Director, Angélica Mendoza (amendoza7@niu.edu). The Undocumented Student Resource Center (USRC), is located in room 230 of the Peters Campus Life Building.

NOTE: For all students addressing undocumented immigration as a category of analysis in class, do not use the word "illegal(s)" in a discussion. The term "illegal(s)" promotes a culture of intolerance and violence toward foreign nationals and undocumented immigrants. A more accurate and non-offensive term is "undocumented immigrant(s)." The use of this language signifies respect to the population addressed and reflects our campus's most basic values of diversity and civility in academic discourse.

You may want to add this statement to your syllabi, to highlight the alternative formats and their benefits available in your Blackboard course because of Blackboard Ally.

Blackboard offers Alternative Format options for many types of content in your courses. You can download course content in formats that work best for you, such as tagged PDFs (for screen readers), HTML, ePub (eBooks), electronic Braille, audio (mp3), and BeeLine reader versions. Download alternative formats by clicking the icon of an "A" with an arrow next to any item in our Blackboard course.

These alternative formats are not a substitute for accommodations. If you need an accommodation for this class, please contact the Disability Resource Center as soon as possible in the Campus Life Building, Suite 180, or at 815-753-1303 or drc@niu.edu.

If you plan to review student activity and participation in Blackboard, you can include the following statement to notify students:

This course uses Blackboard, which provides the instructor with analytics and data on student engagement within the Blackboard course, including participation, submissions, timeliness, etc. I will be monitoring student activities on Blackboard to ensure successful engagement and participation in the course. If I notice that a student's activities on Blackboard indicate issues with pedagogically appropriate engagement, I may reach out to the student to discuss improving course engagement and participation.

If you plan to record class sessions, it's helpful to include a statement in your syllabus notifying students of your plan to do so, such as:

Class sessions will all be audio- and/or video-recorded for the purposes of student-participant reference and access by other students enrolled in the same course (including students enrolled in different class sections or break-out groups). Student consent to being recorded during class is a condition of class participation. If you do not consent to being recorded during class, you will need to deactivate your video camera, keep your mute button activated, and participate only via the chat feature, but please note that such actions may have a negative impact on any portion of your grade that is based on class participation. Students are not permitted to make their own recordings of class sessions or to share or distribute university recordings of class sessions. NOTE: Students with specific electronic recording accommodations authorized by the Disability Resource Center may record classes; however, the instructor must be notified of any such accommodation prior to recording. Any distribution of such recordings is prohibited.

If you plan to use Respondus LockDown Browser with Monitor for proctoring your exams and/or assessments, include a statement clarifying your expectations for use, such as:

Faculty use a number of strategies for ensuring academic integrity in courses, whether in-person or online, and a variety of technologies may be applied. This course may use LockDown Browser with Monitor for online exams and assessments. While there is no cost to you to use the software, you are required to have a webcam, which may be built into your computer or may be an external camera. Use a Mac or PC computer; Chromebooks are not compatible. Watch this short video to get a basic understanding of LockDown Browser and the Monitor webcam feature.

During remote course exams or assessments, your participation may be video-recorded with your webcam using Respondus Monitor. Respondus Monitor is a companion product for LockDown Browser that enables students to record themselves with a webcam and microphone during an online exam. These video recordings may be submitted to Student Conduct as evidence in suspected cases of violations of the Student Code of Conduct.

The Respondus system allows access to your webcam only while the exam/assessment is in progress. NIU and its faculty do not have access to your webcam at any point outside of the assessment setting. You are responsible for obtaining an external webcam with microphone if no functioning built-in camera is available on your device. Students may borrow laptops with webcams from Founders Library.

Download and install LockDown Browser to your Mac or PC computer.

For more information, see Taking a Test with the Respondus LockDown Browser

If you plan to require students to use a webcam for class sessions and/or assessments, include a statement that identifies what synchronous tool(s) you will be using and your expectations for participation, such as:

This course may require you to use a webcam for class sessions and/or assessments. Classes and assessments may be conducted using Collaborate, Teams, Zoom or other technology selected by your instructor which may use your computer’s webcam or other technologies to communicate, monitor, and/or record classes, class activities, and assessments. Assessments may also be conducted using proctoring software, which may listen to you, monitor your computer screen, view you and your surroundings, and record (including visual and audio recordings) all activity during the proctoring process. Please contact your instructor if you are unable to comply or have any questions or concerns.

For more, see Recommendations for Webcam and Respondus Monitor Use in the Classroom.