Point solutions is the audience response system that is utilized in all basic sciences courses. Students are issued devices called “clickers” which they use to participate in most academic activities. Its use reflects the participation and performance of the student to whom the clicker and account is registered. Each student is issued a clicker and is responsible for the activity on their clicker/account registered through the audience response system.
Students should only respond to formative point solutions questions whilst physically in class and with their own clicker that is registered to them. Use of the clicker in class assumes the presence and participation of the student to whom the clicker is registered. Clicker use by a proxy while absent is misrepresentation of participation records and will result in academic penalties and referral to the judicial office.
To earn participation credit, students must attend their assigned class activities in person (assigned by College, cohort or any other means outlined in the syllabus or course management site by the course director) and participate in every formative assessment item. Students can only earn participation credit for presence at their assigned scheduled activities.
Misrepresentation of participation and/or performance through the misuse of the audience response system constitutes academic dishonesty and is a violation of the Honor Code. Attempting to earn participation credit for an activity that has been partially attended, or for which the student has not attended in person constitutes academic dishonesty and is a violation of the Honor Code. Students will face academic and judicial referrals and subsequent penalties, for attempting to misrepresent their participation record for their assigned learning activities.
Random participation checks will be carried out on a weekly basis during the term using in-person scan out or sign out from venues. Scan/Sign out data is used to verify student presence and compared it with the participation records from the audience response system. Anyone who is registered as participating through the audience response system, but who is not present in –person as determined by scan/sign-out checks is referred to the Dean of Students and Judicial office and will be required to comply with investigations. If charges are founded, students will incur academic penalties levied by the Faculty Panel for Academic Professionalism (FPAP) (as per the Unprofessional Behavior section of the Course Syllabus), disciplinary probation until graduation, MSPE notice of non-compliance and unprofessionalism and/or dismissal in egregious cases. Some of these penalties require notice to ECFMG.
Any student leaving a learning activity early, e.g., prior to the full debrief after the last formative assessment question of the lecture, or prior to the scan/sign-out check, will not be considered as fully participating. To earn participation for this session, students must participate in every formative assessment question and complete the appropriate scan/sign-out process when required. Although students are expected to make every effort to participate in all required academic activities, they must participate in at least 80% of required course activities to earn credit for the course.
Any student trying to claim credit for participation, but who has left prior to the scan/sign-out, is using another person as a proxy registrant with their clicker device or uses a clicker to register another student’s presence and participation is in violation of the participation policy and the Honor Code. They will be flagged for follow up which includes an email from the course director and a referral to the Dean of Students and Judicial offices. They will be required to comply with any investigations. If charges are founded, students will incur academic penalties levied by FPAP (as per the Unprofessional Behavior section of the Course syllabus) up to 15% of the course grade, disciplinary probation until graduation, MSPE notice of non-compliance and unprofessionalism and/or dismissal in egregious cases. Some of these penalties require notice to ECFMG. It is the responsibility of every student to have a registered clicker and ensure that they are able to participate in formative assessment questions, to ensure their devices are in working order and functional during course activities, and to check the course gradebook weekly to detect any problems with their participation records. Failure to do so may result in the loss of participation credit, for which the student will be held responsible.