LIS 415: Information Organization

Email is always the best way to contact me. Please include LIS 415 in the subject line of the email to ensure that it grabs my attention. When I email you, I will use your official simmons.edu address. To avoid missing important messages, ensure you check your Simmons email regularly or forward it to an account that you do check regularly.

At a minimum, students are expected to:

• Attend class sessions.
• Be prepared for class.
• Participate in-class exercises.
• Complete homework assignments on time.
• Participate in group or partnered activities.
• Be active on the class Moodle site.
• Check email.

Attendance is expected each week, and roll will be taken. Attendance accounts for 5% of your grade. Please arrive on time; habitual tardiness and more than one unexcused absence will lower your attendance grade.

Although attendance is important for understanding the course material, absences are sometimes unavoidable. Absences due to religious observance, work obligations, illness, or family emergencies are excused. Students must notify the instructor by email before the start of class for an absence to be excused.

Each unit in the course syllabus contains a list of required readings. Although additional readings are listed, you are only expected to complete the required readings. Required readings include your textbook and others available in Moodle, on the web, or through the library. You may complete required readings before or after the corresponding class session. You must determine the timing that works best for you.

Assignments reflect the ideas and activities addressed in readings, lectures, videos, and exercises. They cover both conceptual and practical aspects of information organization. The following guidelines apply to all assignments:

• Start Early: Begin assignments well in advance of the deadline to allow sufficient time for completing the work and for reviewing it with your partner(s).

• Review Your Class Notes: While working on assignments, review your notes from lectures, readings, videos, and other course materials. Important information is often shared during class and may not be repeated elsewhere, so relying solely on the assignment prompt is risky.

• Seek Clarification: If questions arise, you and your partner(s) should discuss them first. If you are still unsure how to proceed, contact your instructor via email. Do not wait until one or two nights before the due date to ask questions; doing so substantially decreases the likelihood that your message will be received and answered before the deadline.

• Review Your Work: Ensure that your submission is complete. Missing pages, missing files, or unanswered questions will result in lost points. Review the assignment instructions and the wording of individual questions to confirm that you have addressed all required components.

• Due Dates: Assignments are typically due two weeks after they are distributed, but always consult the syllabus calendar for specific due dates.

You are expected to complete every assignment successfully during the semester. There are no make-up or extra-credit assignments in this course. Failure to submit an assignment will result in a zero (0%) for that assignment. All assignments must be attempted and submitted in order to pass the course. As a result, failure to submit any assignment will prevent you from passing the course.

All assignments must be completed and submitted via the Moodle Dropbox by 9:00 a.m. on the due date. Unless otherwise specified, files must be submitted in Microsoft Word format (.docx) only. PDFs, Google Docs links, and other file formats will not be accepted. Please use the following file-naming convention:

Last-Name1-Last-Name2-LIS415-Sect#-Assignment-Name.docx

Last names should be in alphabetical order. For example, when two partners submit the first assignment, the file name should resemble the following:

Adams-Shin-LIS415-0#-Retrieval-Tools.docx

Graded assignments are typically returned within one to two weeks of submission. Due to time constraints, graded assignments will not be reviewed during class time; however, I am happy to meet with you outside of class to discuss your work.

You will work with partners throughout the semester. Each partner is expected to complete the full assignment independently. (Partners may also collaborate in real time.) Only one final version will be submitted per pair. Both partners are equally responsible for the content of the submitted assignment.

Partnerships will be randomly assigned for all assignments. To help ensure a successful partnership, students should do the following:

• Set Expectations: Establish a clear plan, including a shared schedule and internal deadlines.
• Be Responsive: Communicate regularly and respond promptly to messages.
• Check In: Monitor progress and ensure tasks remain on track and deadlines are met.

If problems arise within a partnership, students should take the following steps:

• Document Communications: Keep records of messages, responses, and individual contributions.
• Inform the Instructor: Contact the instructor for guidance as soon as issues emerge.
• Be Prepared to Work Independently: If a partner remains unresponsive, students may be required to complete and submit the assignment individually.

Based on documented evidence and individual circumstances, the instructor may apply a penalty of up to 20 percent to the uncooperative partner’s assignment. In short, professionalism is expected, and nonsense, shenanigans, or problems that could have been avoided through basic communication and effort will not be tolerated.

Meeting deadlines is a fundamental expectation of this course and of the profession. All assignments must be completed and submitted by the posted due dates listed in the syllabus. Late submissions will not be accepted unless an extension has been formally approved in advance by the instructor. Extensions are granted at the instructor’s discretion and are not guaranteed.

• Extension requests must be submitted at least 48 hours before the assignment’s due date. Retroactive extension requests will not be considered.
• Approved extensions will not exceed three (3) calendar days beyond the original due date and will incur a 5 percent grade reduction per day.
• If an assignment is not received within three (3) days of the original due date, a grade of zero (0%) will be recorded.

Students are responsible for managing their time and planning ahead to meet all course deadlines.

Students who experience serious illness, a medical emergency, the death of an immediate family member, extreme hardship, or other unusual circumstances may request an incomplete from the instructor. To be considered eligible, students must be performing at a passing level at the time the request is made. Requests for incompletes must be coordinated with the SLIS MS Program Director.

If an incomplete is approved, all outstanding work must be completed before the first week of the following term (for example, an incomplete taken in the spring semester must be completed before summer classes begin). If the incomplete is not finished by the stated deadline, zeros will be recorded for all outstanding assignments.

Not applicable to all sections!

Some sections of this course use Zoom as their primary classroom. In other sections, Zoom may be used in cases of snow days, emergencies, instructor illness, or travel-related circumstances. Regardless of the situation, students are expected to maintain respect for our shared learning space. Activities that would be inappropriate in an on-campus classroom are also inappropriate in a Zoom-based classroom.

For Zoom-based classes, students are expected to attend synchronous sessions at the scheduled time. Students should join class from a safe, private environment conducive to learning, where they can focus, participate in discussions, and take notes. Distractions such as driving or running errands during class time should be avoided.

Reliable internet access and appropriate computing equipment are essential. Students who experience technical issues should contact Simmons Technology for assistance. Many in-class activities require opening multiple windows and using information tools with varying levels of accessibility and adaptive design. Smartphones and other small-screen devices are not adequate for completing these activities.

I typically do not record Zoom class sessions. If a student knows in advance that they will be absent, they may request that the instructor record the session for later viewing.

Students are not required to be on camera for the entire class session. Students are expected to be on camera at the beginning and end of class, as well as during discussions and exercises. Cameras may be turned off during lectures.

Unless otherwise specified, the use of generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, GPT-based applications, or other text-generation software) is prohibited for all course assignments and discussion board posts. This policy is intended to promote meaningful engagement with course materials and to ensure that you develop the essential knowledge and competencies required for professional success in the Library and Information Science (LIS) field.

You are expected to submit work that you and your partner(s) have created independently, without assistance from AI. This requirement ensures that you fully internalize the concepts, tools, and skills critical to your academic and professional development. Although generative AI will likely be part of future LIS workplaces, overreliance on these tools during your education can hinder learning and weaken your ability to apply key concepts effectively.

Such reliance also reduces your capacity to critically evaluate the accuracy, appropriateness, and potential bias of AI-generated content—skills that are increasingly vital in our field. Developing this expertise requires a strong grasp of underlying concepts and methods, enabling you to recognize when AI outputs are incomplete, biased, misleading, or simply incorrect.

Why this matters: The purpose of this course is not only to earn a grade, but to help you develop competencies essential to your career. Using AI to complete assignments deprives you of the opportunity to genuinely learn and practice the skills required in the LIS profession.

If you are uncertain whether a tool or use case falls under this prohibition, you are expected to seek clarification from the instructor before submitting your work.

You can access the SLIS Student Handbook for more information about various SLIS policies.

For information regarding these Simmons University policies on Academic Integrity, Accessibility Services, Sexual Harassment Policy, and more, please see the Syllabus Policies website.

• Changes to the Syllabus: This syllabus is not a contract. The instructor reserves the right to alter the course requirements, schedule, and/or assignments based on new materials, class discussions, or other legitimate pedagogical objectives. Students will be given notice of relevant changes in class or via email.

• Digital Student Products: Any digital work produced in this course and maintained on a Simmons server will be erased 90 days after the end of the course. In some cases, a 30-day extension is available with the permission of the SLIS Tech Manager. SLIS Students are ultimately responsible for preserving the longevity of their digital coursework. You can do this most effectively by using the resources that are made available from SLIS Tech or SLIS faculty.

• Copying of Student Products: Unless the student indicates otherwise by email to the instructor, the instructor may be collecting copies of student work for use in the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education or the COA accreditation processes. Student names will be removed from the student work prior to use.

• School Library Teacher Program: The table provides information about how this course meets the state requirements for students in the SLT program.

  State Standards Implementation for LIS 415 7.06 Subject Matter Knowledge Requirements for Library Teachers
  Standard	I	R	M	Outcome Assessment
  b. Selection, acquisition, organization, and maintenance of information resources.	415	415	415	Interpreting Metadata and Classification assignment

• Recommendations: I happily provide employment and scholarship references for students who do well in my advanced classes (LIS 416 and LIS 417). I do not, however, provide references for students who have taken only LIS 415 with me. Please understand that LIS 415 is an introductory-level course and I need to see more of your work, at an advanced level, to be comfortable providing a professional or educational reference.

• Land Acknowledgment: Simmons SLIS acknowledges that the land on which we study and work is the rightful heritage of Indigenous Peoples, including the Massachusett, Pawtucket, Pocumtuc, Nonotuck, and Nipmuck peoples. We honor their stewardship of this land and strive to remain accountable to their needs.