BC 2014: Construction Principles I - Frequently Asked Questions

This page contains frequently asked questions or clarifications in response to student inquiries. Please check back here if you have a question to see if it has already been answered before seeking further assistance. If you have a question you'd like to have considered for this page, please enter it as a comment below and your instructors will answer it.

Questions about Team Assignments

Questions about Individual Assignments 

One frequently asked question merits mention on this top page:

Q: To what extent may I use content developed by previous students of this class? Do you consider this cheating?

A: Not necessarily. However, you should keep the following things in mind if you are considering using the work of previous students:

1. You use this work (and everything you find on the Internet) at your own peril. Just because something exists on the web doesn't make it true. It is in your best interests to follow information back to its original source, and evaluate that source based on its own merit. Besides, having graded the work of previous students before, your instructors will be more likely to spot errors and problems in the work if you blatantly copy content without adapting it to your own purposes.
2. Work done by previous students is published content just like everything else on the Internet. As such, if you build on this work, you should give proper credit and formal attribution to your sources just like you would do for any other web page. If you use the work of previous students and fail to properly attribute your source, you've committed plagairism and will be subject to the policies described in the course syllabus.
3. Assignments change from semester to semester and may not include the same content. You should be certain that you address all elements of the current assignment to ensure that you get the best grade possible.