Last Name: ___________ . First Name:  ___________  Date: __/__/____
Personal Responsibility Form for 5 Good Habits for Evidence 
Texas has a new standard for history teachers—and others—to use to help college students: personal responsibility. Following the 5 Good Habits for Evidence is a matter of personal responsibility, especially since not following some of these 5 Good Habits for Evidence can be a form of cheating. You may or may not already know these 5 habits, but you are the only one who can make this happen in your writing. By submitting this form, you are confirming that you recognize this responsibility. If you need help, contact your instructor. (I will be glad to help you.) 

Identifying Your Responsibilities in Writing and in Receiving Feedback from Your Instructor 
With distance learning, it can be difficult to communicate to students about Good Habits for Evidence, including factual accuracy or “half-copy” plagiarism or “patchwriting.” These errors can be dangerous to your future, but are preventable by choosing and developing habits that aid decision making and are requirements of most jobs that pay well.

These steps have been the best method to solve the communication problem:
1.	If you need help with the 5 Good Habits for Evidence, then it is your responsibility to ask.

2.	When I grade, I provide feedback in general. Before I enter the grade for that feedback, I ask you to reply, usually by Blackboard Messages. I do not enter the points until you do reply that you understand the feedback. 

If you do not reply quickly, I enter a grade of 1.11—a placeholder, not a permanent grade—for the written assignment. The feedback may just state a weakness in your work, but you must respond to the feedback and you must not continue to work as you did.

3.	If, on the other hand, the feedback is that you did not follow all of the 5 Good Habits for Evidence with a written assignment, I record a temporary grade of 1.11 for:
•	The assignment itself
•	The 30 point extra credit that determines whether you can see the next writing assignment

4.	The feedback tells you exactly what to do so I can enter the actual grade (a low grade but not 1.11). The sooner you take care of this, the better things will be. If you don’t understand, ask. You can still do what the feedback says, but act quickly before the next written assignment expires. 

Once you do what the feedback says, I enter the grade for that assignment. I also replace the 30 extra credit points for the Good Habits for Evidence Personal Responsibility Form so you can see the next written assignment. 

5.	As long as you continue to follow all 5 Good Habits for Evidence, you keep those 30 extra credit points and you continue to be able to see the next assignment.