Assessment
I’ll base your grade on your course engagement, your responses to two “Cybercrime Scenarios,” and your performance on the final exam. I have high expectations for engagement in this course. The materials will require you to think critically and prepare carefully before class, and everyone should be ready to engage in dialogue while we’re together. That said, I also recognize that our class discussions will raise distressing topics, so I’ll understand if you need to withdraw from our conversations from time to time. All I ask is that you work hard and approach class with empathy, openness, and humility.
All work done in this course is subject to UGA Law’s Honor Code and Plagiarism Policy and UGA’s Academic Honesty Policy. Unless I explicitly say otherwise, you mustn’t use generative AI technologies during class or at any point in the process of drafting your response to the scenario due on November 20. Beyond those two prohibited uses, I encourage you to experiment with these tools as you learn about cybercrime, but you should never rely on them as your exclusive knowledge source and should always assess their outputs critically. (Trust me — I’ve seen enough GenAI errors about material covered in this course to proceed cautiously!) If in doubt about whether a use of technology is permissible in this course, please ask me.
Here’s the assessment breakdown:
Course Engagement (10%) — Engage in our course throughout the semester. Engagement comes in many forms and goes beyond attending and speaking in class. Taken holistically, engagement includes (but isn’t limited to):
Preparation (reviewing our assigned materials before class)
Focus (avoiding distractions during class)
Presence (being engaged and responsive during class discussions, guest visits, and team activities)
Curiosity (asking questions in and out of class)
Listening (hearing what others are saying and not saying)
Specificity (referring to specific ideas from our materials and discussions)
Synthesizing (making connections between our materials and discussions)
Cybercrime Scenario (10%) — Submit a written response to one of the scenarios in Cybercrime Scenarios by 3pm on November 20. These scenarios are designed to help you apply what we’re learning in class and practice for the final exam. You’ll be graded on a check-plus/check/check-minus scale:
A “check-plus” represents an excellent answer with little room for improvement
A “check” represents an acceptable answer with some room for improvement
A “check-minus” represents a disappointing answer with significant room for improvement
I encourage you to discuss the scenarios with your classmates, but your written responses must be your own work. Although I recommend tackling all the scenarios to enhance your understanding in this course, you must submit only one response to satisfy this aspect of the course.
Final Exam (80%) — Take the final exam. This will likely include a mix of multiple-choice and short-answer questions, with a word and time limit. Internet and file access will be blocked, but you may bring along a single sheet of paper to the exam. You may use both sides of this sheet however you like, so long as it includes only your own work (including collaborative work produced with your classmates). Further details to come.