SCM: Policies

1. When and where

• Tue/Thu 10:00am-12:00pm
• Weeks 1-11
• Same days/times/weeks for both Semester 1 and Semester 2
• Locations for each class session will be posted on Learn.

During a portion of the class sessions in both semesters, we will split everyone into two groups, and these groups will meet separately.  Thus, for some class sessions, your assigned location may differ from what is listed on the official university timetable.  We will post detailed group and location reminders every week on Learn.

All locations are in regular university classrooms and meeting rooms, with full levels of accessibility (e.g., lifts, etc.).

2. Course materials and communication

All course materials will be posted either 1) here; 2) on Learn; or 3) on other platforms that will be linked from Learn (e.g., Gradescope, Overleaf, etc.).  There are no physical textbooks required for this course.

Please see Learn for more info on contacting course staff.  We will have some specialized communication channels set up (not email!) to help us respond to your SCM questions more efficiently.

3. Assigned readings

As with most seminar courses, SCM is designed to introduce you to research papers in cognitive science, and especially to papers on computational cognitive modelling.  Reading these papers will not only give you breadth and depth of knowledge in cognitive science, but also many opportunities to practice your reading and critical thinking skills.

There will be one or more papers assigned to be read prior to each class session.  We do not expect everyone to read every single word of every paper.  However, we do expect everyone to complete most of the readings to a reasonable level of throughness, and come to class prepared to discuss the paper, ask questions about parts you did not understand, etc.

4. Class sessions

Every class session is designed to have a lot of interactivity, discussion, and hopefully interesting activities.  SCM is an opportunity for all of us to learn not just from the readings and assignments themselves but also from each other.

Students are expected to attend most class sessions and to actively participate.  Because we have many different kinds of activities, participation can take many forms, e.g., perhaps asking questions after a peer presentation, contributing to a small-group discussion, and so on.  Please talk to us if you have any questions or concerns about the nature of your participation in class sessions.

Because class sessions will consist mainly of student-led presentations and discussions, classes will not be recorded.

5. Device policy (laptops, phones, and tablets)

To help everyone stay engaged with class activities, and to avoid distracting the students around you, we ask that everyone puts away all devices for the duration of each class, unless explicitly required for a particular activity.  This includes laptops, tablets, and cell phones.

If there is something urgent that requires your attention, you are welcome to use your devices during breaks, or just step out of the classroom for a couple of minutes to take care of it.

There is a lot of cognitive research about the effects of devices on our attention, including education research specifically about devices in classroom settings.  We will talk about this research during the course!

If you feel that you need regular access to a device during class as part of learning supports, please talk to the course instructors.  We are happy to discuss your needs and come up with a workable plan.

6. Diversity and inclusion

It is our intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well-served by this course, that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that the students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength, and benefit.  It is our intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender identity, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, nationality, religion, and culture.  Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let us know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally, or for other students or student groups.

Furthermore, we would like to create a learning environment for our students that supports a diversity of thoughts, perspectives and experiences, and honours your multiple identities. To help accomplish this:

• If you have a name that differs from those that appear in your official University of Edinburgh records, please let us know!
• Please let us know your preferred pronouns.
• If you feel like your performance in the class is being impacted by your experiences outside of class, please don’t hesitate to come and talk with us. We want to be a resource for you. If you prefer to speak with someone outside of the course, your student adviser or cohort lead is an excellent resource.
• We (like many people) are still in the process of learning about diverse perspectives and identities. If something was said in class (by anyone) that made you feel uncomfortable, please talk to us about it.

7. Discussing sensitive topics

Cognitive science is a discipline that touches on people and society in many ways, both positive and negative, direct and indirect.  As part of the course, we will be discussing many topics related to cognitive science, ethics, and society.  Our discussions will include topics that may be challenging and/or sensitive to think about, like the cognitive science of racism or cultural stereotypes, unethical uses of cognitive research, how people's cognitive tendencies might be exploited by bad actors, etc.

For all class discussions, and especially for discussions on these topics, we will strive to maintain a respectful, open, safe, and private classroom environment, and we hope that each of you can help us do the same.

If you would like to talk about any aspect of these discussions, at any point during the year, please let us know.  We would be happy to have a chat to go over any questions or concerns that you may have.

8. Good scholarly practices

All work done in this course should be carried out following the University and School’s policies on Good Scholarly Practice.  

Regarding collaboration, some activities in this course will be individual, and some will involve group work.  Each activity or assessment will come with clear instructions about collaboration.

Regarding academic misconduct, it is expected that all work submitted as part of this course is your own.  Misconduct includes, but is not limited to: plagiarism, collusion, deceit, and impersonation.  You can read more about academic misconduct on the university's explainer page.

9. Generative AI policy

Regarding the use of generative AI, we ask that students do NOT use any form of generative AI for any purpose during this course.

We understand that many of you may be accustomed to using generative AI tools for various purposes, and that your other classes may allow, encourage, or even require its use.  However, here in SCM, we have several reasons for going genAI-free, which include:

The risks of cognitive offloading, which is described nicely on the Informatics explainer page:  

• "There is growing research evidence that over-use of generative AI can negatively affect your learning. You may want to look at studies which raise concern over how ‘cognitive offloading’, ‘metacognitive laziness’ and reduction in capacity for critical thinking may be associated with over-reliance on this technology."

The value of tailored instructor feedback:  One of the ways in which instructors can help you learn is by providing feedback on your own individual thinking about a topic.  

• For instance, I might hear or read your description of "working memory" and detect a misconception because of how you have worded part of your explanation.  Then, I can say, "It sounds like you think working memory works like X, but actually, there is evidence Y that it works more like Z."  
• If you have used generative AI to produce (or even to edit!) your answer, it becomes much, MUCH harder for me to understand your mental models and detect points where I might help you to gain a better understanding.

To help de-incentivize the use of generative AI tools, especially for low-level editing, all assessments in this course (porfolios, essay, presentation) will be marked based on content and overall organization, and not on spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.  

• Material that you write and submit should be clear and understandable, but it need not be letter-perfect.  
• We would rather see a few more typos, along with your own original ideas and best efforts, rather than something that looks "tidy" but has less of your own authentic voice in it.

Because generative AI is such an important (and cognitive-science-relevant!) topic in the world today, we will have several discussions about it, including how it works, pros and cons of using it, and how it impacts education and society in general as well as your own learning, in this course and in others.

10. Extensions and special circumstances

For the portfolios, there are no extensions or makeups. You can miss up to 5 portfolio entries per semester, no questions asked, and this will not affect your marks.

For the presentations, there are no extensions. If you are ill, you can request to reschedule one time.

For the essay, extensions follow the university's standard procedures for requesting extensions.

All of that said, exceptional circumstances can and do happen sometimes.  Please talk to your Student Adviser about your circumstances, and they can help guide you through the process of applying through the university's Exceptional Circumstances office.