Digital Science Academy Code of Conduct

At Digital Science Academy, students spend all of their time working together, in pairs and often in groups of pairs. We have observed that, in both learning and practicing software development, people learn more and write better software when working together than when working alone.

Such close collaboration requires that students at Digital Science Academy commit to supporting and respecting each other. To participate in Digital Science Academy, you must agree to:

• Be kind to others. Most of the time, this should be easy. (If this is something you have trouble with on a regular basis, you shouldn't enroll in Digital Science Academy.) Occasionally, this will be difficult, especially with people you don't like, or with people who have not been kind to you. Nevertheless, under all circumstances, you agree to be kind to others.
• Assume others' good intentions. When someone does something that feels unkind to you, assume that person has good intentions. Perhaps they did not mean to be unkind. Perhaps they are in a bad mood. Perhaps you did something that hurt them without realizing it.
• Help other students be kind to you. If someone does something that hurts or offends you, talk to them about what they did and how it hurt you. If you are not comfortable talking to them, ask a teacher or friend to help you talk to that person.
• Respect people's differences. Students at Digital Science Academy are of diverse races, genders, sexual orientations, economic statuses, and many other differences. Don't assume anything about someone's ability or personality because of such differences, and don't say anything hurtful about who they are. If you aren't sure if something might be hurtful, don't say it.
• Don't make others feel uncomfortable. Different people have different feelings and expectations about sex and romance. Sexual harassment can take many forms and it can be difficult to anticipate what conduct may be offensive or unwelcome to others. Be respectful to your classmates: if you aren't sure if something will make someone uncomfortable, don’t do it.
• Work hard and stay focused. The highly collaborative nature of the class means that your classmates will be relying on you to come to class for the entire day, every day, for the entire course, unless you are sick or have a personal emergency. During class, stay focused on your work. Turn off your cell phone and don't check email, Facebook, or any other website that does not relate to the work at hand.
• Take care of yourself. Get enough sleep on school nights. Eat well. Exercise for at least 20 minutes every day, even if it's just walking. It will make you a better coder, and a better teammate to your classmates.

Hopefully, this Code of Conduct is how you strive to behave anyways. If it is not, you should probably not enroll in Digital Science Academy. The Digital Science Academy staff will have the final say in the interpretation of this Code, and if they decide you have violated it, they will ask you to leave the class.

Digital Science Academy is an opportunity not just to learn web development, but to practice working closely with others. On the rare occasions that you find such close collaboration difficult, we hope this Code of Conduct will be your guide.