Course Statement on Mistakes

You are expected to make mistakes in this course. Not because you’re careless, but because you’re thinking.

Mistakes are not failure. They are evidence of cognition. You don’t get to shortcut around them, and you don’t get to be ashamed of them. If you’re not making errors, you’re not pushing your brain into new territory—you’re just coasting.

We don’t celebrate mistakes for their own sake. We investigate them. We use them. You’ll be asked to reflect on them, trace their roots, and explain how you recovered from them. That is the actual work.

AI can’t do that part for you. It can generate plausible answers. It can’t generate your understanding. That comes from friction, revision, and judgment. Mistakes are your raw material.

Don’t hide them. Show your work. Defend your process. Learn.

Mistakes are the only honest thing you bring to the table at first. The rest you earn.