Code of Academic Ethics

The purpose of the Code of Academic Ethics is to:

• encourage and promote positive learning and ethical scholarly behavior,
• define behavior violating academic integrity,
• specify procedures for the determination of the facts of the alleged violations, and to define penalties.

Guidelines for Academic Ethics

Students assume full responsibility for the content and integrity of the coursework they submit.  The following is a guide to assist students in observing positive behavior in scholastic ethics:

1. Students must do their own work and submit only their own work on essays, examinations, reports, and projects, unless otherwise permitted by the instructor.

2. Students can benefit from working in groups.  They may collaborate or cooperate  with other students during take-home examinations or projects only if specifically authorized by the instructor in the class syllabus or at the time of the  examination.

Students enrolled in the College assume the obligation of conducting themselves in accordance with the highest scholarly ethics.  Actions constituting violations of academic integrity will be considered a violation of the Student Code of Conduct and include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Cheating: Intentional deceit during the pursuit of academic coursework, tests, class assignments, activities in any testing area, learning center, clinical setting, tutoring session, or in the gathering of research materials is considered cheating.  "Cheating" includes, but is not limited to, the following:
   1. Copying from another student's test paper or knowingly allowing your test to be copied.
   2. Using materials during a test that were not clearly authorized by the person giving the test.
   3. Collaborating with another student during a test without permission.
   4. Knowingly using, buying, selling, offering, transporting, or soliciting any of the contents of a test.
   5. Taking a test for another student or permitting another student to take a test for you.
   6. Bribing or attempting to bribe another person to obtain a passing grade or a better grade on a test or for a course.
   7. Intentional misconstruing of facts or incidents relating to an evaluated exercise or assignment that would change the grade given.
2. Plagiarism: The representing of the work of other persons as one's own, including but not limited to the use of work by others and information downloaded from the Internet, is plagiarism. The use of another person's words, ideas, or information without proper acknowledgement is also plagiarism.  The student should seek guidance from the instructor about acceptable methods to be used to acknowledge the work and ideas of others.
3. Collusion: Obtaining from or giving to another student unauthorized assistance on material in any course work is collusion.
4. Compromising Instructional and Test Materials: Unauthorized acquisition of instructional and/or testing materials from desks, cabinets, work rooms, classrooms, laboratories, instructors' offices, tutoring labs, testing areas, assessment areas, secretarial offices, college offices, and/or other areas is compromising test materials.
5. Misrepresentation/Fraud:  Using false records, false identification papers, unauthorized I.D. cards, or computer access to official college documents or to services such as testing areas, placement assessments, tutoring services, and/or tests or test banks of any type constitutes misrepresentation/fraud.

Additional Information is available on:

• Procedures for Code of Academic Ethics Investigations