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FYC OrientationThe Honor Code & Honor CouncilAugust 25, 2015Jason Ciejka, Assistant Dean, Office for Undergraduate Education
The Honor CodeAcademic integrity is governed by a student initiated Honor Code. All students are required to maintain “a standard of unimpeachable honor in all academic work.” (Preamble, Emory College Honor Code)
Faculty have a duty to report any suspicion of academic misconduct to the Office for Undergraduate Education.
Each case will be investigated and adjudicated by the Honor Council, which includes 20 students and 20 faculty members.
The Honor Council will determine if academic misconduct took place and recommend a sanction.
Sanctions include a grade penalty and a mark on the student’s record. Other actions like suspension and expulsion or educational programs may also be recommended.
Honor Code Statement• The Honor Code is in effect throughout the semester. By taking
this course, you affirm that it is a violation of the code to cheat on exams, to plagiarize, to deviate from the teacher's instructions about collaboration on work that is submitted for grades, to give false information to a faculty member, and to undertake any other form of academic misconduct. You agree that the instructor is entitled to move you to another seat during examinations, without explanation. You also affirm that if you witness others violating the code you have a duty to report them to the honor council.
• http://www.college.emory.edu/home/academic/honor-council/faculty.html
Honor Code Violations
“Academic misconduct is an offense generally defined as any action or inaction which is offensive to the integrity and honesty of the members of the academic community.”
• Seeking or providing unauthorized assistance on a test/quiz • Copying assignments from other students• Collaborating with others when individual work is required• Plagiarizing• Lying to faculty to gain an academic advantage
Providing false information• Lying about an absence or missed exam• Lying about a late assignment• Signing absent students into class• Using a clicker for another student so s/he gets credit• Changing answers and asking for a re-grade• Fabricating data• Have a stated policy for late work. Stress that it is better to
lose a few points for late work than lie or submit plagiarized material.
Copying/Unauthorized Collaboration• Be explicit in the syllabus and assignment instructions about
whether individual work is required or not.• For group projects, specify whether students are required to
write reports/papers individually.• If collaboration is not allowed, indicate in the syllabus or
assignment instructions that they may not exchange work with others in the class.
• If unauthorized collaboration is a common problem in your discipline, be sure to remind the students how easy it is to detect this.
What constitutes plagiarism?• Improper paraphrasing (with or without references)• Lack of quotation marks• Lack of references• Copying-and-pasting in part or in whole• Resubmitting an old paper for a different class• Purchasing a paper from a website• Paying for a custom written paper
Retrieved from http://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/2014/09/16/did-i-plagiarize-the-types-and-severity-of-plagiarism-violations/, August 17, 2015
Why do students plagiarize?• Ignorance of expectations• Uncertainty about expectations• Don’t understand the material• Carelessness/Forgetfulness • Don’t understand importance of citing• Writing may just feel like an exercise• Not invested in assignment/class• Procrastination• Fear of low grade• Can’t see any other option• Pure malicious intent
Preventing plagiarism• Talk to your class about plagiarism• Give examples of proper methods for quoting and citing
material• Be clear about whether outside sources are allowed• Assign papers that are specific instead of generic• Divide research papers into smaller graded tasks (proposal,
outline, annotated bibliography, draft, etc.)• Use SafeAssign (available on Blackboard)• Accept late work (with a penalty) or offer extensions
Detecting plagiarism• SafeAssign• Google• Changes in style of writing• Style of writing doesn’t match previous work • Prose is “just too good”• Writing that is awkward suddenly becomes elegant• References to highly specialized information• Changes in font or font size
Safe Assign
What are some ways that students cheat on tests?
Images retrieved from: http://gizmodo.com/5524592/the-coke-bottle-cheat-sheet; http://smarterservices.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/cheating-31.jpghttp://img.wonderhowto.com/img/92/22/63557829588608/0/cheat-test-with-eraser.1280x600.jpg; http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/popup/2015/6/clean_eraser.jpg, August 17, 2015
Tips for exams• Active proctoring (multiple proctors when possible)• Remove items from the desk• Assign (or record) seats, leaving space between students• Give multiple versions of exams; don’t use past exams• Keep track of the number of exams given out and turned in• Redistribute blue books• Establish clear guidelines in syllabus or on test• Cellphones; Prohibited Materials; Restroom policy
• Scan completed exams• Take-home exams• Include the Honor Pledge
Witnessing cheating• Students must always be allowed to complete the exam.• You may reassign seats if you include this language on your
syllabus. Be as discreet as possible.• You may ask for cheating materials or ask to see the student’s
phone (take a photo of any open apps related to the exam). Try to be unobtrusive.
• Without biasing other proctors, check if they observe any suspicious behavior in the exam room.
• Take photos or videos of the suspicious behavior if possible.• Look for unusual patterns in the student’s answers or overall
performance in the class.• Report violations to the Honor Council/OUE.
Why is it important to report violations?• Students and faculty alike have an obligation to report
suspicions to the Honor Council• The Honor Code provides due process for accused students• Students receive consistent sanctions• Process is a learning experience that deters future violations• A neutral body handles the case so you can focus on teaching• The student may have a history of misconduct• The problem may continue if not addressed• The process protects faculty members
Reporting violations
Contact me (Jason Ciejka) in the Office for Undergraduate Education at:
I can discuss the incident with you and determine whether it is necessary to move forward through the Honor Council process.
You may discuss the case with the chair, the DUS, or a faculty member who acts as a resource for the department about HC matters. Please avoid disclosing information about the student’s identity.
Handling reported students• Students may be informed of possible violations in two ways:
directly from the instructor or through the Honor Council.
• If you elect to inform the student directly, have a conversation in private or write to the student. Do not reveal information about any other reported student. Do not discuss the details of the incident. Remain dispassionate. Emphasize it was your duty to report, there is a process in place to handle the situation, and you want to focus on teaching the student.
• Alternatively, I will contact the student to inform him/her of the suspected violation.
Honor Council Process• Step One: Preliminary meeting (15-30 minutes, longer for very
complex cases) in your office• Investigative team with one student and one faculty member
• Step Two: Honor Council Hearing (0, or 1-2 hours)• Faculty may or may not be asked to attend depending on the type
of hearing
• Step Three: Appeal Process (0 hours)• Faculty is not involved
Sanctions• Grade penalty• F in the course is typical, but zero on the assignment is often
recommended for less serious cases. For unintentional plagiarism, student may be given an opportunity to resubmit work
• Mark on the student’s personal record• Typically given for two years• May not be given for very minor infractions• May be permanent for egregious violations
• Suspension or Expulsion• Uncommon; typically given for students with a history of
violations or extreme acts of dishonesty (impersonating faculty, sabotaging work of another student, fabricating evidence)
• Educational Programs
Resources• Honor Council Webpage: http://
college.emory.edu/home/academic/honor-council/index.html
Questions
