University of Delaware Policies on Academic Dishonesty

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     Academic honesty and integrity lie at the heart of any educational enterprise. Students are
     expected to do their own work and neither to give nor to receive assistance during quizzes,
     examinations, or other class exercises. One form of academic dishonesty is plagiarism.
     Plagiarism is intellectual larceny: the theft of ideas or their manner of expression. When in
     doubt about rules concerning plagiarism, students are urged to consult individual faculty
     members. Because faculty and students take academic honesty seriously, penalties for
     violations may be severe, depending upon the offense. Instructors will gladly explain
     procedures for taking tests, writing papers, and completing other course requirements so that
     students may understand fully their instructor's expectations.

Students are expected to review and abide by University Policies concerning academic honesty. In addition to published standards, it is the opinion of this instructor that providing class notes for publication on the internet or using such notes posted by others are both instances of academic dishonesty. Furthermore, such practices are contrary to the spirit of education as I conceive it and interfere with the effectiveness of the course and my teaching methods. Therefore I will take such activity as a professional injury and a personal insult, and any evidence of a student engaging in such activity will result in failure for the course on the grounds of academic dishonesty.
 

     Guidelines for Cases of Academic Dishonesty

     The University's policy and general procedures for handling Undergradute Student cases of
     academic dishonesty are explained in the following text. Faculty and student questions
     concerning Undergraduate student infractions should be referred to the Assistant Dean of
     Students for Judicial Affairs at 831-2117. All Graduate Student infractions should be referred
     to the Administrator for Graduate Studies for Academic Affairs at 831-8916. A faculty
     member who is convinced that academic dishonesty has taken place may decide among the
     following courses of action:

     Option A

     The student may receive a written reprimand. Or, the student may be required to repeat the
     work affected by the academic dishonesty. When the faculty member chooses to have the
     student repeat the assignment, the instructor will tell the student what grade penalty, if any, will
     be assessed for the initial error. A statement concerning this action will be forwarded to the
     Dean of Students Office by the faculty member. The student may contest the instructor's
     allegation by requesting a judicial hearing in the Dean of Students Office. Any such request
     must be within five (5) working days from the time the student has been informed of the
     charge and the recommended resolution. If the student requests a hearing, the penalties for a
     guilty finding can be no more than the instructor initially prescribed.

     Option B

     The student may receive a lower or failing grade on the particular assignment or test, a lower
     grade in the course, a failing grade in the course, or removal of the student from the course. A
     faculty member who chooses any of these sanctions must prepare a written report
     summarizing the reasons for the belief that academic dishonesty has occurred and the sanction.
     This report must be sent to the Dean of Students Office. The student has five (5) working
     days from the time the student has been informed of the charge and the recommended
     resolution to request a judicial hearing on the charges from the Dean of Students Office. If the
     student chooses to request a hearing in the Dean of Students Office, the penalties for a guilty
     finding can be no more than those already indicated in this paragraph and initially prescribed
     by the instructor.

     Option C

     The charge may be referred directly by the faculty member to the Dean of Students Office for
     adjudicating by the Undergraduate Student Judicial System. The minimum sanction for a guilty
     finding in these cases will be the X/F penalty as outlined in "Policies of the Undergraduate
     Judicial System, Part X, Disciplinary Sanction, sect. K. The student will be notified that the
     case has been referred and will be required to follow the standard procedures for adjudicating
     academic dishonesty cases on the University's Student Judicial System.

     When a student is accused of academic dishonesty and the case is referred to the judicial
     system, an "I" grade should be given for work involved.

     The Vice President for Student Life established the Undergraduate Student Judicial System in
     the spring of 1975 and the Graduate Student Judicial System in 1981. These systems provide
     the mechanism for faculty members to hold students accountable in cases of academic
     dishonesty. When a student is either discovered cheating on an examination or plagiarizing
     work, the student should be directly confronted with that information by the faculty member.
     In addition, the situation must always be reported, in writing, to the Assistant Dean of
     Students. When a student is suspected of cheating or plagiarizing on an examination or a
     paper, the grade on the work in question cannot be altered unless the student is found guilty of
     academic dishonesty. If the incident is not reported so that a centralized record can be
     maintained, it is conceivable that a student could be involved in incidents of academic
     dishonesty in several classes and never be held responsible for such actions.

     In cases under Option C, after the Assistant Dean of Students is informed in writing of the
     circumstances of a case, the student will be contacted and the hearing will be scheduled. It is
     important to understand that a hearing body cannot find a student guilty of academic
     dishonesty without a reasonable level of factual substantiation of the charge. The faculty
     member bringing the charge is responsible for demonstrating that a student did in fact cheat or
     plagiarize. A student who has been charged is not required to prove his or her innocence.

     The following are some examples of the kinds of factual information that could be presented in
     a hearing:

        I.Witnesses (students, graduate assistant, etc.) who can explain in a hearing that they
          observed cheating.

        II.The original exam or answer sheet, comparing the similarities.

       III.In cases of plagiarism, the original document from which the student plagiarized
          (mandatory.)

       IV.An admission of guilt on the part of the student who is charged.

     It is contrary to University policy for an instructor to assign a disciplinary grade such as an "F"
     or zero to an assignment, test, examination or other course work as a sanction for admitted or
     suspected academic dishonesty in lieu of formally charging the student with academic
     dishonesty under the University's Code of Conduct. Such an independent action violates the
     student's guaranteed legal right to due process and leaves the instructor vulnerable to a student
     grievance, an off-campus civil suit and possible disciplinary action by the University.

     Similarly, students are prohibited from proposing and/or entering into an arrangement with an
     instructor to receive a grade of "F" or any reduced grade in a course or on an academic
     exercise in lieu of being charged with academic dishonesty under the Code of Conduct. Any
     student who commits, aids or attempts to commit any of the acts of misconduct listed in the
     Code of Conduct under Academic Dishonesty will be subject to action under the
     Undergraduate or Graduate Student Judicial System.

     Multiple Offenses

     The Dean of Students Office will submit information concerning the recommended resolution
     of a case of academic dishonesty into the student's judicial file upon its receipt from a faculty
     member. In cases where it is discovered that a student has a previous incident of academic
     dishonesty on file, the recommended resolution will be set aside. The instructor will instead be
     asked to refer the case of alleged dishonesty through the University Undergraduate Judicial
     System, as outlined in Option C.

     *The contents of sections on Academic Dishonesty were adapted from "The Academic
     Honesty and Dishonesty" brochure produced by the Dean of Students Office, Louisiana State
     University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

     If you've read the above information, contacted the appropriate offices, and still have an
     unsolved problem, you can track down a trouble-shooter.