DCST Academic Integrity Policy
Each member of the university community has an obligation to act with honesty and integrity, and to respect the rights of others in carrying out academic activities. As a part of this obligation, students must not submit or represent as their own, works that are the intellectual property of another.
1. What Happens if I'm Caught Cheating in a Division Course?
1a. Cheating: Who Cares?
Why does it matter to the university?
- To preserve our accreditation, industry requires us to demonstrate that each of our graduates understands their ethical responsibilities.
- We are also interested in assuring that students get the most from their education. We want you to learn.
Do people really care when I'm on the job?
- If your job security becomes endangered by somebody else's lies, you will care!
- Typically you are part of a team, working on a common project. Your job depends on other people doing their job. What you cannot accept in your group is someone who "puts up a good front," but when the deadline looms, can't deliver working technology. What you want in a co-worker is someone who honestly reports their progress.
There are companies who fire employees who lie.
- We all know that someone who lies on the job may or may not get fired. The career impact on someone who lacks integrity is often subtler. Maybe they do not get fired, but they are more likely to be "downsized" or passed over for advancement.
For more, please visit the National Institute for Engineering Ethics Web site.
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1b. Common Misconceptions About Cheating
The professor didn't forbid this, so doing it is okay.
- Wrong. The professor is under no obligation to imagine everything that you might do, and then tell you in advance whether or not it is allowed. Instead, the professor is obligated to authorize ways to do the work. Silence and ambiguity are not authorization. If the professor has not clearly said you can do it, then you need to check with the professor.
I was just helping my friend.
- You are here to learn. So, by all means help your friend learn. However, don't help someone cheat. If someone hands in your work under their own name, and asks for all the credit to be given to them, then they are lying. Most instructors view this as two people cheating. How is the instructor to distinguish who did the original work? It’s your responsibility to protect your own work from misuse by others, and to only turn in work that is your own.
I am allowed to use old homework solutions and labs as "study aids."
- Yes, you may be allowed to use them as study aids, provided you obtained them through the instructor. That means you do not use them to get points, but rather to help you learn the material.
Everybody else does it.
- This is just not true. Most students go through their entire college careers without cheating.
It was just an honest mistake.
- "I forgot the rules." Sorry, you can still be punished for cheating since you are responsible for knowing the rules. “The professor did not give me a formal hearing.” Sorry, the professor does not have to give you a formal hearing, as long as you have a chance to respond to the allegation.
There are potential innocent explanations, so the professor can't "prove" that I cheated.
- We are not sending you to prison, so the standard of proof is not that of a criminal trial. The professor does not have to prove you guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Clear and convincing evidence is enough. This means that as long as the potential innocent explanations are much less likely than the "guilty" explanations, the professor has enough evidence to proceed.
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1c. How is Cheating Handled Within DCST?
Instructor Responsibility
- Instructors must include an academic integrity policy statement on their syllabus. The policy should spell out expectations for the class as well as penalty for violation. Please include references to ASU academic integrity Web page, student code of conduct Web page and this Web page.
- If an instructor suspects cheating, they should provide the student with an opportunity to respond to the suspicion. The instructor should proceed in a fashion that respects the student's right to confidentiality. This means in cases when collaboration is suspected, the other students’ names are not mentioned.
- The instructor is not obligated to show all the evidence to the student or to have a formal hearing. As long as the student has been given a chance to respond, it is up to the instructor to determine if further discussion is useful in aiding the decision about how to proceed.
- If the instructor has clear and convincing evidence, a student may be punished for cheating, within university guidelines and according to the course syllabus.
Instructor Reports Cheating to the Division and the College
- University policy states that whenever a student is punished for cheating, the matter is reported to the appropriate Dean's office. In accordance with this policy, the instructor of a course taught inside the Division of Computing Studies (DCST) reports this to the Division Chair (Huey@asu.edu) and to the College of Technology and Innovation (PALMGREN@asu.edu). The Division checks to see if the student is a repeat offender and takes appropriate action.
The Student's Role
- The student is accused in writing (possibly via e-mail) of an academic integrity violation by the instructor. The student has at least one opportunity to respond to the instructor. At the instructor's discretion, there may be only a single opportunity to respond before the instructor decides the course of action.
- The student may be summoned to the CTAS Dean's office and/or to the DCST office to discuss the situation. Independently, one of the following can happen:
- If it is the first offense, the student is added to a list kept within the Division office. Students should be aware that repeat offenders are suspended or expelled from their academic program and the university.
- If it is the second offense, the student receives a letter from the Division Director or the Dean informing them of their suspension or expulsion from their academic program.
The Student may Appeal the Academic Integrity Violation
- The Instructor, the Division office and the Dean's office may all be involved in the appeal process, should the student choose to appeal the decision.
- All students accused of cheating have available an optional appeal process. The student is responsible for initiating the appeal process. The Division of Computing Studies uses (and students must follow) the appeal process as outlined in the ASU Student Academic Integrity Policy.
The Division of Computing Studies' Role
- When reports of cheating reach the Division office, a list is checked for a prior offense. Repeat offenders are removed from their academic program. The list is used by Division administration only and is not available to the general faculty. When a student leaves the Division, their name is removed from the list.
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1d. Useful Links
Division of Computing Studies policy and Web pages on Academic Integrity are derived from other ASU unit policies.
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