Academic Affairs

    Board of Trustees Policy

    SUBJECT:

    Student Academic Code of Ethics

    		 NUMBER:
    3.3
    DATE:
    Fall 2002
    SUPERSEDES:
     

    Purpose

    In the pursuit of knowledge and scholarship, all members of the academic community at Montgomery County Community College must maintain a constant commitment to academic integrity. The College provides an environment that fosters critical thinking and judgment, and in order to safeguard the integrity of the institution, students are expected to follow the policies of the College and the faculty. To fulfill their part of that commitment, students must adhere to an academic code of ethics by refraining from participation in acts of academic dishonesty.

    Policy

    By attending MCCC, students accept this Student Academic Code of Ethics and agree to the following:

    • Students must do all of their own work.
    • Students must not cheat.
    • Students must not help others to cheat.

    Students who are unclear about the validity of an academic procedure they are about to undertake should ask their instructor for guidance beforehand. Violations of this code of ethics will result in sanctions, including possible dismissal from the College.

    Academic Dishonesty

    Academic dishonesty shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

    Plagiarism

    1. Copying or presenting material verbatim from any source without using quotation marks and the appropriate documentation or by using improper documentation of the source, including any materials from the Internet or other electronic sources.
    2. Copying from any source (print and non-print, including Internet websites), including altering a few words to avoid exact quotation, without the appropriate documentation or by using improper documentation of the source.
    3. Rewording an idea found in a source but then omitting documentation or improperly citing the source.
    4. Submitting as one’s own any course assignment (i.e., a paper, speech, computer project, media presentation, studio project, lab report, etc.) created by someone else.
    5. Having someone other than the student correct the mistakes on a paper or speech (Someone may suggest revisions, but the work must be the student’s.)

    Cheating on Examinations and Assignments

    1. Copying answers from another person.
    2. Copying a passage from a book, magazine, or other source without proper citation or quotation marks.
    3. Using any unauthorized resources during an exam, such as bringing notes to class on a scrap of paper, on an article of clothing, on one’s person, on an electronic device, etc., or writing notes or answers on campus furniture or structures.
    4. Asking for, giving, or receiving the answers to test questions.
    5. Having an unauthorized person take a test for a student.
    6. Stealing or having in one’s possession without permission any tests, materials, or property belonging to or having been generated by faculty, staff, or another student.
    7. Fabricating data and information (i.e., laboratory and clinical results, case studies, interviews, etc.).
    8. Submitting a previously graded paper or speech to a different instructor without that instructor’s approval.
    9. Submitting the same paper to two instructors simultaneously without both instructors’ permission.

    Aiding Another Student in Committing an Act of Academic Dishonesty

    1. Willfully offering to or taking from another student questions or answers to tests, examinations, oral and written assignments, presentations, clinical projects, etc.
    2. Doing another student’s assignment (in the classroom, laboratory, studio, or clinical setting; online; or outside of class), excluding collaborative learning assignments or joint assignments approved by the instructor. Some examples may include, but are not limited to, doing another student’s homework or other assignment for him or her as opposed to showing the student how to do the work, correcting a students misspelled word as opposed to identifying a misspelled word, or writing or re-writing a major portion of a student’s assignment.
    3. Taking a test for another student.

    Consequences of Academic Dishonesty

    Ensuring academic honesty is everyone’s responsibility. The excuse of ignorance is unacceptable in response to a charge of student academic dishonesty. Options for dealing with academic dishonesty are at the discretion of the instructor. Instructor-imposed sanctions for the student may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following:

    • Repeating the assignment with a grade penalty
    • Receiving a failing grade for the assignment
    • Receiving a failing grade for the course
    • Receiving a failing grade for the course with a notation of academic misconduct on the student’s transcript

    Students may follow the College’s appeal process if they dispute an instructor’s accusation of academic dishonesty. The Academic Progress Committee will hear the appeal, and the policies of the Academic Progress Committee are incorporated into this statement by reference.

    Either through the appeal process or at the recommendation of the faculty member, the Vice President of Academic Affairs/Provost has the discretion to impose institutional sanctions. Institutionally imposed sanctions for the student may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following:

    • Being expelled from the student’s program
    • Being expelled from the College

    Before imposing sanctions, the Vice President of Academic Affairs/Provost will consult with the faculty member and appropriate administrator/s.