Academic Integrity
Honesty involves ethical behavior and abstaining from deceit in all academic work.
Trust involves having confidence in the integrity, ability, character, and truth of a student’s work (assignment, paper, project, test, etc).
Fairness involves all students having an equal chance at learning and participating in educational endeavors, and includes abiding by standards that are applied to everyone in an equitable manner.
Respect involves courteous regard, and proper concern for the welfare of other students, instructors, and oneself.
Responsibility involves taking charge of and being accountable for one’s own honesty, reliability, trustworthiness, and integrity. Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of honesty and integrity in all academic matters.
Expected behaviors which illustrate honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility include, but are not limited to:
• Acknowledging indebtedness and providing proper credit when using another’s ideas, discoveries, words, pictures, graphics, etc. (If unsure, seek guidance from instructors, librarians, or the LAC on how to acknowledge the contributions of others within your writing.)
• Doing one’s own work to receive an honest grade.
• Coming to an exam prepared and only using material and aids authorized by the instructor.
• Participating fully in group projects in which everyone receives a single grade for the work of the whole.
• Completing graded assignments and take-home tests without unauthorized collaboration.
• Reporting knowledge of intended cheating or actual witnessed cheating.
Cheating, allowing others to cheat, plagiarizing, and lying are serious academic offenses that are subject to disciplinary action.
Lack of awareness or understanding of what constitutes academic dishonesty will not be excused. (If you are unsure of anything in this document, please contact your instructor or advisor immediately for clarification.)
Example behaviors of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to:
• Plagiarizing by claiming parts or entire works of another as one’s own without providing proper credit. This includes downloading, buying, or having another write your papers, reports, speeches, homework, etc.
• Plagiarizing by submitting a paper or assignment when someone else made extensive corrections or rewrote it without informing the instructor of the extent of that help.
• Self-Plagiarizing by submitting a paper written in an earlier course or using the same paper for two courses.
• Cheating by obtaining specific test content beforehand or by bringing information not preapproved by the instructor into the testing area.
• Cheating by getting answers from another or from a cell phone, the Internet, or other device not allowed by the instructor.
• Lying about attendance, missed exams, late papers, etc., to receive time extensions to study, hand in papers, receive credit for late work, etc., thereby asking for unfair advantage over fellow students.
• Attempting to dissuade fair, equitable, and appropriate grading.
• Lying and blaming others for one’s own lack of effort, preparedness, and choices.
• Cheating by allowing another to copy your answers or to use your work as their own.
• Cheating by providing the answers or by doing the work for another on a graded assignment.
• Cheating by telling what is on a test to someone who should not have that information.
• Collaborating on a take-home test or assignment with others without permission from the instructor.
• Cheating by falsifying experimental data in a laboratory in order to get a better result or to feign an experiment that was not actually conducted.
The following section outlines the disciplinary process for academic integrity violations
and spells out the student’s rights to due process. These procedures and the administration
of the code violation supplement those outlined in the NCCC Student Code of Conduct
in both Section 3 – Disorderly Conduct (pp 13-16) and in the section on Administration
of the Code: “Range of Sanctions and Special Conditions for Students Accused of Violating
College Regulations” (pp 34-38). The administration of academic integrity violations
differs from the Student Code of Conduct procedures in that the first Administrative
Hearing is held with the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs (or designee).
Students found to be in violation of the academic integrity standards of the College
are subject to a range of sanctions that may be imposed either by the faculty member
or the appropriate College administrator. Those sanctions include: • Formal Disciplinary
Warning/repair. • Failure of the test/assignment • Failure of the course (which includes
forfeiture of tuition, fees and other costs associated with the course). • Formal
Disciplinary Probation.
Additionally, the Vice President for Academic Affairs may impose another level of
sanctions which can include Suspension/Expulsion from the College (which includes
forfeiture of tuition, fees and other costs associated with the course). This is generally
reserved for those students who have repeated violations of the academic integrity
standards of the College.
The Process Step 1: The instructor will raise the concern quickly and directly with the student to determine
if the action was knowing and intentional.
Step 2: The instructor will determine and implement the appropriate sanction for the offense
and communicate those directly to the student. The instructor may consult with their
Departmental Chair/Director to discuss appropriate sanctions.
Step 3: Regardless of sanctions determined, the instructor will file an academic incident
report and copy the Departmental Chair/Director, the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs,
the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) and the Dean of Student Life. The student
will also receive a copy of that incident report.
Step 4: Failure of Exam/Assignment If the instructor determines that the student fails the
exam or assignment, the instructor will meet with the student prior to the next class
period to discuss the incident, the sanction (i.e. failure of exam/assignment) and
the behavioral expectations and guidelines the student must follow to remain in the
course. At that time, the instructor is to offer the student the opportunity to accept
or deny responsibility and explain the student’s right to appeal. If disputing the
charges, then the student would meet with the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs (or
designee) for an Administrative Hearing.
Failure of Course If the instructor determines that actions of the student were egregious
enough to warrant failure of the course and/ or there are repeat offenses of the academic
integrity expectations by the student in that class, the instructor may issue a failing
grade (F) for the course and the student will be fully liable for any costs and unable
to withdraw from the course. If not already completed, the instructor will file an
incident report outlining the academic integrity violation(s) and the sanction, which
is to be shared with the student and copy the Department Chair/Director, the Associate
Dean of Academic Affairs, the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Dean of
Student Life and the Registrar’s Office.
Before being issued a failing grade (F) for the course, the student is to meet with
the instructor to discuss the charges against them, the reason for the failure, offer
the student the opportunity to accept or deny responsibility and explain the student’s
right to appeal. If disputing the charges, then the student would meet with the Associate
Dean of Academic Affairs (or designee) for an Administrative Hearing.
Step 5: If the student receives two academic integrity reports, the Vice President for Academic
Affairs (or designee) will arrange an appointment with the student to discuss possible
sanctions as outlined above.
Student Rights and the Appeals Process In addition to the rights afforded students
under the Student Code of Conduct, the student accused of an academic integrity violation
will receive a copy of the incident report filed by the instructor and has the right
to request a hearing on the decision with the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs (or
designee), ideally within 3 business days after request. Students are entitled to
appeal that decision to the Vice President for Academic Affairs (or designee) and
have up to four (4) business days to appeal after receipt of the decision by the hearing
officer. Their decision will be final and is not subject to further appeal.
Students who are removed from the course by the instructor due to an academic integrity
violation have the right to a hearing with the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
(or designee), ideally within 3 business days after request. The student will not
be allowed to attend the class during that time. Permanent removal will be determined
after the hearing process and appeal process has been completed. Students are entitled
to an appeal of that decision to the Vice President for Academic Affairs (or designee)
and have up to four (4) business days to appeal. Their decision will be final and
is not subject to further appeal.
Suspension/Expulsion from the College: Students who are suspended or expelled from the College by the Vice President for Academic Affairs due to repeat academic integrity violations have the right to a hearing with the Dean of Student Life (or designee) ideally within 3 business days after request. The student will not be allowed to attend any classes during that time. Permanent removal from the College will be determined after the hearing process and the appeals process has been completed. Students are also entitled to appeal that decision to the College’s Appellate Officer, the Dean of Admissions (or designee) and have up to four (4) business days to appeal. Their decision will be final and is not subject to further appeal. Should students be permanently removed from the College during a semester due to violation of the policy, they will be fully liable for all costs and unable to academically withdraw from courses.
For more on the appeals process, see pg. 17 of the Student Code of Conduct STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT