| Code of Academic Honesty* |
Frederick Community College is committed to enhancing the success of all students. Academic honesty is an essential component of that success. All members of the college community have the responsibility to uphold the Code of Academic Honesty. As members of the community, students are expected to use their own efforts, ideas, and materials. Students are also expected to give full credit for borrowing another's work. "Work" includes, but is not limited to, words, ideas, art, musical compositions, computer programs, dances, creative writing, and research. Students are expected to conform strictly to this code. Violations of the code will result in appropriate disciplinary action.
The term "Academic Dishonesty" means the misrepresentation of one's academic work which includes, but is not limited to:
a. Cheating - the intentional use or attempted use of unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise. Following are several common forms of cheating:
- (1) Copying or using notes, examinations, or instructional material during examinations, tests, or quizzes.
- (2) Using another person to write a paper or having another person substantially write a paper.
- (3) Obtaining, using, or possessing copies of an examination or providing or receiving information contained therein.
- (4) Submitting another's project as one's own.
- (5) Having an examination taken by a second party.
- (6) Altering or falsifying examination results after they have been evaluated by the instructor and returned to the student.
- (7) Writing the answer to an exam question outside of class and submitting that answer as part of an in-class exam.
b. Plagiarism - the presentation as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source without properly citing the source of the material. Following are several common forms of plagiarism:
- (1) Duplicating an author's work (in part or whole) without quotation marks and/or accurate citations.
- (2) Duplicating an author's word or phrases with accurate citations, but without quotation marks.
- (3) Using an author's ideas in paraphrase without accurate citations.
- (4) Submitting a paper in which exact words are merely rearranged even though cited.
c. Facilitating academic dishonesty - the intentional or knowing help or attempt to help another to commit an act of academic dishonesty. Several common forms are:
- (1) Completing an examination or project in the name of someone else.
- (2) Permitting another student to copy one's work during an examination.
- (3) Furnishing another student with unauthorized notes during an examination.
- (4) Illicitly collaborating with other individuals in the completion of course assignments.
- (5) Taking an examination for someone else.
- (6) Giving test questions to students in another class.
- (7) Writing a term paper for another student.
- (8) Selling or purchasing examinations, papers, or other assignments.
d. Other Forms of Academic Dishonesty -
- (1) Submitting or resubmitting the same paper for two different classes/courses without the explicit authorization and approval of the faculty members teaching those classes/courses.
- (2) Fabrication -intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information, data, or citation in an academic exercise.
3. Procedure
a. If a faculty member has reason to believe that an act of academic dishonesty has occurred, he/she must meet with the student, present the evidence of alleged dishonesty, afford the student an opportunity to respond to the allegations, and, if warranted, impose a sanction.
If another member of the college community has reason to believe that an act of academic dishonesty has occurred, he/she should report the alleged incident to the appropriate faculty member or academic administrator.
b. The faculty member may choose to impose a penalty deemed appropriate for the offense. The minimum sanction imposed by the faculty member is a reprimand or warning to the student. A faculty member may, however, choose to impose a different sanction. The maximum sanction is to award an "F" for the course in which the dishonesty occurred. Faculty members may, at their discretion, impose an intermediate sanction, such as awarding an "F" on a portion of a course.
c. If a sanction is imposed, the faculty member must inform the student of the sanction in writing and include the reasons for the sanction and the procedure for appeal. A copy of the letter must be sent to the faculty member's supervisor, the vice president for academic affairs, and the vice president for student development.
4. Appeal
a. The student will have seven working days in which to appeal the penalty imposed. The appeal must be submitted in writing to the faculty member's supervisor, who may choose to hear the appeal, or may refer the appeal, with the concurrence of the vice president for academic affairs, to the college's Student Discipline Committee in accordance with procedures established in the college's Standards of Student Conduct (Section 5.11).
b. Failure to appeal within the time frame indicated will result in the student's waiver of the right to further appeal.
5. Sanctions
a. Students determined to have been engaged in any act constituting academic dishonesty or misconduct are subject to any and all sanctions deemed appropriate by the classroom instructor
b. Depending on the severity of the violation and other circumstances, penalties will progress in severity as follows: a reprimand or warning; a failing grade for that assignment; and/or an " F" grade for the course.
c. If a faculty member, with concurrence of his/her supervisor or the vice president for academic affairs, believes that more severe penalties should be imposed (e.g., suspension or expulsion from the college), the case will be referred to the vice president for student development.
d. If a case is referred to the vice president for student development for sanctioning under the Standards of Student Conduct, disciplinary files and records will be maintained in accordance with Section 5.11.5(F) of the Standards of Student Conduct.
| * FCC student Handbook page 45 |
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