Honesty is an important standard of personal behaviour and is central to a person’s character and reputation. All members of the Cloud Nine College community are responsible for maintaining Cloud Nine College’s character and reputation by observing commonly accepted principles of academic honesty and by refusing to participate in or tolerate academic dishonesty.
Teachers practice academic honesty by explaining principles of academic honesty to their students, minimizing opportunities for cheating in their courses, confronting students suspected of dishonesty in a way that respects their privacy, and assigning grades fairly on the basis of evidence of the student’s work.
Students practice academic honesty principally by using their own thoughts and materials in writing papers and taking tests, by refusing to participate in any form of academic dishonesty with others, and by reporting any instances of academic dishonesty that they may observe.
Cloud Nine College practices academic honesty by giving students the right to appeal any disputes to disinterested parties for hearing and resolution, protecting the anonymity of any student reporting an incident of academic dishonesty to the extent permitted by due process, and keeping and reporting accurate records of every student’s performance.
The following are commonly regarded dishonest student practices. There are many others.
- Copying from others or allowing others to copy from them during a test
- Using unauthorized materials, prepared answers, or concealed notes during a test
- Disclosing information about a test to a student who has not yet taken the same test
- Sharing answers for a take-home test or assignment unless specifically authorized by the teacher
- Taking an examination for another student or having another student take an examination for them
- Stealing or attempting to steal an examination or answer key from the instructor
- Tampering with a test after it has been corrected, then asking the teacher for more credit
- Offering another person’s work as their own
- Intentionally disrupting the educational process in any manner
- Allowing others to research and write an assignment (including purchasing an assignment from a commercial term-paper company)
Plagiarism is a common form of intellectual dishonesty. It involves using the intellectual work of another without giving that person appropriate credit.
Plagiarism takes two main forms:
Passing off as one’s own ideas, words, images, or other creative works of others, and
Using someone else’s ideas, words, images, or other creative works—even in small parts—without referencing its source.
Credit must be given for every direct quotation, for paraphrasing or summarizing a work (in whole or in part), in one’s own words, and for information that is not common knowledge.
Penalties for Academic Dishonesty
Penalties for academic dishonesty are governed by the Rules of Misconduct but because dishonesty is so serious, a first instance will produce a written warning, probation, and possible suspension. A second instance of academic dishonesty of any kind will result in mandatory suspension and possible permanent dismissal. If a student is suspended, missed classes count as absences.
