Dec 04, 2024  
2024-2025 Student Handbook 
    
2024-2025 Student Handbook

Academic Integrity and Honor Code


This policy creates an honor code for students in their academic work.

Academic integrity is founded upon the values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. Exhibiting these values is essential to promoting and maintaining a high level of academic integrity at the college. Each member of the college community stands accountable for his or her actions. The first responsibility for academic integrity lies with individual students and faculty members. A violation of academic integrity is an act harmful to the entire college community and may result in disciplinary action.

Violations of the code shall include, but are not limited to:

Cheating. The improper taking or tendering of any information or material used or intended to use for academic credit. Taking of information includes, but is not limited to, copying homework assignments from another student; working with others on a take-home test or homework when not specifically permitted by the teacher; looking or attempting to look at another student’s paper during an examination; looking or attempting to look at text or notes during an examination when not permitted. The tendering of information includes, but is not limited to, giving work to another student to be used or copied; giving answers to exam questions as the exam is being given; giving answers or other such information after taking an exam to another student who has not yet taken the exam; giving or selling a term paper or other written materials to another student. (Adapted from the policy of the University of Florida.)

Plagiarism. From the Latin for “kidnapper,” taking ideas from another and passing them off as one’s own, whether the ideas are published, unpublished, or the work of another student. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, submitting papers, examinations or assignments written by others; word-for-word copying of portions of another’s writing without indicating that the copied passage is a quotation (by the use of quotation marks or some other indicating device) and acknowledging the source in the appropriate format; the use of a particularly unique term or concept that one has come across in reading without acknowledging the author or source; the paraphrasing or abbreviated restatement of someone else’s idea(s) without acknowledging the author or source; the use of false citations or citing a source from which an idea has not been obtained; or submitting false or altered data in a laboratory. Plagiarism also occurs in a group project if a member of the group does not do his or her fair share of the group’s work but attempts to take credit for the work of the group. Because electronic information is so easily reproduced, respect for the work and personal expression of others is critical in computer environments. Violations, including plagiarism, invasion of privacy, unauthorized access, and copyright violations are grounds for disciplinary proceedings. Students should consult the section on plagiarism in the writing handbook used in ENC 1101. (Adapted from the policies of Wheaton College, Old Dominion University, the University of Florida and the University of North Carolina - Greensboro.)

Bribery. Offering, giving, receiving or soliciting any materials, items or services of value to gain academic advantage for oneself or another.

Misrepresentation. Any act or omission with intent to deceive an instructor or other college official for academic advantage, including using a computer program generated by another and handing it in as one’s own work unless expressly allowed by the instructor; lying to an instructor to increase one’s grade; lying or misrepresenting facts when confronted with an allegation of academic dishonesty; providing false statements upon financial aid forms or other college documents.

The proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) tools, such as Chat CPT and Dall-E, have created myriad new opportunities for workflow automation, learning assistance and, unfortunately, academic dishonesty. We leave it up to the individual faculty member to set their own parameters around the appropriate use of A.I. in their particular course. What may be appropriate for one course may not be for another. Deviation from the policy in each  course syllabi will be addressed under CF Administrative Procedure 4.14 (See below) If you have questions about the parameters set forth in a course, please contact your faculty member for clarification.

Conspiracy. Planning or acting with one or more persons to commit any form of academic dishonesty to gain academic advantage for oneself or another.

Fabrication. Use of invented or fictitious information or the falsification of research or other findings with the intent to deceive for academic advantage. (Adapted from the policy of the University of Florida.)

A component vital to the Academic Integrity and Honor Code is a pledge that applies to all assignments, examinations, or other course work undertaken by students of the College of Central Florida. On all work submitted by students of the College of Central Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied:

“On my honor I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work, nor am I aware of others doing so.”

The president or the president’s designee shall establish the procedure for implementation of the Academic Integrity policy, including the establishment of an Honor Court.

Policy Manual, Rule 4.14

CF Administrative Procedure 4.14

The purpose of this procedure is to define violation(s) of the honor code and outline the process for resolving violation(s) of the Academic Integrity Policy. Violations of the Academic Integrity Policy include, but are not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, bribery, misrepresentation, conspiracy, and fabrication as related to the academic process. For purposes of this procedure, cheating, plagiarism, bribery, misrepresentation, conspiracy, and fabrication are defined in the Academic Integrity Policy.

Step One - Determination

When an instructor believes or receives information that a student has violated the Academic Integrity Policy, the instructor should contact the vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs to determine if this is the student’s first violation and whether the student has attended the Academic Integrity Seminar. If the student is a repeat violator, the student may be charged with a violation of the Code of Student Conduct.

Step Two - First-time Violator

If the student is a first-time violator, the instructor should first discuss the matter with the student. The instructor may consult with or invite the participation of the instructor’s department chair, program facilitator or dean in the effort to reach resolution with the student. The instructor and student may resolve the problem in a manner acceptable to both. Resolution may include:

  • a lower or failing grade in the course
  • a lower or failing grade on the assignment or examination
  • assignment of additional work to provide evidence of the student’s academic performance or understanding of the course material
  • referral to the Academic Integrity Seminar.

If the instructor refers the student to the Academic Integrity Seminar, the instructor shall inform the student that his/her failure to attend the Academic Seminar may result in the assignment of a final course grade of FF, denoting course failure due to a violation of the college’s Academic Integrity policy.

Any agreement involving an academic penalty shall be put in writing signed by both parties, and reported by the instructor to the department chair, program facilitator or dean, vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, chief academic officer, vice president of Regional Campuses, and the provost at Levy Campus if students at either location are involved. A copy of the agreement will be given to the student. The vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs officer shall maintain a record of the agreement between the instructor and student.

Step Three - Repeat Violator

If a student is a repeat violator, fails to attend the Academic Integrity Seminar, or fails to resolve his/her violation with the instructor as outlined in step two, the instructor shall refer the student to the vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs for a violation of the college’s Code of Student Conduct.

Procedure for Policy No. 4.14