1. FYC Orientation The Honor Code & Honor Council
August 25, 2015
Jason Ciejka, Assistant Dean, Office for Undergraduate Education

2. The Honor Code
Academic integrity is governed by a student initiated Honor Code. All students are required to maintain “a standard of unimpeachable honor in all academic work.” (Preamble, Emory College Honor Code)
Faculty have a duty to report any suspicion of academic misconduct to the Office for Undergraduate Education.
Each case will be investigated and adjudicated by the Honor Council, which includes 20 students and 20 faculty members.
The Honor Council will determine if academic misconduct took place and recommend a sanction.
Sanctions include a grade penalty and a mark on the student’s record. Other actions like suspension and expulsion or educational programs may also be recommended.

3. Honor Code Statement
The Honor Code is in effect throughout the semester. By taking this course, you affirm that it is a violation of the code to cheat on exams, to plagiarize, to deviate from the teacher's instructions about collaboration on work that is submitted for grades, to give false information to a faculty member, and to undertake any other form of academic misconduct. You agree that the instructor is entitled to move you to another seat during examinations, without explanation. You also affirm that if you witness others violating the code you have a duty to report them to the honor council.

4. Honor Code Violations
“Academic misconduct is an offense generally defined as any action or inaction which is offensive to the integrity and honesty of the members of the academic community.”
Seeking or providing unauthorized assistance on a test/quiz
Copying assignments from other students
Collaborating with others when individual work is required
Plagiarizing
Lying to faculty to gain an academic advantage

5. Providing false information
Lying about an absence or missed exam
Lying about a late assignment
Signing absent students into class
Using a clicker for another student so s/he gets credit
Changing answers and asking for a re-grade
Fabricating data
Have a stated policy for late work. Stress that it is better to lose a few points for late work than lie or submit plagiarized material.

6. Copying/Unauthorized Collaboration
Be explicit in the syllabus and assignment instructions about whether individual work is required or not.
For group projects, specify whether students are required to write reports/papers individually.
If collaboration is not allowed, indicate in the syllabus or assignment instructions that they may not exchange work with others in the class.
If unauthorized collaboration is a common problem in your discipline, be sure to remind the students how easy it is to detect this.

7. What constitutes plagiarism?
Improper paraphrasing (with or without references)
Lack of quotation marks
Lack of references
Copying-and-pasting in part or in whole
Resubmitting an old paper for a different class
Purchasing a paper from a website
Paying for a custom written paper

8. Retrieved from http://thevisualcommunicationguy
Retrieved from August 17, 2015

9. Why do students plagiarize?
Ignorance of expectations
Uncertainty about expectations
Don’t understand the material
Carelessness/Forgetfulness
Don’t understand importance of citing
Writing may just feel like an exercise
Not invested in assignment/class
Procrastination
Fear of low grade
Can’t see any other option
Pure malicious intent

10. Preventing plagiarism
Talk to your class about plagiarism
Give examples of proper methods for quoting and citing material
Be clear about whether outside sources are allowed
Assign papers that are specific instead of generic
Divide research papers into smaller graded tasks (proposal, outline, annotated bibliography, draft, etc.)
Use SafeAssign (available on Blackboard)
Accept late work (with a penalty) or offer extensions

11. Detecting plagiarism SafeAssign Google Changes in style of writing
Style of writing doesn’t match previous work
Prose is “just too good”
Writing that is awkward suddenly becomes elegant
References to highly specialized information
Changes in font or font size

12. Safe Assign

15. What are some ways that students cheat on tests?

16. Images retrieved from: http://gizmodo
August 17, 2015

17. Tips for exams Active proctoring (multiple proctors when possible)
Remove items from the desk
Assign (or record) seats, leaving space between students
Give multiple versions of exams; don’t use past exams
Keep track of the number of exams given out and turned in
Redistribute blue books
Establish clear guidelines in syllabus or on test
Cellphones; Prohibited Materials; Restroom policy
Scan completed exams
Take-home exams
Include the Honor Pledge

18. Witnessing cheating
Students must always be allowed to complete the exam.
You may reassign seats if you include this language on your syllabus. Be as discreet as possible.
You may ask for cheating materials or ask to see the student’s phone (take a photo of any open apps related to the exam). Try to be unobtrusive.
Without biasing other proctors, check if they observe any suspicious behavior in the exam room.
Take photos or videos of the suspicious behavior if possible.
Look for unusual patterns in the student’s answers or overall performance in the class.
Report violations to the Honor Council/OUE.

19. Why is it important to report violations?
Students and faculty alike have an obligation to report suspicions to the Honor Council
The Honor Code provides due process for accused students
Students receive consistent sanctions
Process is a learning experience that deters future violations
A neutral body handles the case so you can focus on teaching
The student may have a history of misconduct
The problem may continue if not addressed
The process protects faculty members

20. Reporting violations
Contact me (Jason Ciejka) in the Office for Undergraduate Education at:
I can discuss the incident with you and determine whether it is necessary to move forward through the Honor Council process.
You may discuss the case with the chair, the DUS, or a faculty member who acts as a resource for the department about HC matters. Please avoid disclosing information about the student’s identity.

21. Handling reported students
Students may be informed of possible violations in two ways: directly from the instructor or through the Honor Council.
If you elect to inform the student directly, have a conversation in private or write to the student. Do not reveal information about any other reported student. Do not discuss the details of the incident. Remain dispassionate. Emphasize it was your duty to report, there is a process in place to handle the situation, and you want to focus on teaching the student.
Alternatively, I will contact the student to inform him/her of the suspected violation.

22. Honor Council Process
Step One: Preliminary meeting (15-30 minutes, longer for very complex cases) in your office
Investigative team with one student and one faculty member
Step Two: Honor Council Hearing (0, or 1-2 hours)
Faculty may or may not be asked to attend depending on the type of hearing
Step Three: Appeal Process (0 hours)
Faculty is not involved

23. Sanctions Grade penalty Mark on the student’s personal record
F in the course is typical, but zero on the assignment is often recommended for less serious cases. For unintentional plagiarism, student may be given an opportunity to resubmit work
Mark on the student’s personal record
Typically given for two years
May not be given for very minor infractions
May be permanent for egregious violations
Suspension or Expulsion
Uncommon; typically given for students with a history of violations or extreme acts of dishonesty (impersonating faculty, sabotaging work of another student, fabricating evidence)
Educational Programs

24. Resources
Honor Council Webpage:

25. Questions