Regulations for Academic Dishonesty

Approved by the Faculty Senate September 4, 2020

Academic Dishonesty

A student may receive academic and disciplinary sanctions for an intentional act of lying, cheating, plagiarizing, or other attempts of obtaining or earning grades under false pretenses.

Academic Negligence

Academic negligence allows for faculty to assess situations of academic dishonesty with questions of intent. For students who commit minor violations of the academic dishonesty policy, there is punitive flexibility. These lapses in ethical behavior might be the result of inexperience, misunderstanding the principles of academic integrity, inadequate pre-college preparation, cultural differences, etc. Faculty are responsible for evaluating these situations to ensure there was no malicious intent, and the violations should be limited in extent. A student should not receive more than one notice of academic negligence. Multiple reports may lead to a charge of academic dishonesty.

Definitions

Plagiarism: defined as: (1) the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit; (2) the submission of ideas, processes, results or words not developed by the student specifically for the coursework at hand without the appropriate credit being given; or (3) assisting in the act of plagiarism by allowing one's work to be used as described above.

Collusion: an agreement by two or more people to commit an act of academic dishonesty. TMCC will sanction students who cheat or plagiarize and those who assist in such actions. A student who assists another in the act of cheating or plagiarism is subject to disciplinary action for violation of academic integrity.

Sabotage: the disruption or destruction of another person's work to prevent said person from completing an academic activity successfully. This could include, for example, destroying another person's written work, artwork, experiment, or design. Failure to contribute to a required team project can also be considered academic sabotage.

Cheating: For purposes of this policy, cheating is defined as:

  1. Unauthorized copying, collaboration, or use of notes, books, or other materials on examinations or other academic exercises including:
    1. Sharing information about an exam with a student who has not taken that exam;
    2. Obtaining information about the contents of a test the student has not taken;
    3. Unauthorized use of technology;
    4. Text messaging or other forms of communication during an exam;
  2. Having others complete coursework, write papers, or take tests/quizzes for you, thus representing another’s work as your own;
  3. Fabricating or altering data to deliberately mislead. For example, changing data to get better experiment results;
  4. Unauthorized collaboration on an assignment;
  5. Turning in the same work in more than one class (or when repeating a class), unless permission is received in advance from the instructor;
  6. Unauthorized use of translation software and/or assistance from native speakers or advanced-level students in foreign language classes and presenting work as your own;
  7. Falsely citing a source or attributing work to a source from which the referenced material was not obtained;
  8. Taking an examination for another student;
  9. Unauthorized or inappropriate file sharing and use of Internet and computer resources;
  10. Sharing your TMCC username/password with others, allowing them to log into TMCC systems as you, or logging in under another person’s username;
  11. Altering or changing test answers after submitted for grading;
  12. Altering or changing grades after grades have been awarded;
  13. Altering or changing other academic records once these are official;
  14. And/or facilitating or permitting any of the above-listed items.

For purposes of this definition of cheating, the term "unauthorized" is defined as not obtaining direct or explicit approval of the course instructor.

Sanctions for Violation of Academic Standards

  1. A student charged with academic dishonesty may not withdraw from the course in question to avoid the charge or sanction. A student who does so will be reinstated in the class.
  2. A student found responsible for violating the academic dishonesty policy may not utilize the "grade replacement or grade appeals policies" for that course.
  3. Sanctions for violations of TMCC academic standards for class misconduct may include academic and/or disciplinary sanctions. Academic sanctions for class misconduct may include temporary removal from the class by the faculty member or being dropped from the class. Dropping a student from a class must be approved by the dean. The student shall not receive a refund for course fees or tuition.
  4. Sanctions for violations of TMCC academic standards for academic dishonesty may include academic and/or disciplinary sanctions. Academic sanctions for students may include: filing a final grade of "F", reducing the student's final course grade one or two full grade points; giving a reduced grade or zero on the coursework; or requiring the student to retake or resubmit the coursework. The academic sanction is to be determined by the extent of the dishonesty, based on the detailed criteria for academic dishonesty.
  5. A student may also be subject to disciplinary action for violating TMCC academic standards depending upon the provisions of the TMCC Student Code of Conduct. Disciplinary sanctions may include the following: warning, reprimand, restitution, probation, suspension, expulsion, or revocation of degree. Students who violate this policy by helping others to cheat in a course in which they are themselves not currently enrolled are subject to disciplinary sanctions.

Disciplinary Procedures

Disciplinary procedures for all NSHE students are fully outlined in Board of Regents Handbook, Title 2, Chapter 10.

Levels of Academic Dishonesty

Academic Dishonesty Level 1

  1. Violations: Instances where the student's actions constituted academic dishonesty to a modest degree.
  2. Examples: Level 1 violations may include, but are not limited to:
    1. Improper documentation of quoted text.
    2. Unauthorized collaboration on an assignment.
  3. Sanctions: Either of the following sanctions shall be applied for a Level 1 Charge:
    1. Retake the exam or resubmit the assignment.
    2. Reduced grade or zero on the assignment.

Academic Dishonesty Level 2

  1. Violations: Instances where the student's actions constituted substantial academic dishonesty.
  2. Examples: Level 2 violations may include, but are not limited to:
    1. Multiple instances of failure to document quoted text.
    2. Inappropriate paraphrasing of others' written work.
    3. Falsely signing another student in as present in class.
    4. Submitting the same assignment for two different courses without instructor permission.
    5. Copying another student's answers or coursework.
  3. Sanctions: The sanction for a Level 2 charge is a Level 1 sanction and the following:
    1. Reducing the student's final course grade by one or more letter grades.

Academic Dishonesty Level 3

  1. Violations: Instances where the student's actions constitute severe and egregious acts of academic dishonesty.
  2. Examples: Level 3 violations may include, but are not limited to:
    1. Presenting work written predominantly by another as one's own.
    2. Obtaining or distributing an exam without the instructor's permission.
    3. Submitting coursework completed by another person, or completing coursework for another person.
    4. Copying answers, using cheat sheets, notes, books, or any type of unauthorized information during exams when expressly prohibited by instructor.
    5. Falsification or fabrication of data.
  3. Sanctions: The following sanction shall be applied for a Level 3 Charge:
    1. Reducing the student's final course grade to an F in the course.