Introduction

The Precollege Studies Code of Academic Integrity is based on the Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity.

Because participants in the Precollege Studies program are not matriculated Cornell students, procedures for adjudicating suspected academic integrity violations by Precollege students involve the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs of the School of Continuing Education.

If a Precollege student is found guilty of an academic integrity violation, the outcome of the adjudication will be referred to the director of Precollege Studies for follow-up action which may include dismissal from the program in addition to any academic penalty imposed by the course instructor.

Principle

Absolute integrity is expected in all academic undertakings. Integrity entails a firm adherence to a set of values, and the values most essential to an academic community are grounded on the concept of honesty with respect to the intellectual efforts of oneself and others, and free and open inquiry and discussion in the classroom. Academic integrity is expected not only in formal coursework situations, but in all University relationships and interactions connected to the educational process, including the use of University resources.

The submission of work for academic credit indicates that the work is the student’s own. All outside assistance should be acknowledged, and the student’s academic position truthfully reported at all times. In addition, students have a right to expect academic integrity from each of their peers.

I. Guidelines for Precollege Studies Students

A. General Responsibilities

  1. A student shall in no way misrepresent his or her work.
  2. A student shall in no way fraudulently or unfairly advance his or her academic position.
  3. A student shall refuse to be a party to another student’s failure to maintain academic integrity.
  4. A student shall maintain the integrity of the classroom environment, and not engage in unauthorized sharing of materials beyond the course environment or record classroom lectures and discussions without the prior written permission of instructors.
  5. A student shall not in any other manner violate the principle of academic integrity.

B. Examples of Violations

The following actions are examples of activities that violate the Code of Academic Integrity and subject their actors to proceedings under the Code. This is not a definitive list.

  1. Knowingly representing the work of others as one's own.
  2. Using, obtaining, or providing unauthorized assistance on examinations, papers, or any other academic work.
  3. Fabricating data in support of laboratory or field work.
  4. Buying, selling or otherwise distributing course materials, including exams, presentations, photos, transcripts, lecture content and notes, student assignments such as problem sets, homework, discussion board posts, and student papers, without written authorization from the instructor.
  5. Forging a signature to certify completion of a course assignment or a recommendation to graduate school.
  6. Unfairly advancing one's academic position by hoarding or damaging library materials.
  7. Misrepresenting one's academic accomplishments.

C. Specific Guidelines for Courses

1. Examinations

During in-class examinations no student may use, give, or receive any assistance or information not given in the examination or by the proctor. No student may take an examination for another student. Between the time a take-home examination is distributed and the time it is submitted by the student for grading, the student may not consult with any persons other than the course professor and teaching assistants regarding the examination. The student is responsible for understanding the conditions under which the examination will be taken.

2. Course Assignments

Students are encouraged to discuss the content of a course among themselves and to help each other to master it, but no student should receive help in doing a course assignment that is meant to test what he or she can do without help from others. Representing another’s work as one’s own is plagiarism and a violation of this Code. If materials are taken from published sources the student must clearly and completely cite the source of such materials. Work submitted by a student and used by a faculty member in the determination of a grade in a course may not be submitted by that student in a second course, unless such submission is approved in advance by the faculty member in the second course. If a student is submitting all or part of the same work simultaneously for the determination of a grade in two or more different courses, all faculty members in the courses involved must approve such submissions.

3. Unauthorized Recording and Classroom Policy

The openness and privacy of classroom discussions is essential to Cornell’s traditions of open inquiry and freedom of learning, which include the right to explore, experiment, try out ideas, debate, and change one’s mind in the relative openness and safety of the classroom environment. Students are not permitted to record classroom lectures and discussions, in whole or in part, or related instructional spaces like laboratories or studios, without the prior written permission of instructors. Where such permission is given (for example, to support student accommodations or second language learners) or where recordings or other materials are made available to all students by instructors, students may not share instructor- or student-generated content (lectures or lecture slides, photos, student assignments or presentations, class discussions or discussion board postings, etc.) either within or beyond the course environment without prior instructor permission. Note that unauthorized sharing of classroom materials may also violate other university policies — for example, the University’s Anti-Doxxing Policy or the Precollege Studies Code of Conduct.

In addition, students are not authorized to replicate, reproduce, copy, or transmit lectures and course materials, or materials derived from the course including class notes that incorporate the original content in new ways, for sale or general distribution to others without the written consent of the faculty or academic staff member or class participant who is the original source of such materials.

4. Classroom Misconduct and Other Behavior Disruptive to the Educational Process

A faculty member may impose a grade penalty for any misconduct. Examples of classroom misconduct include, but are not limited to, talking during an examination, bringing unauthorized materials into the examination room, using unauthorized electronic technology during an examination, and disruptive behavior in the classroom.

  1. The faculty member must promptly notify the student of the reason for the imposition of a penalty for classroom misconduct and the degree to which his or her grade will be affected.
  2. Classroom misconduct is not a violation of academic integrity.
  3. This section does not limit a faculty member’s prerogative to remove a disruptive student from a classroom under appropriate circumstances.

D. Principles for Computer Use and Network Systems

The use of computers and network systems in no way exempts students from the normal requirements of ethical behavior in the Cornell University community. Use of a computer and network system that is shared by many users imposes certain additional obligations. In particular, data, software and computer capacity have value and must be treated accordingly. Although some rules are built into computer and network systems, such restrictions cannot limit completely what students can do. In any event students are responsible for their actions whether or not rules are built in, and whether or not they can circumvent them.

Standards of behavior include:

  1. Respect for the privacy of other users’ information, even when that information is not securely protected.
  2. Respect for the ownership of proprietary software. For example, unauthorized copies of such software for one’s own use, even when that software is not protected against copying, is inappropriate.
  3. Respect for the finite capacity of the system and limitation of use so as not to interfere unreasonably with the activity of other users.
  4. Respect for the procedures established to manage the use of the system.

E. Variances

A faculty member is responsible for informing his or her students and teaching assistants of variances from this Code that apply to work in his or her course. These variances should be clearly stated in writing at the beginning of the course or activity to which they apply.

II. Procedures for Addressing Violations

A. Reporting

Students and staff members discovering an apparent violation should report the matter to the faculty member in charge of the course.

B. Primary Hearing

1. Holding the Hearing

Primary hearings are to be held by the faculty member.

2. Notification

If, after investigation, possibly including discussion with the student, a faculty member believes that a student has violated the Code of Academic Integrity, the faculty member shall present the student with the charge. The charge shall include notification of a primary hearing to be held as soon as practical after the alleged infraction has come to the attention of the faculty member.

3. Composition

At the primary hearing the following shall be present: the faculty member concerned, the student in question, and the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, School of Continuing Education, or designee as a witness on behalf of the School. The student may also bring to the hearing an advisor and additional witnesses to testify to his or her innocence.

If a case involves more than three students, the instructor may delegate the instructor’s role in one or more primary hearings to another tenured, tenure-track, emeritus, or RTE faculty member. Any primary hearing with the instructor not present must be recorded. The instructor retains responsibility for ruling on each case and therefore may wish to engage with a student from whose primary hearing the instructor was absent. If such engagement takes place, it will be treated as part of the primary hearing.

4. Procedure

  1. At the primary hearing, the faculty member shall present evidence in support of the charge against the student. The student shall be given the opportunity to respond and, if he or she wishes, to present evidence refuting the charge.
  2. The function of the independent witness is to observe the proceedings impartially, to advise participants as to the procedures, and to notify the director of Precollege Studies as to the case and its outcome.
  3. After hearing the student, the faculty member may either dismiss the charge or, if there is clear and convincing evidence that the student has violated this Code, find the student guilty. (“Clear and convincing” as a standard of proof refers to a quantum of evidence beyond a mere preponderance but below that characterized as “beyond a reasonable doubt” and such that it will produce in the mind of the trier of fact a firm belief as to the facts sought to be established.) If the student is found guilty, the faculty member may impose any suitable grade punishment including failure in the course.
  4. Participants in the Precollege Studies program cannot appeal the decision of the faculty member in cases of academic integrity.
  5. In cases of a penalty imposed for a violation of academic integrity, the SCE witness shall immediately report this action and the nature of the violation to the director of Precollege Studies. In cases in which the penalty imposed is failure in the course, the director will dismiss the student from the program unless they are concurrently enrolled in another course.
  6. If the student fails to attend the primary hearing without a compelling excuse, the hearing may proceed in his or her absence.
  7. A student charged with violating the Code of Academic Integrity in a course may not drop that course without the consent of the instructor unless the student has subsequently been cleared of the charges.