Academic Honesty and Integrity

School of Human Services students are expected to be academically honest. Misrepresentation of facts, omissions or falsifications in any connection with the academic process (including both coursework and official documents) are violations of the SHS Academic Honesty and Integrity Policy, hereinafter referred to as the Policy.

Students are urged to consider that the public value of their education depends on the integrity of the grading system, and that academic dishonesty in any form dilutes the value of those grades. The Policy is not intended to diminish collegiality at Springfield College. All of us learn from our colleagues, and education is a cooperative enterprise. Simple justice requires, however, that students receive the quantity and quality of academic credit they have earned. Justice of this sort is compatible with the community values and shared experiences on which a liberal education is based. If students know of fellow students who are cheating or are taking advantage of policies or procedures, they should bring that to the attention of the course instructor and/or campus director (anonymously, if they wish).

Misunderstanding the Policy will not be accepted as an excuse for dishonest work. If a student is in doubt on some points as they affect work in a particular course or as they may be interpreted in practice, he/she should consult with the instructor in the course or the campus director, so as to avoid the serious charge of academic dishonesty.

Academic achievement is generally evaluated on the basis of completed exercises (defined hereinafter) that a student produces independently. Obtaining credit for work, words or ideas that are not the products of a students own effort is dishonest. Such dishonesty undermines the integrity of the academic standards of the College. Consequences of violating the Academic Honesty and Integrity Policy entail penalties ranging from failing an exercise, failing a course, reprimand, suspension, dismissal, expulsion from the College, forfeiture of a diploma and/or legal action. This Policy also applies to alumni, insofar as it relates to Springfield College transcripts and other records of work at Springfield College.

The following pages contain information about these topics:

A students name on any exercise(s), which term shall include, but not be limited to, a theme, oral report, notebook, report, computer program, course paper, project, portfolio, quiz, examination or any other assignment related to a course or internship thereto, is regarded as assurance that the exercise is the result of the students own thoughts and study, stated in his/her own words, and produced without assistance, except as quotation marks, references and footnotes acknowledge the use of printed sources or other outside help. In some instances, an instructor, program or campus may authorize students to work jointly in solving problems or completing projects. Such efforts must be clearly marked as the results of collaboration. Where collaboration is authorized, students should make sure that they understand which parts of any assignment must be performed independently. Students are not allowed to present the same exercise previously or concurrently completed for another course without the permission of the instructor(s) of the course(s) in question. Students who perceive the possibility of an overlapping assignment should consult with their instructors before presuming that a single effort will meet the requirements of both courses.

In preparing assignments, a student often needs or is required to employ outside sources of information or opinion. All such sources should be listed in the bibliography/reference section.

For citations, references in text are required for all specific facts which are not common knowledge and which do not obtain general agreement. New discoveries or debatable opinions must be credited to the source with specific references to edition, page or web page even when the student relates the matter in his/her own words. Word-for-word, including any part, even if only a phrase or sentence, from the written or oral statement of someone else (including the Internet) requires citation in quotation marks and use of the appropriate conventions for attribution. Paraphrasing or summarizing the contents of anothers work is not dishonest if the source or sources are clearly identified (author, title, edition, page), but such paraphrasing does not constitute independent work and may be rejected by the instructor.

Notebooks, homework and reports of investigations or experiments must meet the same standards as all other written work. If any of the work is done jointly or if any part of the experiment or analysis is made by anyone other than the writer, acknowledgment of this fact must be made in the report submitted. It is dishonest for a student to falsify or invent data.

A piece of work presented as the individual creation of the student is assumed to involve no assistance other than incidental criticism from another person. A student may not knowingly employ artwork, story material, wording or dialogue taken from published work, motion pictures, lectures, Internet or similar media without full acknowledgment.

In writing examinations and quizzes, the student is required to respond entirely on the basis of his/her own memory and capacity without any assistance whatsoever except as specifically authorized by the instructor. Cheating on examinations and quizzes can take many forms, including, but not limited to, using another individual to take an examination in ones place, bringing into the exam room unauthorized materials from which one gains assistance, appropriating an exam or exam materials without authorization, purposely missing an exam in order to gain an advantage, copying during an examination, improper collaboration or unauthorized assistance on take-home examinations, or other actions that undermine equity and reduce the objectivity of evaluation of student work.

Students involved in community projects, practica, independent studies or fieldwork experiences related to their academic program should be aware that their behavior is a reflection on themselves and the College. Their behavior related to such experiences should be appropriate and professional and is subject to this Policy. Violations of this Policy in such circumstances include, but are not limited to, misrepresenting oneself, misrepresenting the College, misusing a position of authority or failure to honestly report the results of their experience or research.

Any misuse of official College documents connected with the academic process constitutes a violation of the Policy. Such documents include, but are not limited to, registration cards, change of schedule forms, applications to change majors, grade report forms, applications for internships or fieldwork, and transcripts. Misuse of such documents includes, but is not limited to, unauthorized alteration of a form, forging of signatures or misrepresentation of personal or academic information requested.

In addition to fraudulent uses of sources as described above, dishonesty includes a number of offenses that circumvent procedures set up to produce a fair grade. The use of services of commercial research companies is cheating and a punishable offense. Any falsification of records or routines for grading is dishonest, whether before or after graduation. Gaining access to a recommendation (without permission) once rights have been waived is a violation of the Policy. Withholding, removing or destroying materials needed by other students for class exercises is as much an offense against the Policy as is plagiarism. Lying in the course of an investigation or a hearing pursuant to the Policy shall be deemed a violation of this Policy.

Students should be scrupulous in learning the principles that govern each new area of computer operations to which they are introduced. Unauthorized collaboration, unauthorized borrowing of someone elses data or programs, and use of a Springfield College computer for unethical purposes and/or other purposes that violate any of the terms of this Policy are a violation of this Policy and are subject to disciplinary and/or legal action.

All cases of suspected academic dishonesty shall be referred to or made by the instructor of the course in which the offense occurred. The person alleging a violation of the Policy shall provide or have copies of the work in question and indicate clearly the nature of the alleged violation in an accompanying narrative. In cases of plagiarism, the person making the charge shall provide or have copies of original sources, if available, marking plagiarized phrases, sentences, and/or paragraphs, and shall indicate borrowings in the accused individuals text and in original sources. In the case of an examination, the person making the charge shall provide or have copies of the examination in question, indicate specifically the grounds for the charge and explain his/her process of discovery. Other alleged offenses of the Policy should be documented with equal thoroughness and in equal detail.

The instructor is expected to meet with the student and, if applicable, sanction the student with respect to the coursework for which the instructor is responsible, as provided in I, II or III below. If assistance with the investigation is needed, the instructor may consult with or refer the matter to the campus director or his/her designee. If the instructor determines that the student has violated the Policy, the sanction (I, II or III) shall be assessed to the offender, and that decision will be conveyed to the student in a letter written by the instructor. The student will be informed in the letter that he/she has the right to appeal any decisions to the Academic Standards Committee of the campus wherein the Policy violation occurred. The appeal must be in writing and include all materials the accused considers relevant, including a narrative clearly outlining the grounds of the appeal. The student will be informed in writing of the decision of the ASC. The student will be informed in the letter that he/she has the right to appeal the decision to the dean of the School of Human Services. The appeal must be in writing and include all materials the accused considers relevant, including a narrative clearly outlining the grounds of the appeal. The student will be informed in writing of the decision of the dean. The decision of the dean in response to this appeal will prevail.

In addition to sanctions I, II or III, the ASC of the campus has the option of referring the matter to the dean of the School of Human Services or his/her designee to investigate whether further disciplinary action is warranted. If the dean believes that a violation exists, he/she shall have the right to sanction a student, which may include, but not be limited to, suspension, dismissal, expulsion, revocation of degree or legal action.

No student may withdraw from a course following an accusation of a violation of this Policy, unless it is determined that no such violation occurred. An instructor is authorized to enact any sanction under I, II or III that he/she judges to be appropriate with respect to the course in which the violation occurred.

In some cases in which a first offense has been judged to merit a minor penalty, the student will be allowed to repeat the exercise or complete an alternative assignment, as determined by the instructor of the course. Responsibility for evaluation of the students work in the course continues to belong to the instructor of the course. The instructor should keep documentation of the offense and the reprimand.

For most offenses, the least severe penalty will be loss of credit in the exercise. The student may be required to repeat the exercise or complete an alternative assignment, although credit will not be given. The student will be allowed to continue in the course. The instructor should keep documentation of the offense and the resulting sanction.

When the offense is sufficiently serious to merit failure in the course, the student will be removed from the course immediately, and the instructor will give a grade of F. The instructor must write a letter notifying the student of his/her status. A copy of the letter should be sent to the campus director for inclusion in the students permanent file.

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