POLICY STATEMENT

Course instructors* and departments shall work to enhance a culture of academic integrity at the University (see the Colorado State University General Catalog for the Academic Integrity Policy).

*The term "course instructor", as used in Sections I.5 and I.7, is applicable to all persons responsible for assigning grades, including graduate teaching assistants

a. Each course instructor shall state clearly in his or her course syllabus that the course will adhere to the Academic Integrity Policy of the Colorado State University General Catalog and the Student Conduct Code. The TILT Academic Integrity website provides examples of possible wordings for the course syllabus.

b. By the end of the second week of the course and/or in the course syllabus, the course instructor shall address academic integrity as it applies to his or her course components, such as homework, written assignments, lab work, group projects, quizzes, and exams. Examples of items to address include, but are not limited to, the use of class notes, study sheets, and solution manuals; appropriate uses of sources, Internet or otherwise; receiving assistance from others; and the use of prior work. More examples are available in the General Catalog section on Academic Integrity and on the TILT Academic Integrity website.

c. The course instructor shall decide which course components will use an honor pledge. For those course components, the course instructor shall provide the opportunity for students to sign an affirmative honor pledge. The honor pledge shall include one of the following statements and may be expanded according to instructor, department, or college practices and policies:

HONOR PLEDGE: I have not given, received, or used any unauthorized assistance.

HONOR PLEDGE: I will not give, receive, or use any unauthorized assistance.

Examples of other wordings, including the Honor Pledge endorsed by the Associated Students of Colorado State University, may be found on the TILT Academic Integrity website.

A course instructor may offer the student the opportunity to write out the pledge if deemed practicable. Students may be given the opportunity to include an honor pledge along with electronic submissions of their work.

A student’s decision to forego signing the honor pledge shall not be used as evidence of academic misconduct and shall not negatively impact a student's grade.

d. Instructors shall follow the following procedures when they feel academic misconduct has occurred:

If a course instructor has evidence that a student has engaged in an act of academic misconduct in his or her course, prior to assigning any academic penalty, the course instructor shall notify the student of the concern and make an appointment with the student to discuss the concern. The student shall be given the opportunity to give his or her position on the matter. After being given this opportunity, if the student admits to engaging in academic misconduct, or if the course instructor judges that the preponderance of evidence supports the allegation of academic misconduct, the course instructor may then assign an academic penalty. The course instructor may refer the case to Student Resolution Center for a hearing before deciding on a penalty. The course instructor shall notify the student in writing of the infraction and the academic penalty to be imposed. A copy of this notification shall be sent to Student Resolution Center. Examples of academic penalties include assigning a reduced grade for the work, assigning a failing grade in the course, removing the Repeat/Delete option for that course, or other lesser penalty as the course instructor deems appropriate.

If, after making reasonable efforts, the course instructor is unable to contact the student or is unable to collect all relevant evidence before final course grades are assigned, he or she shall assign an interim grade of Incomplete and notify the student in writing of the reason for this action.

If evidence of academic misconduct is discovered after the final course grades have been submitted, the course instructor shall follow the above procedure in properly notifying the student and providing an opportunity for the student to give his or her position on the matter before making a decision about any academic penalty. The course instructor must notify the student in writing of the infraction and any academic penalty subsequently imposed. A copy of this notification shall be sent to Student Resolution Center.

If the course instructor so desires, he or she may request that Student Resolution Center conduct a Hearing to determine whether additional disciplinary action should be taken by the University, or if the offense warrants the addition of the “AM” (Academic Misconduct) notation to the student’s transcript.

REFERENCES

TILT Academic Integrity Program/Honor Pledge homepage and resources

Academic Faculty and Administrative Professional Manual, section I.5.1

Student Conduct Code