Policy on Academic Dishonesty

Both the College of Science and the Department of Computer Science have an obligation to instill a strong sense of ethics in our students. I personally feel strongly that the academic integrity of our program is vital to maintaining a quality program. For this reason, as well as many others, I will vigilantly uphold the University and College of Science policies on Academic Dishonesty. Below is an excerpt from the statement on Academic Dishonesty from Wayne State University:

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY (including Cheating, Fabrication, Plagiarism):

Academic dishonesty means any activity that tends to compromise the academic integrity of the institution or subvert the education process. All forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited at Wayne State University, as outlined in the Student Due Process Policy. Cheating is defined as any act of intentionally using or attempting to use, or intentionally providing or attempting to provide, unauthorized materials, information or assistance in any academic exercise. Thus, persons who give unauthorized assistance, as well as those who receive such assistance, are guilty of cheating. In addition, participation in any act intended to result in an unearned grade is cheating. Each student has the responsibility to report any acts of cheating to their instructor and to assure that their work is not made available to others for unauthorized use.

There are several points that I wish to emphasize:

1.

A student is guilty of cheating for not only using unauthorized assistance, but also for providing unauthorized assistance. To the best of my knowledge, the University Policy on Academic Integrity does not suggest different punishments for a student who cheats and a student who helps another cheat.

2.

Students are expected to report incidences of cheating that they are aware of. By reporting other students, you are helping to maintain the integrity and reputation of your degree. Please be assured that any allegation of cheating will be taken quite seriously. Furthermore, I will do my best to keep the identity of anyone reporting allegations of cheating confidential.

3.

It is the student's responsibility to familiarize himself or herself with the consequences of academic dishonesty. (Copies of the University Policy on Academic Integrity are available upon request. A copy will be provided to a student in the event that charges of Academic Dishonesty are made.) The penalties can include receiving a lower grade in the course (including an E) and suspension or expulsion from the University. The policies and penalties will be applied uniformly to all students; the effects of these policies and penalties may be different for individual students depending on their unique circumstances. For this reason, students with special circumstances are strongly encouraged to determine the ramifications of such penalties on their academic career before deciding to violate the policy .

Definition of Authorized Assistance for:

• Exams and Quizzes - Exams and quizzes will be closed book and closed notes, unless you are informed otherwise. You may not receive assistance from other students, whether the exam is closed book or open book.
• Programming Assignments (if any) - You are expected to complete all programs on your own, without assistance from anyone else. The only exception is assistance from myself. You are also not permitted to use books, or the WWW, or similar sources in order to find reference code to complete your assignment. You may receive assistance from other students on issues unrelated to the objectives of the programming assignment, for example, questions on using the compiler or editor, or help with syntax errors. The design, implementation, and debugging of the code logic must be done on your own. You should be aware that automated software is being used to compare your program with the programs submitted by other students in the class. The programs are tested based on the logic, not variable names; the program is fast; and the program has been very effective in the past.
• Homework Assignments (if any) - The purpose of homework assignments is to allow you to gain familiarity with course material, rather than to assess your understanding of that material. In addition, the homework assignments represent a small fraction of your grade. For these reasons, you are permitted to discuss the homework with other students in the class. Please understand, however, that the purpose of homework assignments is to learn the material. If you do not have a better understanding of the material after working with someone else, then you should not be surprised by poor test scores.