Academic Honesty
Students are encouraged and expected to conduct themselves in conformance with the highest of standards in regard to academic honesty. Falling into the category of breach of this expectation are such infractions as cheating, plagiarism, collusion and fabrication/falsification of records. Students violating such standards will be disciplined in accordance with the College Academic Integrity Policy.
Midland Lutheran College seeks to provide a learning environment that enhances academic excellence and integrity. The following policy has been adopted to deter acts, which are counterproductive to the attainment of this goal. Academic dishonesty, the act of knowingly and willingly attempting to assist oneself or others in gaining academic success by dishonest means, is manifested in the following broad categories as enumerated by Gehring, et al:*
Cheating: Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information or study aids in any academic exercise. Examples include but are not limited to: looking at another student’s paper during an exam, using unauthorized, protean responses such as crib notes and computer disks, and/or stolen test materials; submitting someone else’s work as one’s own; allowing another person to complete an exam in one’s place; submitting a project that has been or is being used to satisfy requirements from another course without permission of both instructors; improper collaboration on projects beyond that permitted by the instructor; sharing information between exams in multiple sections of course; changing 60 one’s grade(s) or marking(s) on an examination or in an instructor’s grade book or spread sheet.
Fabrication: Intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise. Examples include but are not limited to: supplying fabricating data or altered data for an experiment or laboratory project; fabricating all or a portion of a bibliographic entry for a documented project.
Facilitating academic dishonesty: Intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another person to commit an act of academic dishonesty. Examples include but are not limited to: allowing one’s own work to be submitted as another’s work for a course project; assisting a fellow student in committing an act of academic dishonesty; making threats or offers of compensation to others in order that those threatened or coerced will provide unauthorized aid for course projects; unauthorized acquisition, distribution, and/or possession of stolen test or project materials.
Plagiarism: Intentionally or knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one’s own in any academic exercise. Examples include but are not limited to: purchasing a paper from a commercial or private source, using paper from an organization’s files, copying sections of chapters from reference works, or borrowing or stealing another’s paper and submitting it as one’s own work; failing to indicate a direct quote from a reference source; attempting to represent the work, words and ideas of another (paraphrasing) as one’s own without proper citation or documentation.
* Gehring, D., Nuss, E., and Pavela, G. (1986). Issues and Perspectives on Academic Integrity. Columbus, Ohio. National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.
Students have a responsibility to avoid acts of academic dishonesty. They also have an obligation to report known or observed acts of academic dishonesty to the instructor and/or their academic adviser. If such acts occur, disposition of the case is the prerogative of the instructor. Penalties may range from rejection of the assignment with the request that the work be resubmitted to a grade of “F” in the courses. Instructors may recommend a more severe penalty, such as dismissal from the College, to the Dean of the College. The instructor prepares a written report (an Academic Progress Report may be used) of the facts of the case and the action taken with copies provided to the student, the student’s academic adviser, and the Dean of the College. Students have the right to present a written appeal of the instructor’s action to the Committee on Academic Development.
Students accused of academic dishonesty in a class will not be permitted to withdraw from the course involved until they have either been cleared of the allegation or have the permission of the instructor and the Dean of the College.