Foundation of Academic Integrity

1. Foundation of Academic Integrity Cinnamon Adams Community Standards Specialist 486-8402 cinnamon.adams@uconn.edu www.community.uconn.edu

2. Community Standards • Located in Wilbur Cross 3rd floor • Main responsibility is to uphold the University mission, specifically through management of Responsibilities of Community Life: The Student Code, which includes Academic Integrity • We help protect students rights

3. What is on the agenda for today? • Practice- Explore approaches for addressing academic misconduct • Purpose- Why is upholding academic integrity important? • Problem- How and why our students cheat • Prevention- Approaches to reduce academic misconduct • Process- Review of Student Code policies

4. Case Study #1 http://www.ncsu.edu/stud_affairs/osc/AIpage/caseone-1.html During final exams, you find two final projects that concern you. While the work is not 100% identical, the amount of work that matches indicates that two students collaborated in someway. All work in the course is to be independent and that is stated on your class syllabus and in class. The only help students can receive are from the TA or the professor. Tim is an ‘A’ student and Seth has struggled all semester. You believe either Tim gave Seth the work or Seth took it from Tim without permission. What are issues to consider? What are next steps to take?

5. Case Study #1 http://www.ncsu.edu/stud_affairs/osc/AIpage/caseone-1.html After meeting with the two students you find out: • Seth did ask for Tim to help him out as Seth’s parents have threatened to pull him out of school if he does not perform better academically. • Tim and Seth have been friends since elementary school and although Tim knew he was not suppose to provide help to Seth, he decided that his friendship was more important. • Seth did ask Tim to copy his work and turn it in. • Seth asked you to not hold Tim accountable as he was the one who asked Tim to provide the assignment. • Seth also asked you to give him an F without turning in the violation to Community Standards because he did not want it to be on his record. What are your next steps? What do you want these students to learn from this? Other considerations?

6. Case Study #2 “The Exam” Your mid semester exam is in progress. The exam is multiple choice and short answer. All students have been spaced one seat apart. Hats, textbooks, notebooks, papers of any kind, cell phones, calculators and any other hi-tech equipment are barred from the testing room. Two of the students have caught your attention. Bill rocks his desk chair backward to make a noise. Soon after Bill makes a noise, Mary coughs one, two, three or four times. This has happened a few times within the first 15 minutes of the exam. What action, if any, do you take?

7. A New Twist… You have approached Bill with your request to stop making noise with the chair as it disturbs others taking the test. He has been silent for five minutes. You hear a quick double rapping from Bill’s area followed by Mary coughing three times. You did not witness Bill make the noise. You continue to observe and hear the double rapping again followed by Mary coughing twice. Bill’s arm was hanging to the side of the seat but you are unsure if he made the noise. What action do you take?

8. Case Study #3 http://www.ncsu.edu/stud_affairs/osc/AIpage/casetwo-2.html Every student in your class was required to turn in a paper by October 14th. You allowed students to choose their own topic but it had to present an argument with documented support. While reading the papers, you came across a paper that did not meet the criteria for the assignment. Towards the end of the paper there were a couple arguments presented, but the first half of the paper was simply a regurgitation of a book they were required to read in another course. You were concerned and used a search engine and found that most of the paper was taken word for word from five different web pages. The student simply pasted sections of each source together to form the paper. You did spend time talking to your class about your expectations for academic honesty, and you also provided the class with information as to what constituted plagiarism. What are issues to consider? What is your next step?

9. Case Study #3 http://www.ncsu.edu/stud_affairs/osc/AIpage/casetwo-2.html You emailed the student and requested a meeting At the meeting: • The student told you she did not plagiarize • She denied the accusations and became indignant • You produced all five sources with appropriate text highlighted and gave them to her • She began to cry and stated she thought she could use information from the Internet without citing it. She said she was very busy with other classes and did not have time to put into this paper. What is your next step? What do you want the student to learn from this?

10. Case Study #4 http://www.ncsu.edu/stud_affairs/osc/AIpage/casethree.html For your mid-term exam, you provide your class with ten essay questions to complete on their own and use as a study guide. On the day of the test, each student was required to use a blue book provided by you to answer four of the ten questions during an in class-test. They were not allowed to bring their study guides with them to class that day. They had two hours and ten minutes to complete the test, and they were not allowed to use any additional materials. One student, Tom, came in twenty-five minutes late. He picked up a blue book and sat in the back of the room. After approximately one hour, he closed his book and turned it in. You assumed he was not able to complete the test because he only had one hour. The rest of the class took the entire time to finish.

11. Case Study #4 www.ncsu.edu/stud_affairs/osc/AIpage/casethree.html When looking at Tom’s exam you noticed: • Tom answered five questions instead of four • In his blue book, questions one and three were not questions asked on the test but they were asked on the study guide • His answers for the first four were perfect. They were very comprehensive and well organized. There were no misspellings and no scratch outs. • Question five was poorly done. The first two paragraphs seemed to be the answers to another question. Tom scratched them out and wrote a short, complete answer with many spelling errors and scratch outs. What are your next steps?

12. Case Study #4 After meeting with Tom, he denies cheating on the exam. • You explain the Academic Integrity policy to him • Tom requests an Academic Misconduct Board

13. Purpose: Why is upholding Academic Integrity Important? • Create a high standard for academic work • Teach professional ethics regardless of field of study • Instructors have a responsibility to model good, ethical behavior in the classroom • Insure value in and integrity of a degree earned at UConn • Maintain YOUR credibility with your students

14. Let’s talk about the problem:Research from the Center for Academic Integrityhttp://www.academicintegrity.org/ • Donald McCabe of the Center for Academic Integrity (CAI) conducted a nationwide survey (CAI’s Assessment Project) with almost 50,000 undergraduate participants on more than 60 campuses.

15. CAI’s Assessment Project • “On most campuses, 70% of students admit to some cheating. • Close to one-quarter of the participating students admitted to serious test cheating in the past year • And half admitted to one or more instances of serious cheating on written assignments.” (CAI website)

16. CAI’s Assessment Project • “…most students have concluded that 'cut & paste' plagiarism - using a sentence or two (or more) from different sources on the Internet and weaving this information together into a paper without appropriate citation - is not a serious issue. A majority of students (77%) believe such cheating is not a very serious issue.” (CAI website) • Students suggest that cheating is higher in courses where it is well known that faculty members are likely to ignore cheating.” (CAI website)

17. Here’s Education-Portal.com’s list of the eight most popular ways students are cheating (in no particular order): • Copying • Buying papers online • Cheat sheets • Take a picture • “Can I go to the bathroom?” • MP3 players • Cell phones • When is a candy bar more than a candy bar? http://www.higheredmorning.com/top-8-ways-students-are-cheating-today

18. Why are students cheating? • Fear of failure/self pressure • Poor time management • “Everyone else is doing it.” • Material is not important • Faculty are allowing it • Be competitive • Anything else?

19. Prevention: How do we promote academic integrity? Clear Communication (in syllabus and throughout the semester) • Educational Expectations and Learning Objectives • Grading Requirements and Assessment Criteria • Cultivating a Shared Understand of Academic Integrity and Academic Dishonesty • Emphasizing the Meaning and Purpose of Scholarship Reducing In Class Test Cheating (especially in large lecture classes) • Space Seating and Monitor (move about the room) • Create Multiple Forms (randomize order of questions and answers) • Ban Digital Technologies (cell phones, PDAs, calculators, laptops, etc.)

20. Prevention continued… Papers and written assignments • Make Assignments Clear and Manageable • Provide List of Specific Topics (and/or required components) • Require Process Steps (series of due dates: topic, outline, first draft) • Meet with Students to Discuss Their Research Papers • Require Oral Reports (ask process questions) • Require Annotated Bibliography (could be a process step) • Require Recent References (prevent use of paper from mill) • Require Metalearning Essay (in-class essay day papers due) Adapted from Harris, R. (2001). Anti-Plagiarism Strategies for Research Papers. Online at: http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm

21. Academic Misconduct Academic misconduct is dishonest or unethical academic behavior that includes, but is not limited, to misrepresenting mastery in an academic area (e.g., cheating), intentionally or knowingly failing to properly credit information, research or ideas to their rightful originators or representing such information, research or ideas as your own (e.g., plagiarism). Responsibilities of Community Life: The Student Code, p. 11

22. Different ways to handle academic misconduct situations • Educational conversations • Found responsible for Academic Misconduct by instructor of course • Academic Misconduct Hearing Board

23. Process for Academic Misconduct (the complete process can be found in the Responsibilities of Community Life: The Student Code.) • Incident occurs: • Gather a preponderance of evidence (whether it is more likely than not) to support allegation • Keep the original document – do not return it to the student • Inform your supervisor and discuss meeting with student and potential academic consequence • Inform student in writing and orally of misconduct • Inform student of rights to contest allegation and to a hearing

24. Student Meeting • Request to meet with student (let him/her know why you want to meet) • Take notes of your conversation for your record • If you believe academic misconduct occurred, follow up meeting in writing • Inform student of rights to contest allegation and to attend a hearing • Inform student if you have determined consequence

25. Tips for Meeting with a Student • Be prepared-have notes of items you need/wish to cover with student • Be calm and even-tempered • Ask open ended questions • Be direct • Focus on the individual student BEHAVIOR in question (not others in the class, etc.) • Explain the facts as you know them • Do not get defensive and do not engage in an argument • Do not “plea bargain” – stick to your standards

26. Determining Consequences “The appropriate academic consequence for serious offenses is generally considered to be failure in the course. For less serious offenses regarding small portions of the course work, failure for that portion is suggested with the requirement that the student repeat the work for no credit.” Responsibilities of Community Life: The Student Code

27. Academic Misconduct Hearing • If student request hearing, instructor notifies Community Standards • Board- 2 faculty, 2 students, 1 chair • Purpose is to determine whether or not student is responsible or not responsible • If responsible, original sanction is imposed • Additional sanctions may be imposed

28. Other issues to consider: Parents (or other family): • What if they call? • What if they want to come to the meeting? • How should you respond? • What are some challenges/benefits to parents? • FERPA-Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Class Standing

29. Please email me if you would like a copy of this presentation at cinnamon.adams@uconn.edu.

30. References • Center for Academic Integrity: Assessment Project http://www.academicintegrity.org/ • Responsibilities of Community Life: The Student Code http://www.community.uconn.edu/studentcode • NC State University, Office of Student Conduct, Academic Integrity http://www.ncsu.edu/student_affairs/osc/academic_integrity/

31. Resources for You General Information: • http://www.cheatingculture.com/education.htm Plagiarism Information: • http://www.lib.uconn.edu/campuses/stamford/using/guides/PlagFac.htm

32. Sample Syllabus Statement Academic Misconduct in any form is in violation of the University of Connecticut Student Code and will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to: copying or sharing answers on tests or assignments, plagiarism, and having someone else do your academic work. Depending on the act, a student could receive an F grade on the test/assignment, F grade for the course, and could be suspended or expelled from the University. Please see the Student Code at http://www.community.uconn.edu/student_code.html for more details and a full explanation of the Academic Misconduct policies and process.