Honesty in all academic work is an essential element in a learning environment. Attempting to gain unfair academic advantage by cheating or presenting another’s work as one’s own are violations of OCCC’s Guidelines for Student Conduct. The descriptions below outline unacceptable academic conduct that may lead to disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the college.

Cheating

Cheating is an act defined as presenting examinations, assignments, materials, projects, or other work which was completed, created, and/or assembled from sources or activities forbidden by the faculty. Cheating includes giving information, materials, or work to another person in order to help that person cheat. Cheating is any act in which a student gains unfair academic advantage through duplicity, deception, or dishonesty of any kind.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is an act defined as presenting academic work, term papers, essays, projects, experiments, examinations, or other assignments which are not entirely the student’s work. Plagiarism may include, but is not limited to, quoting sources without giving appropriate credit, building upon the work of another without giving proper credit, taking and presenting as one’s own work actual articles or documents or any portion of actual articles or documents from any source, including print, computer and electronic media, or directly using another person’s ideas or concepts rather than words without crediting the source.

Copyright Violations

Unauthorized use of copyrighted materials from any source, including but not limited to, print and electronic media, is an act of academic dishonesty. Copyright violators are subject to legal penalty. (https://oregoncoast.edu/copyright/).

I. Policy

Learning is built on the fundamental qualities of honesty, fairness, respect and trust. At Oregon Coast Community College, academic integrity is a shared endeavor characterized by truth, personal responsibility, and high academic standards. Any violation of academic integrity devalues the individual and the community as a whole. One important aspect of academic integrity is academic honesty. Violations of academic honesty include:

Plagiarism
Collusion/Inappropriate Assistance
Cheating
Fabrication/Falsification/Alteration
Unauthorized Multiple Submission
Sabotage and Tampering

A student who violates academic honesty will be subject to disciplinary action according to Students Rights and Responsibilities.

II. Definitions

Violations of academic honesty may include:

Plagiarism:

  • presenting someone else’s words, ideas, artistry, product, or data as one’s own;
  • presenting as new and original, an idea or product derived from an existing source;
  • Collusion/Inappropriate Assistance:
  •  helping another commit an act of academic dishonesty
  • knowingly or negligently allowing work to be used by others. It is a violation of Oregon state law to create and offer to sell part or all of an educational assignment to another person (ORS 1.65.114).

Cheating:

  •  an act of deceit, fraud, distortion of truth, or improper use of another person’s effort to obtain an educational advantage;
  •  includes, but is not limited to, unauthorized access to examination materials prior to the examination itself;
  • Fabrication/Falsification/Alteration:
  • intentional misrepresentation, invention, exaggeration, or alteration of information or data, whether written, verbalized, or demonstrated;
  • Unauthorized Multiple Submission:
  • using any work previously submitted for credit without prior instructor permission;
  • Sabotage and Tampering:
  • intentional altering or interfering with documents or other student’s work;
  • intentionally depriving others of academic resources.

III. Procedures of Academic Integrity Inquiry Process

A. Action/Steps by Faculty:

1. The faculty member observing or investigating an apparent violation of academic honesty meets with the student and shares the Oregon Coast Community College Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures. The faculty member explains to the student the procedures and penalties for violation of academic honesty.
2. The faculty member provides the student an opportunity to explain the incident.
3. If, after initial investigation and conference with the student, the faculty member resolves the issue informally with the student and determines that there was no violation of academic honesty, the process is concluded and there is no need to complete the Academic Integrity Concern Form.
4. If, after initial investigation and conference with the student, the faculty member finds that there has been some violation of academic honesty, the violation is documented, using the Academic Integrity Concern Form.
5. The faculty member collects evidence by assembling all relevant documentary evidence and creating a paper trail of all that occurs after the alleged act of academic dishonesty. Often the evidence will include various samples of the student’s work showing a radical disparity in style or ability.
6. If the faculty member finds the student to have been dishonest, the faculty member may resolve the matter by determining an appropriate course of action, which may include an oral or written warning; or a grade of “F” or zero on an assignment, project, or examination; or a lower grade or grade of “F” or “No Pass” for the course. The completed Academic Integrity Concern Form is submitted to the Vice President for Student Affairs and to the Dean of Academics & Workforce.
7. In the event the faculty member’s investigation is pending at the time course grades are due, the faculty member may elect to submit a mark of “I” (Incomplete), with the student informed in writing by the faculty for the reason for the investigation and the incomplete mark via the Academic Integrity Concern form.

B. Involvement of Dean of Academics & Workforce:

1. If the accused student contests the faculty member’s decision, a meeting with the Vice President for Student Affairs and the Dean of Academics & Workforce may be requested.
2. If the faculty member wishes to assign a grade of “F” or “No Pass” for the course, or initiate further disciplinary action (e.g., place the student on program-based academic probation), the student is entitled to a meeting with the Vice President for Student Affairs and the Dean of Academics & Workforce for the purpose of further inquiry into the incident.
3. Within ten (10) working days of receiving the Academic Integrity Concern Form, the Dean of Academics & Workforce coordinates a meeting between all parties regarding the alleged incident of academic dishonesty. Official notification of this meeting should be in writing. The purpose of the meeting is for the student to hear the charges and present his/her side of the case. The Dean of Academics & Workforce will consider any evidence submitted within seven (7) days of the meeting, and interview persons as warranted. The Dean of Academics & Workforce determines if the action recommended by the faculty member is appropriate. If the student misses the meeting, the faculty member and the Dean of Academics & Workforce may proceed with the process to completion.
4. Within five (5) working days of the meeting, the Dean of Academics & Workforce sends written notification of the results of the inquiry to the student, faculty member, and the Vice President for Student Affairs. The decision of the Dean of Academics & Workforce is final.
5. Further consequences may be imposed by the Dean of Academics & Workforce in cases of grievous violations of academic honesty or for a continued pattern of violations.

C. Grievance Procedure:

See Conflict Resolution (Student Grievance Procedure).

IV. Consequences for Violations of Academic Honesty

A. If a student is found guilty of violating academic honesty, any one or a combination of the following consequences may be imposed by the faculty member:

1. Oral or written disciplinary admonition and warning;
2. Temporary Exclusion from class, lab, clinical not to exceed one class session;
3. A grade of “F” or a zero for the assignment, project, or examination.

B. The following consequences may be imposed by the faculty member after an inquiry conducted by the Dean of Academics & Workforce:

1. Program-based academic probation;
2. A lower grade or a grade of “F” or “No Pass” for the course, overriding a student’s ability to withdraw from the course (in some programs, this may result in a student’s removal from the program).

C. The following consequences may be imposed by the Dean of Academics & Workforce in cases of grievous acts of dishonesty or for a continued pattern of dishonesty:

1. Disciplinary admonition and warning;
2. Disciplinary probation with or without the loss of privileges for a definite period of time. The violation of the terms of the disciplinary probation or the breaking of any college rule during the probation period may be grounds for suspension or expulsion from the college;
3. Suspension from Oregon Coast Community College for a definite period of time;
4. Expulsion from Oregon Coast Community College.

Contents of this policy and procedure were reviewed and Approved by Council of Curriculum and Instruction: May 12, 2004.