(Policy is in Appendix 1.18)
Students should assume responsibility for their own work, give appropriate credit when using the work of others and protect the resources of the College for other students. The College believes it is important that students develop high ethical standards and encourage mutual trust and respect among themselves and between themselves and faculty.
While most members of the community accept the responsibility of academic integrity, inevitably some members occasionally adopt behaviors which sacrifice their personal integrity. For general guidance of the faculty here are several principles and ideas to strengthen academic integrity:
- Before starting a test, if space allows, have students sit in alternate seats or separate the chairs in the room.
- After a test is distributed, the instructor should remain in the room long enough to make certain that students have no questions about the test. If the instructor leaves the room, and there is no requirement that instructors do so, students should know where s/he is if questions arise.
- If students request that an examination be proctored, the faculty member should proctor the exam.
- Inasmuch as possible, do not leave examinations in faculty offices on campus. Carry them home with you overnight.
- Help students understand the concept of plagiarism within your academic field, particularly if your course involves reports and papers.
If a student reports the possibility of cheating in an examination, or the instructor during an examination or in grading examination papers has reason to believe that cheating has occurred, it is the instructor's responsibility to confront the suspected offender as soon as possible (certainly by the next class period) of coming to a firm suspicion of the offense. If the student cannot be reached in person or by telephone, the instructor should send a written notice to the student's campus mailbox (or if the student does not have a campus mailbox, to the last address on file with the College) within 72 hours of when the offense is first suspected. In any case, the instructor should talk with the student before assigning a grade for the work on which the cheating is suspected.
All faculty members should be familiar with the Academic Misconduct policy.
Judicial Policies and Procedures
The Wilmington College Judicial System for policy violations is described in the Student Handbook.