Our Addendum to the University's Academic Integrity Policy

Student Input Obtained: Spring 2023 | Faculty Approved: October 19, 2023

Introduction

Welcome to the College of Engineering's Academic Integrity Policy, where fostering unwavering dedication to ethical thinking and honesty stands as a cornerstone of our mission. Within the realm of engineering, we shoulder the responsibility of upholding elevated standards in our work, as it directly impacts the well-being and security of society. Our commitment to nurturing ethical and truthful conduct commences within our educational journey. As burgeoning engineers, students are trained not only to meticulously report the results of calculations but also to exercise prudent judgment in evaluating the appropriateness of solutions for given challenges.

The following highlights the expectations of the College of Engineering faculty to communicate academic integrity policies to their students and it provides a policy and procedure for departments when repeated academic integrity violations occur, whether in the classroom or in the research lab. These policies and procedures are consistent with the 麻豆破解版 State University Academic Integrity Processes and Procedures, which fall under the purview of Student Conduct and Community Standards. A flowchart of the university's academic integrity procedure is shown in the Appendix along with links to the WSU policies and procedures governing student conduct and academic integrity.

Students are subject to disciplinary action when an academic integrity violation occurs, which commonly consists of the following types of behavior.

  • Engaging in any form of cheating, be it on assignments, quizzes, exams, projects, or any other type of work or context.

  • Plagiarism, which involves presenting the work of others as one's own without attributing due credit.

  • Misrepresentation of classroom contributions or preparatory efforts.

  • Tampering, forgery, or unauthorized alteration of documents linked to academic records.

  • Exhibiting disruptive behavior in class or displaying abusive conduct towards peers, faculty, or staff.

The faculty in the College of Engineering adopts the following policies and procedures to promote the integrity of our programs and encourage good behavior. In the context of this document, an academic integrity violation is defined as one that has received confirmation from the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (SCCS).

Policy

  • An engineering student found responsible for or admitting to an academic integrity violation is not eligible to serve as a graduate teaching assistant (GTA).
  • An engineering student found responsible for or admitting to academic integrity violations are dismissed from the College of Engineering when they have:
    • A total of three Academic Integrity Committee (AIC) findings or admissions of responsibility, or
    • One particularly egregious violation as determined by the department chair.
  • Dismissed students are not eligible for College of Engineering 400 or higher-level course enrollment, degrees, certificates, tracks, badges, competitions, clubs, organizations, employment, support, scholarships/fellowships/assistantships, awards, or lab access.

Procedures

  • Instructors will formally post, at the start of each semester, WSU academic integrity standards and policies to students.

  • Instructors will formally post, at the start of each semester, course-specific academic integrity policies and sanctions (e.g., zero on homework, F-grade for an exam, F-grade for the course, etc.). Instructors decide on the grade-based sanction when an academic integrity violation occurs in their classroom.

  • Instructors must consistently apply all academic integrity policies and sanctions.

  • Per WSU policy, instructors must report all academic integrity violations to the WSU Student Conduct and Community Standards (SCCS) office.

  • The Student Conduct and Community Standards (SCCS) Academic Integrity Committee (AIC) reviews cases and reports the outcome to the instructor.

    • The instructor forwards AIC outcomes to their department chair if the student accepts responsibility for a violation from the start (informal resolution) or if the student is found in violation (formal resolution).

  • The department chair reports all AIC outcomes to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Graduate Programs at the end of each semester.

  • The department chair archives and reviews AIC outcomes, checking for potentially egregious violations and repeat offenders.

    • In egregious violation cases, the department chair appoints a committee of four (4) department faculty and one (1) engineering student in a program in the department to consider immediate dismissal.
      • Related AIC documents will be redacted to make the student anonymous.
      • The faculty and student directly involved in the case cannot serve on the committee.
      • A majority vote is all that is required for dismissal.
    • Students with a combined total of three (3) AIC violations or admissions of responsibility are dismissed from the program directly by the department chair.
  • The department chair formally notifies the student they are dismissed from the program and they have a right to appeal, copying the Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Graduate Programs.
  • The dismissed student can appeal the decision by submitting a rebuttal of no more than one page to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Graduate Programs in the College of Engineering. The Associate Dean will review the case and respond in writing to the student within 10 working days.
  • The Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Graduate Programs archives and reviews AIC outcomes from each department, checks for repeat offenders and ensures that a student who commits an AIC violation or admits responsibility for an academic integrity violation does not serve as a graduate teaching assistant for the length of their degree program at WSU.
  • The Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Graduate Programs formally notifies a student they are dismissed from the program and they have a right to appeal when they commit a combined total of three (3) AIC violations or admissions of responsibility in more than one department.
  • The dismissed student can appeal the decision by submitting a rebuttal of no more than one page to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Graduate Programs who will review the case and respond in writing to the student within 10 working days.

Appendix

  1. WSU Policies and Procedures
    8.05 / Student Code of Conduct
  2. WSU Policies and Procedures
    2.17 / Student Academic Integrity
  3. WSU Academic Integrity Handbook and Policies and Procedures