Honor System Reminder
Please read below for the latest information about academic integrity and especially plagiarism. As future faculty, and as instructors of record in your courses, you have the same responsibilities to report plagiarism. As always, please contact the director, Todd Taylor, (twtaylor@email.unc.edu) if you encounter a case of plagiarism so that we may discuss how to approach the situation.
From: Office of Faculty Governance (faculty_chair@unc.edu)
Dear Colleague,
As we enter into final exams and grade term papers, I thought it may be helpful to provide you with some information regarding academic integrity policies governing student academic assignments. The Faculty Council has adopted policies that require faculty to report formally any instance of suspected academic integrity violations, including plagiarism and cheating on tests or examinations. Faculty who witness potential violations may report them using the Academic Integrity Report Form found at the Honor System website's "For Faculty" section http://cfmx.unc.edu/judicial/fac/login.cfm. Supplemental information is also available through the website of the Center for Teaching and Learning: http://integrity.unc.edu.
The Honor Code, revised in 2003, provides faculty with an enhanced role in shaping the resolution of Honor System cases. If you and the student agree, you may meet with the student informally to discuss the suspected violation. If you and the student agree that a violation has occurred, you may recommend sanctions to be imposed to the Honor Court. The court will review your recommendations, and if they reasonably reflect the violation, the court will officially enact the sanction. The new code also provides the faculty member with the sole authority to determine the grade penalty to be assigned in the event of a finding by the court of a violation. This review does not require your presence; thus, you need not attend the hearing. In the last year, 32 cases of academic dishonesty were successfully resolved using this process.
It is important that all faculty members use the official lines of reporting through the Honor System, as the Honor System is the only central repository for tracking student misconduct. Using the system ensures that students receive a consistent process and provides for increased penalties associated with cases of repeat violations. We will be providing an update on current trends regarding student conduct and honor system improvements at the January 2005 Faculty Council meeting.
Finally, it is worth noting recent trends exhibited throughout the country. Students are turning to new forms of technology to cheat. This week, the government of South Korea stated that 1,800 students were reported for using cell phones to send text messages during the college entrance exam. In addition, recent news reports that students are using the picture feature on their cell phones to import pictures of their notes to access during exams. Finally, PDA's and graphing calculators may be used to store equations and other data which may be used to gain an advantage during the exam. If you have not considered banning such devices during your exams, you may wish to consider such measures.
If you have any questions regarding the Honor Code, tips to prevent academic dishonesty, or would general guidance, please feel free to contact the Dean of Students Office at 966-4042 or honor@unc.edu.
Sincerely, Judith Wegner
Chair of the Faculty and Professor of Law
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