Academic integrity is essential to learning. Northwest Vista
College is committed to creating and fostering an environment
that encourages and rewards academic integrity at all levels.
To do this, we nurture the fundamental values of academic
integrity: honesty, trust, respect, fairness, and responsibility
in all our actions, assignments, assessments and communications.
(These values were identified by The
Center for Academic Integrity in their Fundamental
Values Project.)
Northwest Vista College seeks to produce graduates who
not only have an academic mastery of their subject, but
also treasure lifelong learning, diversity, and personal
and social responsibility. We believe true learning and
personal growth are possible only in an environment where
everyone shares common values. One of our values is integrity,
which we define as honesty, trust, respect, and fairness.
Our values facilitate intellectual inquiry, the open exchange
of ideas and collaboration - all necessary for individual
learning and social progress. We expect faculty, staff,
and students to exemplify all our values. We embrace our
values not out of fear of consequences, but out of a sense
of commitment to families, peers, neighbors, our community
and ourselves. Cheating on assignments, plagiarizing the
work of others without proper citation, and collusion through
unauthorized collaboration are not part of integrity. Penalties
for academic dishonesty are serious and range from failing
to expulsion. Please read the complete set of new policies
and procedures regarding academic integrity on this Web site.
At its core, academic integrity requires honesty. This
involves giving credit where it is due and acknowledging
the contributions of others to one's own intellectual efforts.
It also includes assuring that one's own work has been completed
in accordance with the standards of one's course or discipline.
Without academic integrity, neither the genuine work of
the individual nor the progress of a given field of study
can adequately be assessed.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating,
plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records, and
any act designed to give unfair academic advantage to the
student (such as, but not limited to, submission of essentially
the same written assignment for two courses without the
prior permission of the instructor, providing false or misleading
information in an effort to receive a postponement or an
extension on a test or other assignment).
The Costs of Academic Dishonesty
There will be consequences for any student engaging in
any act that provides an unfair advantage. Students can
be suspended or expelled permanently from the college for
academic dishonesty. A failing grade in the course is a
common sanction. In addition, academic dishonesty leads
to the creation of a disciplinary record, which may impact
your future employment and educational opportunities. In
short, it is simply not worth the risks.
Know what the instructor expects. Always seek clarification
from the instructor; don't rely on fellow students for information
regarding class policies. Do not allow yourself to feel
desperate in a course. Do not put off to the last minute
completing a paper or project, or studying for an exam.
What you may see as a "shortcut" could actually
be a form of dishonesty. Do not allow yourself to think
the risks are worth it. If you think you need some help
in a course, get tutoring early. Planning ahead will help
you be more adequately prepared.
In our educational environment, the concept of original
work is paramount. However, many faculty have also recognized
the value of having students work on some assignments in
groups. Students, however, may be engaging in academic dishonesty
if they fail to distinguish between collaboration that is
authorized for a particular assignment and collaboration
that is done without permission or for the sake of time
(collusion). Some students rationalize their involvement
in unauthorized collaboration on the basis that it "helps
them learn better" and is not cheating because they
are contributing to the final product. However, the purpose
of a particular assignment and the acceptable method of
completing it are to be determined by the instructor, not
the student.
Unauthorized collaboration or collusion with another person
on an assignment offered for academic credit is a common
form of academic dishonesty. Such assignments may include,
but are not limited to, lab reports, computer programming
assignments, papers, homework, or tests (take-home or in-class).
This violation also includes allowing another person to
view your work drafted or completed without the necessary
authorization. Collusion can even occur within the context
of group projects when the degree or type of collaboration
exceeds the parameters of what has been expressly authorized.
Unless working together on an assignment has been specifically
approved, it is not allowed. The extent of collaboration
permitted may vary widely from one class to the next, or
even from one project to the next within the same class.
Do not assume that working together is allowed. Always ask
your instructor what his or her expectations are in this
regard.
Plagiarism
Nearly everyone understands that copying passages verbatim
from another writer's work and representing them as one's
own work constitute plagiarism. Yet plagiarism involves
much more. At NVC plagiarism is defined to include any use
of another's work and submitting that work as one's own.
This means not only copying passages of writing or direct
quotations but also paraphrasing or using structure or ideas
without citation.
Plagiarism is also a violation of academic integrity. Plagiarism
includes, but is not limited to, the appropriation, buying,
receiving as a gift, or obtaining by any other means another's
work and the submission of it as one's own academic work
offered for credit. Plagiarism can occur in a myriad of
forms and media. Although most commonly associated with
writing, all types of scholarly work, including computer
code, music, scientific data and analysis, and electronic
publications can be plagiarized.
What constitutes plagiarism is often a question of intent.
Any use of the content or style of another's intellectual
product without proper attribution constitutes plagiarism.
However, students plagiarize for a variety of reasons, and
awareness of these reasons is essential for understanding
the problem of plagiarism.
Some students choose to plagiarize. Whether claiming to
be overworked, compensating for their own perceived academic
or language deficiencies, or simply hoping to gain an academic
advantage, those who choose to claim credit for another's
work are guilty of plagiarism. Those who intentionally plagiarize
"borrow" either from published sources, such as
books, journal articles, or electronic information, or from
unpublished sources, such as a friend's paper or a commercial
writing service. Whatever the source, such conduct is a
direct and serious violation of accepted standards of academic
integrity.
Others, however, stumble into plagiarism. Negligent plagiarism
can result from ineffective proofreading, sloppy note taking,
or, most commonly, simple ignorance about the nature of
plagiarism itself. Such inadvertent plagiarism, while not
an excuse for what is still a serious breach of academic
standards, is a more complex area of academic conduct than
straightforward copying. Addressing the issue of negligent
plagiarism requires a careful examination of both the definition
of plagiarism and the appropriate techniques for scholarly
attribution.
Cheating is another form of academic dishonesty and will
not be tolerated. Some examples of cheating include: buying
a paper either on-line or from another person, looking at
notes during an exam, hiding the answers to a test in the
restroom, text messaging someone during a final, or using
a cell phone during an exam. Cheating is never condoned
and is one of the most serious offenses regarding academic
dishonesty and the consequences will not be light.
Northwest Vista College is committed to upholding integrity.
Cases of academic dishonesty will be handled fairly and
promptly. When a student engages in academic dishonesty,
the following process will be followed.
A student found guilty of an act of academic dishonesty
will be subject to academic penalty including, at the instructor’s
discretion, one or more of the following: 1) a requirement
to perform additional work not required of other students
in the course; 2) a reduction in grade either on the assignment
or in the course; 3) a failing grade in the course.
Any case of plagiarism, cheating or collusion will be
subject to the academic penalties listed above as well as
further disciplinary action. Instructors, after academic
penalties have been evoked, will complete an electronic
form and forward to the Dean of Student Success for further
disciplinary action.
The Academic Integrity Committee (AIC)
will serve as an advisory committee to the Dean of Student
Success and will serve as an appeals committee to ensure
that students have due process. The Dean of Student Success
will not serve on the AIC. When a student questions either
the academic penalty or the disciplinary action taken by
the college, he or she is entitled to due process and a
hearing with the AIC. The request for an appeal must be
made in writing to the Chair of the AIC on or before the
(5) fifth day following the administrative disposition.
The AIC shall notify the student concerned, in writing,
of the date, time, and place for the hearing which shall
take place within (15) fifteen class days after the date
of the letter. The decision of the AIC is final.
