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Academic
Integrity at Baruch College: Summary for Faculty
Last
updated on 8/14/07
More
than 50% of college students in the U.S. report that they
have recently committed acts of academic dishonesty such as
cheating and plagiarism. The best way to prevent such dishonesty
is through clear communication and dialogue: faculty members
should explain that dishonesty is antithetical to learning and unacceptable in our classrooms. Such messages
should be reinforced throughout the semester and throughout
the college community.
Syllabus
and Discussion – best practices
The academic integrity committee urges members of the faculty to include a syllabus
item that underscores the importance of academic honesty,
outlines the penalties for dishonesty, and makes clear that
acts of dishonesty will be reported to the Office of the Dean
of Students.
Discussing
the syllabus item early in the semester (with later reminders)
provides important reinforcement. Although ignorance of our
rules is not a legitimate excuse, many college students are
indeed ignorant of the cultural norms of American classrooms—especially
on the most culturally diverse campus in the nation, with
students from more than 100 countries. Clear definitions of
cheating and plagiarism (contained in the college's “Academic
Honesty” statement) can be very helpful, as can explanation
of the seriousness of academic integrity and the consequences
of violating it.
- You might like to refer your students to the Student Guide
to Academic Integrity, written by Baruch students.
- Baruch's online plagiarism tutorial provides explanations, exercises, and examples. A quiz associated with the tutorial is available via Blackboard. To import the quiz into your class Blackboard site, contact Prof. Bobbie Pollard (Library) at 646-312-1619 or Bobbie_Pollard@baruch.cuny.edu.
- Working with members of indiviual departments to develop additional tutorials is an ongoing project of the academic integrity committee.
Baruch
College Policies
Our
policies and step-by-step procedures are articulated in the
Faculty
Guide to Student Academic Integrity. Here are two
key principles:
1. Faculty
members are responsible for grades.
- The
instructor brings the alleged act of academic dishonesty
to the attention of the student.
- If
the student admits to the act of academic dishonesty, the
instructor is entitled to give him/her an F
for the assignment/exam or for the course itself. Potential
penalties should be stated on the syllabus and reiterated
in class.
- If
the student disputes the accusation, s/he may appeal to
Ron Aaron
(646-312-4577)
in the Office of the
Dean of Students.
- If
there is an appeal, until it is resolved
the final grade should be a Z, with the
word “purposeful” in the Comments column. Please
note that use of the Z grade is limited to academic integrity
cases.
- While
students often dispute accusations initially, they usually
confess within a few weeks -- these
issues tend to be resolved quickly. Students
are entitled to due process, but cases very rarely move
as far as a hearing—only one or two cases (of hundreds)
per year.
- In
light of CUNY policies that permit students to retake and
expunge from their GPA several courses they have failed,
some members of the faculty prefer to award a grade of D.
2. All
cases should be reported.
- The
purpose of reporting is not punitive, although in some cases
punishment, including suspension or expulsion, may follow.
The purpose is educative, and it seems to work: very few
students have been caught more than once. Obviously, reporting
is key to the process, so that a student cannot falsely
claim never to have cheated or plagiarized before.
- Accusations
and resolutions should be reported to Ron Aaron (Box B2-255) using the Faculty
Report Form.
Discouraging
cheating during exams (also see Exam
Proctoring webpage)
- Proctor carefully and make sure any assistants
know the rules and procedures.
- Forbid
use of any electronic devices, including cell phones.
- Ask
students to use the restrooms before the exam begins.
- Seat
students apart (when possible).
- Issue
multiple versions of exams. The exams can have the same questions in different
order, or, if multiple choice, with only the choices scrambled. Consider using different colored paper for the different versions, allowing you to see if students next to each other have the same exam. (Alternatively, exams of the same color make it impossible for students to know who else has the version they have.)
- Do
not recycle exams from class to class, semester to semester, year to year. (Some student groups maintain files.).
- If
you use blue books, hand out only as many as needed and
be sure to collect extras. (Students have been known to
take extras home and write in them as preparation for other
exams.) Mark your blue books inconspicuously so that a student
cannot turn in a previously-prepared blue book.
Discouraging
plagiarism
(also see Plagiarism
webpage)
- Define
plagiarism clearly and clearly convey that you will not
tolerate it. The relevant sections in the College's writing
handbook may be helpful: Ann Raimes, Keys for Writers, pp. 116-128 (4th ed.), 104-112 (3rd ed.); all undergraduates
who entered as freshmen beginning September 2002 should
have copies. Our newest freshmen (entering September 2007) should have Fowler and Aaron, The Little, Brown Handbook, pp. 629-38.
- As mentioned above, Baruch's online
plagiarism tutorial provides explanations, exercises, and examples.
- Create
writing assignments that require students to synthesize
materials from different sources (compare/contrast) or to
use materials discussed/provided in class.
- When
students have handed in written work such as a substantial
paper, ask them to write a summary in class of
its main points and how they made them.
- Baruch College subscribes to Turnitin.com, an online database that vets papers for plagiarism.
Additional Information
The College's Academic Integrity homepage provides a good deal of additional information, including links to other sites of possible interest:
http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/facultyhandbook/AcademicIntegrity.htm
Comments/Questions
This
summary was prepared by Associate
Provost Dennis Slavin, with the assistance of members
of the
college's academic integrity committee. Please feel free to suggest changes for the next version.
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