Academic Honor Code

Academic honesty, integrity, and ethics are required of all members of the College community. Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner reflecting the ideals, values, and educational aims of the College at all times. Academic integrity and honorable behavior are essential parts of the professionalism that will be required well beyond graduation from the College.

The general public, professional organizations and accrediting bodies hold individuals in the health care industry to a high standard and expect us to monitor the professional behavior of our colleagues. As future health care professionals, students at the College have a responsibility to follow this model and guide their actions to serve the best interest of their fellow students, faculty and potential patients by maintaining the highest degree of personal and professional integrity. Students are representatives of their profession in and out of the academic environment. Therefore, allegations of misconduct by any student of the College will be taken very seriously.

Work for which students receive credit must be the result of their own effort. Acting honorably in an academic setting requires more than simple honesty. Academic dishonesty takes place whenever a student undermines the academic integrity of the College or attempts to gain an unfair advantage over others. Examples of honor code violations include, but are not limited to:

1. Cheating
   • Using unauthorized materials such as books, notes, cell phones, PDA accessories, or “cheat” sheets to answer examination questions.
   • Taking advantage of information considered unauthorized by an instructor regarding examination questions.
   • Copying another student’s homework, written assignments, examination answers, electronic media, or other data.
   • Assisting or allowing someone else to cheat.
   • Failure to report cheating to an academic official of the College.
2. Plagiarism
   • Representing the ideas, expressions, or materials of another without references providing credit.
   • Paraphrasing or condensing ideas from another person’s work without proper citation.
   • Failing to document direct quotations and paraphrases with proper citation.
3. Other forms of academic dishonesty
   • Fraud, deception, and the alteration of grades, attendance, or official records.
   • Changing examination solutions after the fact, inventing, changing or falsifying laboratory data or research.
   • Purchasing and submitting written assignments, homework, or examinations.
   • Reproducing or duplicating images, designs, or Web pages without giving credit to the developer, artist, or designer.
   • Submitting work created for another module or course without instructor approval.
   • Misrepresenting oneself or one’s circumstance to gain an unfair advantage.
   • Collaborating with another person(s) without instructor approval.
   • Selling or providing term papers, course work, or assignments to other students.

There are four possible consequences for violating the College’s Honor Code:

1. Failure of the assignment.
2. Failure of the module or course.
3. Expulsion from the College.
4. Rescinding of a diploma or degree.

All violations of the Honor Code will be reported to the College’s administration to investigate. Individual reports will also be evaluated in the context of potential patterns of dishonesty. The faculty, in conjunction with administration, will make a determination of the effect on student status and/or course grades resulting from substantiated reports of honor code violations.

Academic dishonesty jeopardizes the quality of education provided and depreciates the genuine achievements of others. It is everyone’s responsibility to actively deter it. Ignoring the presence of academic dishonesty is not acceptable.

All members of the College community share the responsibility and authority to challenge and make known acts of apparent academic dishonesty. Students, faculty, and staff are all responsible for understanding and upholding the College’s policy.