Academic Honor

ACC Academic Honor Code

ACC students are expected to uphold the College’s Academic Honor Code during their time at American Career College. Although the Academic Honor Code represents the institutional policy for students to conduct themselves professionally in an academic learning environment and clinical settings, it reflects the same expectations and standards for future healthcare workers within their respective fields.  

When students are enrolled in classes at ACC, residential or online, they are expected to complete and submit original work as assigned by the instructor(s). Original work stems from students’ own ideas, thoughts, and perspectives; however, it is encouraged for students to include proper citations from credible sources to support their reasoning. Students are also expected to conduct themselves with integrity while taking quizzes or exams, residential or online.

Academic dishonesty takes place whenever a student undermines the academic integrity of the College by utilizing cheating to gain an advantage on assignments, exams, or projects. Allegations of academic dishonesty by any student will be thoroughly examined and reviewed by faculty and College administrator. Thus, there are two primary categories of academic dishonesty: Student Misconduct and Plagiarism.

Student Misconduct

• Using unauthorized materials such as books, notes, cell phones, personal digital assistance (PDA) accessories (e.g., tablet, smartwatch, smartphone, laptop), 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.
• Failing or refusing to report a cheating incident to an instructor or college administrator.
• Committing fraud by falsifying grades, attendance reports, or official records.
• Changing or falsifying examination responses post hoc, laboratory data, or research.
• Submitting academic work for any class assignment, discussion, or exam that has been purchased from an external source.
• Submitting work created for another module or course without the instructor’s approval.
• Misrepresenting oneself or one’s circumstance to gain an unfair advantage.
• Collaborating with another person(s) on schoolwork without the instructor’s approval.
• Selling or offering term papers, coursework, or assignments to other students.
• Use of AI-generated content without evaluation of the risks of biases, copyright, misinformation, legal issues, factual inaccuracies, and other potential issues of AI-generated content.

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. 

Improper use of Artificial Intelligence

• Submitting an assignment written in part or in its entirety by AI, such as ChatGPT, or similar tool.
• Use of AI-generated content without citing the source properly. 

 The act of violating any part of the Academic Honor Code will be reported to the College's administration for review. Individual reports will also be evaluated in the context of potential patterns of dishonesty. Faculty will work with a college administrator to determine the student's outcome, based on the findings from the violation. The potential consequences for students include, but not limited to, the following:

1. No credit given for the assignment
2. Failure of the module or course
3. Suspension or expulsion from the College
4. Diploma or degree rescinded

Academic dishonesty jeopardizes the quality of education provided and depreciates the genuine achievements of others. Therefore, it is recommended that students review the Academic Honor Code for a clear understanding of the expectations. Students are encouraged to speak with their instructors or college administrators if they have questions.

For more information regarding proper citations in APA format, please visit the ACC Library Webpage