Academic Integrity Policy (SSE 100-002)

1.0 Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide students with the Baker College philosophy and guidelines regarding academic integrity and the academic honor code.

2.0 Definitions

Cheating

• Using unauthorized materials such as books, notes, crib sheets, or electronic devices to answer examination questions

• Taking advantage of information considered unauthorized by one’s 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

HiveConnect

• The student success platform used by Baker College staff and students.

Judicial Educator

• A 3rd-party program used at Baker College which provides materials used to resolve disciplinary issues through a restorative and educational lens.

Plagiarism

• Representing the ideas, expressions, or materials of another without due credit

• Paraphrasing or condensing ideas from another person’s work without proper citation

• Failing to document direct quotations and paraphrases with proper citation

3.0 Scope

This policy applies to any Baker College student.

4.0 Policy Statement

Academic Honor Code

Integrity and honorable behavior are fundamental aspects of professionalism and citizenship, extending far beyond one’s time at Baker College. They serve as the cornerstone for ethical conduct in today’s ever-changing workplace. Academic integrity is crucial for students to thrive in their academic endeavors and prepare for the demands of careers in our information-driven global society. To uphold this vision, Baker College has established an Academic Integrity Philosophy.

In promoting this philosophy, all members of the Baker College academic community-students, faculty, and staff-commit to upholding values of honesty, trustworthiness, and accountability. It is our collective responsibility to foster mutual trust and ensure that all ideas and work are respected. Even in challenging circumstances, members of our academic community strive for consistency and professionalism. Demonstrating academic integrity involves taking personal responsibility for one’s work, making ethical decisions, and being accountable for one’s actions and choices. In the pursuit of academic integrity, all members of our community must embody attitudes and behaviors aligned with three core ideals.

The three critical core ideals essential to academic integrity are as follows:

1. Mutual Honesty, trustworthiness, and Respect: Education thrives on the exchange and sharing of knowledge and ideas. As learning is a collaborative endeavor, all stakeholders at Baker College bear a reciprocal responsibility to uphold honesty, trust, and respect within the academic community.

2. Responsibility for Professional and Ethical Conduct: Academic integrity requires individuals to make personal, ethical commitments and be accountable for their behavior and work. Upholding academic integrity necessitates the acceptance of responsibilities inherent in one’s roles within the Baker College community.

3. Fairness, Transparency, and Exemplary Behavior: Fostering a culture of fairness requires ongoing dedication, sustained through consistent practices, open communication, and unwavering professionalism and accountability, even in challenging circumstances. Students, faculty, and administration alike have the right to fair treatment and must work in each other’s best interests while adhering to practices that promote exemplary conduct, impartiality, and transparency. 

To support the Baker College Academic Integrity Philosophy, the Academic Honor Code provides a framework ensuring an ethical, honorable, and responsible environment for all students. The College mandates that all work submitted for credit must be the result of students’ individual efforts unless directed by the instructor. Acting honorably in an academic context encompasses more than mere honesty; academic dishonesty occurs whenever students compromise the institution’s academic integrity or seek an unfair advantage over others. Lack of awareness of the College’s honor code is not an acceptable excuse for prohibited conduct.

 The following examples illustrate some instances of honor code violations, though the list is not exhaustive:

• Cheating

• Plagiarism

• Other Forms of Academic Dishonesty

  • Fraud, deception, and the alteration of grades or official records

  • Changing examination solutions after the fact; inventing, changing, or falsifying laboratory data or research

  • Reproducing or duplicating images, designs, or web pages without giving credit to the developer, artist, or designer

  • Submitting work created for another 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, coursework, or assignments to other students

  • Purchasing, posting, uploading, using, or exchanging coursework, papers, tests, or assignments to/from an Internet site or any other third party without authorization from the College

  • Using AI tools during in-class examinations, assignments, or in any other capacity unless explicitly permitted and/or instructed to do so

Sanctions for Violating the Academic Honor Code

Instructor Sanctions

• Assignment Failure

• Course Failure

Institutional Sanctions

• College Expulsion

• Revocation of Certificate or Degree

The determination of grades and a student’s standing in the course rests entirely with the instructor, however, faculty are encouraged to provide corrective resolution with the student upon discovery of academic honor code violation.  Instructors may consult College administrators for guidance in identifying, investigating, and assessing potential patterns of dishonesty and severity. Additional sanctions from the institution may be imposed for honor code violations.

Students are not permitted to withdraw from a course in which the consequence for violating the academic honor code is a course failure. Appeals regarding assignment or final course grades solely aimed at overturning an academic dishonesty decision or sanction cannot be pursued.

All students found in violation of the honor code must complete the Judicial Educator Module before registering for further classes. Records of violations are maintained in student records, and additional disciplinary measures may be enacted.

Appeals against academic honor code sanctions are not permitted.

5.0 Procedures

Alert Submission - All instances of academic dishonesty must be documented through the alert system (using the alert type “academic honor code violation”), regardless of resolution or outcome.  

Case Review - The submitted alert opens a case which is automatically assigned to the director of student affairs (or designee) for the campus where the class is taught.  The DSA will review the case and work with the instructor to make a determination of whether or not the student engaged in academic dishonesty, and if further sanctions are warranted.

6.0 Responsibilities

Director of Student Affairs (or designee)

The director of student affairs is responsible for conducting any follow-up or investigation required based on receiving an alert for academic dishonesty.  The DSA is also responsible for ensuring all parties understand the policy and procedures related to the policy.

Faculty

Faculty are required to submit an alert through HiveConnect when they encounter an incidence of academic dishonesty. They are required to submit relevant documentation to the director of student affairs at the request of the DSA.

Faculty also impose sanctions, either failure of the assignment or failure of the course, however, faculty are encouraged to provide corrective resolution with the student.

Student 

You, as a student, are responsible for understanding the academic integrity philosophy and following the academic honor code.

7.0 Citations & Related Information

None