What students and faculty think
What does academic integrity mean?
Faculty and students agreed that academic integrity means doing your academic work without the aid of unauthorized resources and by following the assignment instructions and course policies. More broadly, academic integrity means completing your work, honestly without shortcuts, even when you are faced with challenges.
Should academic integrity breaches be reported?
Yes. Students and faculty agree that the Honor Board and Office of Academic Integrity should be made aware when a student is suspected of having violated the Code of Academic Conduct. This code has been revised many times, but both students and faculty agree that the Honor Board is the group who should review reports and make decisions about honor code violations.
Simple steps to the academic misconduct resolution process
Report & Review
It takes approximately 40 seconds to complete the online reporting form. Then it takes another 20 seconds to attach and upload the assignment, instructions, and course syllabus. Anonymous reports, while helpful, are not actionable in most cases. The Office of Academic Integrity reviews the report to ensure there is enough information to suggest a violation or breach occurred. Communication is made to the accused student and reporter.
Resolution & Records
The College offers students with no prior issues the opportunity to waive a hearing and accept responsibility for their actions. This is an important option to restoring trust and being accountable for the breach. The Honor Board will hear cases where a student has prior violations or when a student wishes to be heard on the issue. Responsible findings can result in educational sanctions, grade impacts, and sometimes punitive consequences. All records are maintained in the student's internal academic record, but some cases result in transcript notation. For 98% of students, this is an opportunity to learn and make changes.
Resources for faculty
Proctoring
Identify the conditions under which a test is to be taken, including access to notes, books, calculators, the internet, other resources, and any time limit. Prepare the test in a format and on a schedule that allows transmission to the proctor in a timely manner. Determine whether and under what circumstances a student may review the test after it has been graded. [Instructor responsibilities, wycet guidelines]
There are several resources on establishing good proctoring techniques for in-person and online assessments. It is important to make a plan for proctoring, including clear and concise instructions, in advance of the assessment. Proctoring is often the key commitment to academic integrity in the classroom.
Proclaim the importance of integrity
Include specific statements about academic integrity in first class meeting and prior to assessments. Include what resources are prohibited and why. Talk about Ai tools and their role in your course. During the first class meeting, make a statement about the importance of academic integrity and answer questions so that students are clear on expectations.
Faculty who make expectations clear and how course policies align with learning objectives have approximately 75% less cheating behavior.
Syllabus statements
While there is a standard statement about academic conduct in the syllabus template, it is important to consider specific course policies and check web links. Ensure that students are aware of the honor code more broadly and point them towards the Code of Academic Conduct processes. Think strategically about your learning objectives and which resources will be authorized and prohibited. Clearly articulate where and how Ai tools will be used and disclosed in this course.
The Honor Board uses a "more likely than not" standard to review all the information before making a determination. How clearly you articulate expectations to students in the syllabus can play a role in decision-making about resources.
Reporting
In the event that the instructor suspects a violation of the Code of Academic Conduct, it should be reported to the NTC Honor Board. Instructors who try to resolve these breaches on their own may open the door for a grade appeal. Please report as soon as the issue is known, in an effort to impact student learning. For consultation visit Rachel Champagne, director of Academic Integrity, via email or office hours.
Other helpful links
Tulane Libraries Citation Guidelines for Students: Students can visit with resource to learn about formatting, when to cite, why to cite sources, and other introductory concepts to avoid plagiarism.
Tulane Libraries Guide to Ai for Research: This is a great resource for how to include Ai tools in the research process ethically and how to disclose use.
Academic Writing Center (ALTC): The College has a resource for students in the writing and revision process at the ALTC. This is a good resource to provide to students in writing intensive courses.
Math Center (ALTC): The College has a resource for students in math courses and learning new math techniques. This is a good resource for students in courses like calculus, statistics, etc.
Microsoft References: Many reference or citation generators use Ai and are notoriously unreliable. Microsoft references is still user driven and teaches the writer how to insert citations properly in-text.
Turnitin.com Similarity Report: This tool helps to verify sources and ensure content from other sources has been properly cited. This tool has limitations and instructors should learn about how to use the tool before implementing. No particular percentage denotes plagiarism.
Turnitin.com Ai Detection Report: Provides insight into when and how Ai tools such as ChatGPT were used in the academic assignment. This tool has limitations and instructors should learn about how to use the tool before implementing. No particular percentage denotes perfectly the use of Ai tools.
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