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Policy Statement
Durham Technical Community College (Durham Tech) upholds and enforces high standards of academic honesty and integrity both in and out of the classroom. The College establishes and follows a process for defining and addressing academic dishonesty when it occurs. The College recognizes plagiarism as a specific subset of academic dishonesty and follows a process for addressing plagiarism.
Procedure
Student Violations
When a student is alleged to have committed an act of academic dishonesty or plagiarism, the following procedure will be followed:
Within five (5) working days, the instructor who has identified the violation will submit an Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Notification form, attaching documentation of the incident, including details of how and when the student was notified in writing. The form will be routed to the program chair/director, the department’s dean, and the Vice President, Chief Academic Officer (hereafter “Vice President”). Academics and Guided Career Pathways will notify the instructor within three (3) working days of any prior academic integrity violations by the student.
In the case of a first offense of plagiarism, the instructor may choose to designate the offense as a “violation” or a “warning.” Intention is not a factor when determining whether a text contains plagiarism.
An offense of plagiarism designated as a “violation” is treated as a first offense of academic dishonesty, and the instructor will assign a grade of zero (0) to the assignment.
An offense of plagiarism designated as a “warning” is not considered an act of academic dishonesty. In the case of a “warning” designation, the instructor may assign a grade of zero (0) for the assignment or assess a less strict penalty. A student has only one opportunity for a plagiarism offense to be designated as a “warning.”
Students charged with a first offense of plagiarism with either a “violation” or a “warning” designation will be required to complete a self-paced Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Tutorial in the learning management system (LMS) on understanding and avoiding plagiarism. Students will be encouraged to meet with a writing tutor in the Center for Academic Excellence for assistance with the training. If the offense is designated as a “warning,” the student must complete the training within two (2) weeks of being notified of the offense or within twenty-four (24) hours of the last class meeting, whichever time period is shorter. If the student wishes to challenge the allegation of plagiarism, whether it is designated as a “violation” or a “warning,” they may speak with the instructor’s chair/program director, who will be the final arbiter of a first offense of plagiarism. Students may not use the Student Grievance policy and procedure to challenge an individual assignment grade. However, the student may use the Student Grievance policy and procedure to challenge the academic dishonesty allegation.
In the case of a second offense of academic dishonesty regardless of whether the second offense occurs in the same course/semester or in a different or subsequent course/semester, Academics and Guided Career Pathways will notify the student and instruct them to stop attending class. Academics and Guided Career Pathways will also notify the instructor, program chair/director, dean, and appropriate vice president (if the offense occurred in a division other than Academics and Guided Career Pathways), as well as Information Technology Services (to remove the student from the course LMS site) and Financial Aid (scholarship ineligibility).
The instructor will then assign a grade of F for the course. Students who are removed from a class for academic dishonesty cannot receive a grade of W for the course. Students may use the Student Grievance policy and procedure to challenge a final course grade. If the student appeals the second finding of academic dishonesty via the Student Grievance policy and procedure, the student will be allowed to remain in the class until the appeal is resolved.
A second offense of plagiarism is treated as an offense of academic dishonesty. If the student’s first offense was a “warning,” a second offense of plagiarism is treated as the first offense of academic dishonesty. If the student’s first offense of plagiarism was a “violation,” the second offense of plagiarism is treated as the second offense of academic dishonesty.
In the case of a third offense of academic dishonesty, including an instance of plagiarism that is considered a third act of academic dishonesty, Academics and Guided Career Pathways will request that the student meet with the Vice President within three (3) working days of notification of a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.
If, upon review of the evidence, the Vice President finds the student to be not guilty of academic dishonesty or plagiarism, the student will be allowed to resume class attendance immediately and make up any work missed due to the suspension. If the Vice President finds that the student has committed a third violation of academic dishonesty or plagiarism, the Vice President will recommend a sanction to the President. Sanctions are up to the President’s discretion and may include suspension from the College. If a student is found guilty of an Academic Integrity and Plagiarism policy violation and suspended from the College due to the violation, the student’s suspension will be recorded on the student’s official College record.
Due to program and facility requirements for professional behavior in the workplace, a first instance of academic dishonesty or plagiarism in a clinical practicum or workplace setting shall be treated as equivalent to a third offense of academic dishonesty or plagiarism in the classroom. The student shall be referred to Student Engagement, Development, and Support for a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.
In the Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program, where students are either hired or sponsored by a law enforcement agency, any instance of academic dishonesty or plagiarism will result in the law enforcement agency dismissing the student from employment or revoking sponsorship, which will result in the student’s dismissal from the program.
- Students may utilize the Student Grievance policy and procedure to appeal decisions related to this policy unless the issue involves documented plagiarism.
- Reports of Academic Integrity and Plagiarism policy violations are kept on file with Academics and Guided Career Pathways for at least four (4) years.
Employee Violations
Durham Tech upholds the same standards of academic integrity for faculty and staff as it does for students. When an employee is alleged to have committed an act of academic dishonesty or plagiarism, the employee will be subject to disciplinary action as outlined in the Disciplinary Actions, Suspension, and Termination of Employment Policy.
Resources
Durham Tech’s library maintains a Citation and Plagiarism Resources LibGuide that contains definitions of plagiarism, citation guidelines, and links to interactive tutorials to help students and employees better understand plagiarism. Faculty members may use these resources with their students before and after academic honesty violations occur. Faculty members may also consult library staff members and the English discipline chair for guidance when determining whether a plagiarism offense should be designated as a “violation” or “warning.”
Definitions
Academic Integrity – The pursuit and presentation of learning and scholarship in an honest, transparent, and respectful way that values personal responsibility, original expression, and proper attribution.
Academic Dishonesty – A violation of academic integrity, academic dishonesty is the participation or collaboration in specific prohibited forms of conduct. Participation or collaboration may be active (such as submitting a term paper that includes plagiarized work) or passive (such as receiving a copy of a test before class).
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the following examples:
Unauthorized copying, collaboration, or use of notes, books, or other materials on examinations or other academic exercises including:
Sharing information about an exam with a student who has not taken that exam;
Obtaining information about the contents of a test the student has not taken;
Unauthorized use of smart phones, programmable calculators, or other electronic storage devices; and
Text messaging or other forms of communication during an exam.
Unauthorized or inappropriate file sharing and use of Internet and computer resources as specified in the Appropriate Use of Computing Resources policy;
Sharing Durham Tech usernames/passwords with others, allowing them to log in as you, or logging in to College systems under another person’s username;
Having others complete coursework, write papers or take tests/quizzes, thus misrepresenting the identity of the author of the work;
Unauthorized use and/or possession of any academic material, such as tests, research papers, assignments, or similar materials;
Unauthorized use of translation software and assistance from native speakers or advanced-level students in foreign language classes; and
Deliberate disregard for academic advising or other College guidance, specifically when it results in situations related to academic progression or financial aid eligibility.
Plagiarism – Plagiarism is a specific subset of academic dishonesty. It is the representation of another person’s work, words, thoughts, or ideas, as one’s own. Plagiarism includes (but is not limited to) copying material and using ideas from an article, book, unpublished paper, or the Internet without proper documentation of references or without properly enclosing quoted material in quotation marks. Plagiarism also includes sentences that follow an original source too closely, occurring when an individual simply substitutes synonyms for another person’s words.
Intention is not a factor when determining whether or not a text contains plagiarism. Plagiarism is often considered an academic integrity violation.
Working Days – Days the College is open and operating under a normal schedule. This excludes weekends, closings due to adverse conditions, and holidays.