Academic Integrity Policy
The expectation at Bucks County Community College is that the principles of truth and honesty will be rigorously followed in all academic endeavors. In support of this aim, Bucks County Community College requires all students to exhibit academic integrity in all their academic work.
A culture of academic integrity is built upon respect for others’ work, commitment to doing one’s own work, and intolerance for academic dishonesty in all its forms. This assumes that all work will be done by the person who purports to do the work without unauthorized aids. In addition, when making use of language and some idea not his or her own, whether quoting them directly or paraphrasing them into his or her own words, the student must attribute the source of the material in some standard form, such as naming the source in the text or offering a citation. Students are expected to represent such sources accurately and truthfully when incorporating them into their own work.
Instructors should include in their syllabi an explanation of the Academic Integrity policy and its penalties.
No information pertaining to the offense shall be disclosed to external entities such as colleges, employers, or agencies, except upon subpoena or by written permission of the student.
Definitions
Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to:
Cheating - which is the use or attempted use of unauthorized material, information, electronic device, implement or study aid in, for example, any test, quiz, academic exercise or assignment without the instructor’s permission;
Plagiarizing - which is the unacknowledged adoption or reproduction of the ideas, words, data or statements of others; for example, fellow students, printed materials, and internet sources;
Fabricating or falsifying - which is the unauthorized falsification or invention of any data, information or citation in an academic exercise;
Impersonating - which is assuming another individual’s identity or allowing another individual to do so, for the purpose of fulfilling an academic requirement;
Facilitating - which is helping or attempting to help another commit an act of academic dishonesty; for example, making an assignment available or using a mobile device to coach another.
Reporting, Monitoring & Disclosure
The Office of the Provost maintains a central record and monitors all policy violations.
Individual instructors are responsible for completing the Academic Integrity Reporting Form within fourteen (14) days of the discovery of an offense. The instructor should complete the Academic Integrity Reporting Form using the appropriate reporting tool, which reports the incident to the Provost. The incident will be recorded, and a notice to the student will be generated and delivered to the Dean of the department in which the charge was made for signature and delivery to the student. The Provost will also notify the student’s Academic Dean and the Vice President, Student Affairs.
Instructors should always complete the Academic Integrity Reporting Form as a First Recorded Offense unless contacted by the Office of the Provost to resubmit the form as a Second Offense.
Penalties for Violations
First Recorded Offense
The instructor will:
Determine whether the violation is Level 1 or Level 2. This determination is the instructor’s purview, and may include consideration of severity, intent, or other factors.
- Level 1 - Issue a warning with the requirement that the offending portions of the work be revised and file the Academic Integrity Reporting Form.
- Level 2 - Issue an automatic failing grade (F), worth zero points, for the work in question, e.g., quiz, essay, or examination, and file the Academic Integrity Reporting Form.
Second Recorded Offense
The instructor will:
- File the Academic Integrity Reporting Form. Upon notification by the Office of the Provost that this is a second offense, the instructor will issue a failing grade (F) for the course.
Third Recorded Offense
The instructor will:
- File the Academic Integrity Reporting Form. Upon notification by the Office of the Provost that this is a third offense, the instructor will issue a failing grade (F) for the course.
The Provost will:
- Issue a one-semester suspension from the college and so notify the student.
- Notify the Offices of Student Affairs, Student Accounts, and the Registrar of the one-semester suspension for the upcoming semester. If the student is already registered for courses in the upcoming semester, the student should be dropped from those courses and issued a full refund.
Facilitator/Impersonator Charges to Apply to all Offenses
- When the facilitator/impersonator is enrolled in the same course, the instructor will file the Academic Integrity Reporting Form against said student and the facilitator/impersonator will be subject to the same penalty.
- When the facilitator/impersonator is not enrolled in the same course, the instructor will file the Academic Integrity Reporting Form against said student. The Provost’s Office will review this student’s file and enter the appropriate charge.
Appeals
Appeals to all rulings may be made in writing within fourteen (14) calendar days of the disciplinary action. Appeals pertaining to Penalties for Violations of Academic Integrity should be directed to the Dean of the department in which the course is offered. If resolution is not achieved at that level, final appeal is made to the Provost.