Academic Conduct

Introduction

The Student Conduct Code for the University of Washington was updated in November 2007 and became effective on December 20, 2007. Each student is held responsible for being knowledgeable about all of the requirements of the University of Washington Student Conduct Code.

The UW Bothell community recognizes that when the academic and behavioral conduct of a university is compromised, the quality of the student's education and the value of the degree are also compromised. Therefore, all members of the University community are committed to vigorously upholding the University of Washington Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-120-010-145) and are encouraged to report suspected occurrences of academic dishonesty or behavioral misconduct.

Process for handling allegations of academic misconduct

Faculty members who suspect that academic misconduct has been committed are encouraged to resolve those incidents through an informal resolution process where the instructor and student agree on the facts, the decision, and the grading sanction. The following are the recommended steps associated with the informal resolution process.

Step 1: Contacting the student to set up a meeting

Contact the student in a timely manner and request that he or she meet with you to discuss the matter on or before a specified date and time. It is advisable to document efforts at contacting the student and to keep a copy of any written correspondence. As part of your correspondence, inform the student that:

(a) the grade for an assignment is being withheld (do not assign a 0.0) or

(b) the grade for the course will not be reported,   whichever is applicable, as the result of suspected academic misconduct.

Note: If the timing of an incident of alleged academic misconduct is such that you must submit grades before there is an outcome to the process, the instructor must  assign an “X” for the course. The grade may be assigned once you have been informed by the Vice Chancellor’s representative that the process is completed.

Step 2: Meeting with the student

In your meeting with the student, explain how the student’s conduct appears to violate the Student Conduct Code for the University of Washington http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=478-120&full=true and offer the student an opportunity to dispute your assessment of a suspected violation. This initial discussion has two possible outcomes:

  1. You are satisfied by the student’s explanation that no misconduct occurred, in which case no further discussion or disciplinary action is necessary.
  1. You are not satisfied by the student’s explanation and believe that the student violated the Student Conduct Code.  Proceed to Steps 3 and 4, below.

Step 3: Resolving the matter in an informal manner

If you are not satisfied by the student’s explanation, you may provide him or her with options (including accepting a zero as a grade on the assignment). You must make it clear to the student that (s)he has the right to appeal the matter to the Vice Chancellor’s representative. Instructors may not unilaterally lower a student’s grade. Instructors must be careful not to intimidate students into agreeing to a grading sanction for fear of being referred to the Vice Chancellor’s representative.

If no agreement is readily reached with the student, you should offer to suspend judgment on the matter and submit an Incident Report Form to the Vice Chancellor’s office for a more formal hearing. While these more formal cases are typically resolved within 2-4 weeks, some may require several levels of disciplinary review and take longer for resolution. Faculty members will be informed of the outcome.

Step 4: Summarizing your Meeting with the Student

Following your meeting with the student

  1. Complete the Incident Report Form. 
  2. Summarize the discussion and understanding.
  3. Reinforce that the student may choose to appeal your grading sanction to the Vice Chancellor’s representative.
  4. Send a copy of the Incident Report Form to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Further steps to resolution of the case

Upon receipt of the Incident Report Form, the Vice Chancellor’s office will write a letter to the student, confirm that the student understands the resolution, and provide the student with an opportunity for an appeal.

Note: No unfavorable action may be taken against the student until the hearing has been concluded and the student informed of the outcome and right to appeal.

Should a student file an appeal, a hearing will be coordinated by the Vice Chancellor’s office. The faculty member bringing forward a charge of academic misconduct is not typically requested to attend the hearing. If the hearing officer or committee exonerates the student on appeal, it is expected that the faculty member will reinstate the grade which the student would have received had the misconduct charge not been filed.

When the hearing body has made a decision, the faculty member who submitted the charge will receive a copy of the letter sent to the student informing him or her of that decision. The student has the right to appeal any decision, and you may be asked to provide further information to the respective hearing body.

Important note about a faculty member’s option

Instructors may refer a matter of alleged academic misconduct to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs to be handled by an administrative hearing officer. Complete an Incident Report Form [link broken] and submit to the Vice Chancellor’s office in a timely manner. This is the preferred method for handling allegations of misconduct in the following cases:

  •      The student has been found responsible for committing academic misconduct in the past, OR
  •     You are considering a grading sanction that will result in the student failing the course.

How Can I Avoid Academic Dishonesty?

All University of Washington students are expected to conduct themselves as responsible members of the academic community. Among the standards of conduct for UW students includes the responsibility to practice "high standards of academic and professional honesty and integrity."  WAC 478-120-020(2) (a).

Academic misconduct includes but is not limited to cheating, facilitation, plagiarism, and fabrication in connection with any exam, research, course assignment, or other academic exercise that contributes, in whole or in part, to the satisfaction of requirements for courses or graduation.  The following definitions, while not exhaustive, are intended to provide examples of the types of activities that can give rise to a charge of academic misconduct.

Cheating: Giving or receiving unauthorized assistance, or intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials or information.

Examples include but are not limited to:

  • Copying from another student.
  • Using unauthorized study aides or "cheat sheets," or other people's work.
  • Altering assignments or exams and submitting them as your own work.
  • Offering false excuses in order to gain time extensions.
  • Submitting an assignment to more than one class without instructor permission.
  • Submitting someone else's work (e.g., that of a friend or commercial service) as your own.
  • Getting someone to take an exam for you or taking an exam for someone else.
  • Receiving unauthorized help on an exam or prohibited help on an assignment.

Facilitation: Helping or attempting to help another student engage in academic misconduct.

Examples include but are not limited to:

  • Giving unauthorized help on exams or prohibited help on assignments. (Students are often encouraged to work together to help each other learn, but may not do so on exams (unless specifically authorized) or on any assignments when the instructor indicates otherwise.)
  • Giving test or assignment answers to students in the same or another section of the same class after such answers or information have been made available to you but before they have been provided to other students.
  • Completing an assignment or exam on behalf of another student.

Plagiarism: Using another person's original words, ideas, or research, including material found on the Internet, in any academic exercise without properly crediting that person.

Examples include but are not limited to:

  • Failing to cite all sources used.
  • Using another author's sentence or phrase structure without proper citation.
  • Paraphrasing another author without crediting the author.
  • Using another author's ideas without proper citation (e.g. footnotes, endnotes, etc.).
  • Using another's original work (writing, art, music, mathematics, computer code, or scientific work) in whole or in part without crediting that person.
  • Stating facts that are not common knowledge without citing the source.

Fabrication: Creating false information or data and presenting it as fact.

Examples include but are not limited to:  

  • Making up false quotes, statements, data, or sources.
  • Improperly manipulating another's data to support your own theories.
  • Citing sources that were not used.
  • Misrepresenting your academic accomplishments to instructors or employers.

Guidelines for avoiding academic misconduct

The following guidelines are intended to help UW Bothell students make responsible choices involving matters of academic conduct and to help them understand their individual responsibilities and obligations as members of the University community.

  • Be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct, statements, guidelines, and enforcement procedures provided by the University of Washington and UW Bothell. Those who violate University rules regarding academic honesty are subject to disciplinary sanctions, including suspension and dismissal. Ignorance is no defense.
  • Be honest at all times and act respectfully toward others. Do not seek unfair advantage over others by cheating, plagiarizing, fabrication, or facilitation.
  • Encourage others to behave fairly and to respect ethical academic conduct. Accept responsibility by refusing to assist in others' misconduct and discouraging others from engaging in misconduct. Recognize that you are authorized to report clear cases of academic misconduct when you have witnessed them.
  • If you are unsure about any part of an assignment, request clarification from the instructor. Failure to understand clear instructions is no excuse for misconduct. When in doubt, always ask!

Make safe assumptions about academic honor: It is your responsibility to understand and follow academic standards for crediting the sources of ideas, information, and phraseology to avoid plagiarizing.