Rule 3344-21-02 | Policy on academic misconduct.
(A) Policy.
(1) Academic honesty is essential to maintain the integrity of the university as an institution and to foster an environment conducive to the pursuit of knowledge. The Cleveland state university community values honesty and integrity and holds its members to high standards of ethical conduct. Academic dishonesty is, unacceptable, and students who are found to have engaged in academic dishonesty, or knowingly facilitated academic dishonesty by another student, may be sanctioned as outlined in the procedures for charges of academic misconduct. Academic misconduct refers to any fraudulent actions or behaviors designed to affect the evaluation of a student's academic performance or record of academic progress. It includes, but is not limited to:
(a) Cheating: using or attempting to use or possessing any aid, information, resources, or means in the completion of any graded course content such as, but not limited to, an academic assignment, quiz, examination, paper, portfolio, project, thesis, dissertation, or assessment (collectively defined as "assessment") that are explicitly prohibited by the instructor, or facilitating cheating by another student.
Examples of cheating include, but are not limited to:
(i) Possessing, referring to, or using in any way unauthorized textbooks, notes, study aids, websites, crib/cheat sheets, electronic transmissions, or other information when completing an academic assessment;
(ii) Possessing, referring to, giving, or using in any way unauthorized electronic devices, transmissions or other materials when completing an academic assessment;
(iii) Looking at, using, or obtaining unauthorized information from another individual's work when completing an academic assessment;
(iv) Giving or receiving answers, information, or materials from another individual when completing any academic assessment when not explicitly permitted by the instructor;
(v) Utilizing or soliciting another person or entity to complete any portion of an academic assessment in place of the student or submitting the work of another person or entity as the student's own;
(vi) Submitting the identical or substantially the same assessment or portions of an assessment to fulfill the requirements for two or more courses without approval of both instructors involved, including when repeating a course; or submitting the identical or substantially the same assessment or portions of an assessment from a previously completed course to fulfill the requirements for another course without the approval of the instructor of the latter course; or submitting the identical or substantially the same assessment or portions of the assessment to fulfill the requirements for two or more academic assessments within a course without the approval of the instructor;
(vii) Completing or participating in the completion of any portion of an academic assessment for another student to submit as his or her own work, including taking a quiz or an examination for another student, or writing any portion of an essay, paper, thesis, project, or dissertation for another student for submission in person or submitting to an online learning management system;
(viii) Providing answers, information, or materials to another student in a manner not authorized by the instructor, including providing the student's own completed coursework.
(b) Plagiarism: presenting as one's own the work, the ideas, the representations, or the words of another person, or source, or generative artificial intelligence tools, such as ChatGPT or other large language models, without proper attribution. Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to:
(i) Submitting material that in part or whole is not entirely one's own work without accurate and appropriate citations and attribution (including appropriate use of quotation marks);
(ii) Using the words, ideas, or structure/sequence of another person or source without accurate and appropriate citation and attribution (including the appropriate use of quotation marks);
(iii) Too closely paraphrasing by the wholesale reproduction of the structure and ideas of the original text, but merely changing some of the wording.
(iv) Submitting material using translation software/devices without permission from the instructor.
(c) Fabrication: falsification, invention, or manipulation of any information, citation, data, or method. Examples of fabrication include, but are not limited to:
(i) Changing material on a graded academic assessment after it has been returned to the student by the instructor and then requesting the instructor to regrade that assessment, without specific instruction from the instructor to do that;
(ii) Presenting false or invented information as fact in any academic assessment;
(iii) Presenting false claims or an inaccurate account regarding how information or data was collected or generated;
(iv) Inventing, inaccurately presenting, or manipulating data and/or its outcomes;
(v) Inventing or inaccurately presenting citations or sources.
(vi) Changing or manipulating, or attempting to change or manipulate, the grade for any assessment in any grade recording system. Misrepresenting, or attempting to misrepresent, a grade to any campus person or entity.
(vii) Changing, manipulating or misrepresenting the course grade or course information on an official or unofficial document for review by a university official.
(d) Unauthorized collaboration: working with another individual or individuals in any phase of or in the completion of an individual academic assessment without explicit permission from the instructor to complete the work in such a manner.
(e) Sharing CSU credentials with another person to login to an online learning management system.
(f) Misrepresentation: falsely representing oneself or one's efforts or abilities in an academic assessment. Examples of misrepresentation include, but are not limited to:
(i) Utilizing another person to complete any portion of an academic assessment in place of one's self;
(ii) Having another individual sign-in to indicate attendance for a course or use an electronic device to record one's presence or participation in a class.
(iii) Signing another student's name or using an electronic device to record another's presence or participation in a class or on an academic assessment;
(iv) Having another person or entity sign-in to the electronic learning management system on behalf of a current student.
(v) Including one's own name on a group project, allowing one's name to be included when one did not contribute to the work, or claiming credit for work completed by another group member;
(vi) Including unacknowledged sources or citations in an academic assessment.
(vii) Using generative artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT or other large language models (LLMs), on assessments without express permission of the instructor, or in a manner inconsistent with the directions of your instructor. Further, using work generated by AI platforms such as ChatGPT or other LLMs, and submitting that work as your own without proper attribution is plagiarism.
(g) Gaining an unfair advantage: completing an academic assessment through use of information or means not available to other students or engaging in any activity that interferes with another student's ability to complete his or her academic work. Examples of gaining an unfair advantage include, but are not limited to:
(i) Retaining, possessing, using, distributing or making public previous or current academic assessment materials when the instructor has indicated that those materials are not to be retained or shared or are to be returned to the instructor at the conclusion of the academic assessment or course (including originals, copies, reproductions, pictures and electronic or hard copy formats, or uploading to websites or providing for sale);
(ii) Taking pictures of, making copies of, or reproducing any academic assignment materials when the instructor has indicated that those materials are not to be copied or reproduced in any form;
(iii) Obstructing or interfering with another student's academic work or ability to gain access to information to be used in the completion of an academic assessment;
(iv) Taking or using another student's work without his or her knowledge;
(v) Removing or tampering with academic assessment materials from an instructor's office, classroom, computer, or any other university space (physical or virtual/electronic);
(vi) Violating the procedures intended to maintain the integrity of an academic assessment, including any procedures associated with online proctoring.
(vii) Using an electronic device in any capacity for any purpose when the assessment instructions strictly prohibit its use.
(h) Bribery: offering money or any item or service to a faculty member or any other person to gain academic advantage for oneself or another.
(2) Attempts to engage in any of the listed actions will be treated the same as completed acts.
(3) Students may be held responsible for committing academic dishonesty while enrolled in a course even if the student has withdrawn from, or subsequently withdraws from the course.
(4) Students may be held responsible for committing academic misconduct at any point evidence of academic misconduct comes to light. This includes after a course is completed and a grade has been received, and/or after a student graduates. If a student no longer meets the degree requirements because of a sanction imposed as a result of academic misconduct, the degree will be rescinded.
(5) For purposes referenced in paragraphs (A)(6)(a) to (A)(6)(c) of this rule, all of the listed actions in this rule shall fall under the heading of "academic misconduct."
(6) For the purpose of differentiating the degree of seriousness of acts of academic misconduct and the sanctions that should be imposed, the following definitions apply:
(a) "Minor Infraction" - Minor infractions are instances of academic misconduct on an individual assessment which comprises less than twenty per cent of the overall course grade. Two or more instances of minor infractions within a course or across courses constitute a major infraction.
(b) "Major infraction" - Major infractions are instances of academic misconduct on an individual class assessment which comprises twenty per cent or more of the overall course grade. Two or more instances of minor infractions within a course or across courses constitute a major infraction. The second minor infraction will result in a major infraction in the second course if both minor infractions did not happen in the same course.
(c) "Program infraction" Program infractions comprise those instances of cheating which affect the integrity of the student's degree program. Examples include, but are not limited to, committing academic misconduct on capstone projects, theses, dissertations, portfolios, clinical activities, internships, and externships, or committing academic misconduct in more than one course essential to degree program completion. Other examples include falsifying documents or providing doctored transcripts.
(7) Any member of the university community can raise allegations of academic misconduct. Generally, the determination that a student has engaged in academic misconduct, will be made following investigation by the faculty member or instructor, although, depending on the circumstances, that determination may be made following investigation by the department chairperson or college, dean or provost's designee in accordance with the circumstances.
(B) The policy on academic misconduct is implemented by the procedures on academic misconduct, which are promulgated by the provost, after appropriate notice to the university community.
(C) Any question of interpretation or application of the policy on academic misconduct shall be referred to the provost for final determination.
Last updated October 17, 2024 at 8:33 AM
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