Honor in the Classroom

Advice to Faculty from Students | Discuss Honor in the Classroom

Advice to Faculty on Fostering Academic Integrity
Tips for Preventing Honor Code Problems Before They Start

Most faculty members share high ideals about the importance of truth and shared respect within the university environment. Few anticipate with pleasure the challenges of dealing with student academic misconduct. The following “top ten” list reflects the distilled wisdom of many colleagues in far-flung institutions over the years. It includes links to other resources available from this website and elsewhere.

1. Understand why students cheat, so that you can target efforts to prevent misconduct before it occurs. Bear in mind that perhaps 20% of students would never cheat and perhaps an equal proportion will attempt to cheat whatever you may do. Work on preventing problems that might arise for others. Information on why students cheat is available in Research on Academic Dishonesty.
   
2. Design tests and writing assignments so that cheating isn’t easy. On tests, ask students to show their work, not just their answer. If using multiple choice questions use alternate forms (which can be keyed in on Scantron answer sheets), or alternate short answer (at the top of the page) and multiple choice at the bottom where it’s not so easy to copy. On major research papers, require students to submit the work in several phases (such as a list of sources with summaries, an outline, and the paper itself). Further good advice is available on Berkeley: Tool for Teaching: Preventing Academic Dishonesty, Virtual Salt: Anti-Plagiarism Strategies for Research Papers, and Research on Academic Dishonesty.
   
3. Provide clear instructions for group work. Encouraging collaboration can improve student learning, but can result in ambiguities for students who step over the line and engage in “unauthorized” assistance. Talk with students very specifically about what collaboration you permit and when. Make it clear to students that they are responsible for asking questions if they have doubt about what is permitted, and make it easy for them to inquire. Consider providing a handout or an attachment to your syllabus that addresses the issue of collaboration specifically. Good examples are available from The Center for Academic Integrity on Unauthorized Collaboration: What Students Need to Know.
   
4. Don’t assume that students understand what plagiarism is and why it’s a problem. Recognize the points of tension and potential confusion such as those portrayed in the handout developed by the Purdue University Writing Center: Online Writing Lab: Avoiding Plagiarism. After covering the subject with an eye to your specific discipline, assign students to complete some of the excellent self-teaching tutorials available on Helpful Links. Give them a short quiz on the subject, using models such as those available on Helpful Links.
   
5. Emphasize to students your commitment to take integrity seriously in connection with all their work, and explain that you have high expectations that they will do so too. For ideas on how to do that, consider the resources available on Helpful Links.
   
6. Make it easy for students to take responsibility for their own conduct and for you to hold them to the standard that you set. Explain that you will not grade any test unless the honor code statement on the bluebook is properly signed. Attach a one-page summary regarding the expectations in your discipline for avoiding plagiarism and providing appropriate acknowledgement of authorities to your syllabus and require students to attach the summary along with their signed statement representing that they have complied with the requirements each time they submit an assignment. For example, an extensive list of prohibited forms of plagiarism is available on Turn It In.com: Research Resources.
   
7. Become familiar with the easy ways you can detect plagiarism or other academic misconduct should it occur. The references available in Helpful Links suggest that such signs can include lack of references, strange formatting, language that is out of character for student writers (such as unfamiliar words), and more. There are also a growing number of “plagiarism detection” tools and strategies (including simple internet search techniques) such as those listed at the University of Michigan: Resources for Instructors: Detecting Plagiarism, University of Maryland University College: Center for Intellectual Property: Plagiarism, LeMoyne College: Electronic Plagiarism Seminar, and the Association of College and Research Libraries: Internet Resources: Plagiarism and cyber-plagiarism.
   
8. Read the Honor Code and related materials available on this website.
   
9. Seek advice from colleagues or Honor System personnel, and become involved as described in Get Involved!

Before an Exam
Many faculty members take special care to emphasize how seriously they take the Honor Code before distributing exams to set the tone. For example, you can:

• ask students to hand in their blank blue books and redistribute them so that, in the event a student has written notes in his/her blue book, the student will not have access to this information
• announce that you prohibit the use of pagers, cell phone, PDA’s, and any papers aside from the blue book. (Realize that students can use new technologies to send text messages, store class notes/formulas, etc.).
• have students stow their backpacks, notebooks, etc. away from their seats
• reiterate the reasons the university has an Honor Code
• require every student to sign the Honor Pledge on all assignments
• indicate that you will not accept any assignment on which the Pledge is not signed
• reinforce the high standards you expect and your obligation to report any suspected misconduct

You may find more suggestions for discouraging academic misconduct in the "Helpful Links" section (link to http://honor.unc.edu/faculty/links.html)

During an Exam
If you observe students acting in a suspicious fashion, you must decide whether to wait and gather information of what actually transprired or intervene to deter the misconduct. If students appear to be acting in suspicious ways during the course of an exam, it is probably best to:

• walk around the room and make eye contact
• ask the students to move their seats
• remind the students that talking is prohibited

You can also use a “spot check” strategy, such as telling students when you distribute an the exam that you will be checking from time to time to see if they have questions at various points during the exam, then do so. Document any observations that may lead you to suspect a potential cheating violation so that you create a record in the event it is needed by the Honor System.

Classroom Disruption
Sometimes, students may engage in disruptive behavior in the classroom setting, and this conduct may violate some portion of the Honor Code. For specific guidance on addressing such behavior, please contact the Dean of Students Office at 966-4042 or see the resources in Helpful Links (link to http://honor.unc.edu/faculty/links.html)