Computer Science Policy on Cheating
Cheating Will Not Be Tolerated, Excused Or In Any Way Condoned
From the M.T.U. Student Handbook, page 21
C. Cheating
A student detected cheating beyond any reasonable doubt during any
examination period or in the preparation of any significant individual
assignment such as a quarter report is to receive a failing grade for the
course, and a record of the failure is to be submitted to the Dean of
Students. This record is to be for the confidential use of the Dean of
Students and is to be destroyed upon the student's graduation. On the
second such occurrence, a student shall be expelled from the University
without the possibility of readmission. In the preparation of students for
responsible professional careers, Michigan Tech expects honesty and
integrity to be the ordinary way of life in all student activities.
Plagiarism, or the use of another person's statements without giving proper
credit, is dishonest and regarded as cheating. Although group study and
group projects are often appropriate, it is expected that individual
assignments and examinations will be the private efforts of the
particular student.
At times the student will find it difficult to distinguish between
legitimate study aids and illegal "scoop". Such questions should be
discussed with the instructors involved so that the students may proceed
with clear consciences. Besides the potential F grade for the course, the
cheating student does great damage to his/her own self-esteem and
professional character.
General Notes
- Cheating shall be considered to include:
- Using information to which you are not entitled for
the purpose of completing an assigned task
(exam, homework, program, etc.)
- Submitting as your own work a document, which in part or
as a whole represents someone else's work.
- Allowing others to copy your work.
- Cases of suspected cheating will be handled by the chairperson for
the course.
- To protect yourself you should keep all program listing as proof
of your work and be careful not to leave your listings where they
are easily seen by others. If you suspect that your work is being
used by someone else, you should inform your instructor.
Notes on Programs
Generally, programs are considered "significant individual assignments".
While discussion among students to clarify concepts and understanding is
natural and encouraged and is normally not considered cheating, you should
be careful neither to allow your work to be used by someone else nor to
allow the code in your program to be created by anyone other than you -
unless it has been explicitly provided by your instructor. Your coding is
an expression of your understanding!