Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity is directly linked to the Core Values of Illinois Valley Community College, three of which are RESPONSIBILITY, RESPECT, and HONESTY. It is the RESPONSIBILITY of each student to RESPECT the academic integrity of each class/course by doing their own work and by refusing to assist others in deception. Academic dishonesty violates the academic integrity expected of all students. The Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs will keep a file of these submissions. When a student has been identified as committing an act of academic dishonesty twice, the Vice President for Academic Affairs will conduct an investigation, which may include a formal hearing, and will recommend or impose appropriate discipline.

The purpose of this provision is to identify students who commit multiple acts of academic dishonesty in different courses, which the student might otherwise avoid. The assumption is that multiple acts constitute a more grievous offense than a single incident, which would constitute a learning experience for the student.

Academic dishonesty is defined as, but is not limited to:
1. CHEATING—using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, study aids, or information in any academic exercise, including copying from another person's work or preparing work for another person that is to be presented as the other person's own work. This includes utilizing phones or cameras to copy test or assignment materials.
2. FABRICATION—furnishing false information to a College official relative to academic matters, including but not limited to, misrepresentation of written information provided in admission documents.
3. PLAGIARISM—comes from the Latin word plagiare, which means "to steal." Therefore, plagiarism is a form of cheating. Plagiarism is defined as using the words or ideas of another as one's own either on purpose or unintentionally. This includes, but is not limited to, copying whole, portions or the paraphrasing (rewording) of passages or information from any source in any academic exercise (written or oral) without giving credit to the author or source using an appropriate citation style. Students must be able to prove that their work is their own.
4. FACILITATING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY—helping or attempting to help another to violate any provision of this code.
Academic dishonesty violates the Student Code of Conduct. The faculty member has full authority to identify academic dishonesty in his/her classroom and to impose any of the following sanctions:
1. Failure of any assignment, quiz, test, examination or paper, project or oral presentation for the work in which the violation occurred.
2. Lower grade.
3. Involuntary withdrawal from the course.
4. Failure of the course.
5. Report extreme cases of academic dishonesty (such as, but not limited to, collusion among a number of students, selling or providing papers or repeated violations of academic dishonesty, etc.) directly to the Vice President for Learning and Student Development for disciplinary action as outlined in Section VII, Disciplinary Process.
6. Other sanctions as determined by the faculty member. The sanction will be put in writing and signed by the student, faculty member and the Dean.
The instructor shall normally attempt to notify (if possible) the student within five (5) class days of identifying the act of dishonesty to discuss the applied sanction.
Students have the right to appeal through the Vice President for Academic Affairs office as outlined in Section II, Student Academic Complaints.
A student identified as responsible for academic dishonesty, as defined above, may not withdraw from the course in an effort to avoid penalty.

Each time a faculty member documents an incident of academic dishonesty, he/she will submit to the Vice President for Academic Affairs office the following information (in hard copy to protect student confidentiality): student name, class, date, description of incident and action by faculty and/or student, faculty signature. The faculty member will retain the documentation.