1. Assistant Dean, Office for Undergraduate Education
First-Year Writing Orientation Policies Concerning Students: FERPA & The Honor Code
Jason Ciejka,
Assistant Dean, Office for Undergraduate Education
August 18, 2017

2. Agenda FERPA The Honor Code
Defining, Detecting, and Preventing Plagiarism
Reporting Violations

3. FERPA Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 1974
Students have a right to inspect their educational records and have them amended if incorrect.
Schools must receive a student’s consent before disclosing information about that student to third parties (or even family members). There are exceptions (e.g. directory information, award announcements, health and safety emergencies).
You may share information with other school officials with a “legitimate educational interest.”

4. FERPA: Practical Considerations
School officials with legitimate educational interests usually include advisors and deans in the Office for Undergraduate Education, the course coordinator, and departmental leadership.
Curiosity is not a legitimate educational interest.
You may not discuss a student’s performance with parents or other third parties unless that student provides express consent to do so. That consent does not require you to speak with parents or other third parties.
You may not post grades with personally identifiable information, including student ID numbers. Do not leave graded material to be picked up.
When in doubt about a request, contact OUE.

5. The Honor Code
Academic integrity is governed by a student initiated Honor Code.
Faculty have a duty to report any suspicion of academic misconduct to the Office for Undergraduate Education.
Each case will be investigated and adjudicated by the Honor Council, which includes 20 students and 20 faculty members.
The Honor Council will determine if academic misconduct took place and recommend a sanction.
Sanctions include a grade penalty and a mark on the student’s record. Other actions like suspension and expulsion or educational programs may also be recommended.

6. Honor Code Violations
“Academic misconduct is an offense generally defined as any action or inaction which is offensive to the integrity and honesty of the members of the academic community.”
Seeking or providing unauthorized assistance on a test/quiz
Using an electronic device during a test/quiz
Copying assignments from other students
Collaborating with others when individual work is required
Lying to faculty to gain an academic advantage
Plagiarizing

7. Honor Code Statement
The Honor Code is in effect throughout the semester. By taking this course, you affirm that it is a violation of the code to cheat on exams, to use an electronic device during exams, to plagiarize, to deviate from the teacher’s instructions about collaboration on work, to give false information to a faculty member, and to undertake any other form of academic misconduct. You agree that the instructor is entitled to move you to another seat during exams without explanation. You also affirm that if you witness others violating the Honor Code you have a duty to report them to the instructor or the Honor Council.

8. What constitutes plagiarism?
Fitz Pirillo, “Whaddyamean,” retrieved from:
October 26, 2015

9. What constitutes plagiarism?
Improper paraphrasing (with or without references)
Lack of quotation marks
Lack of references
Copying-and-pasting in part or in whole
Resubmitting an old paper for a different class
Purchasing a paper from a website
Paying for a custom written paper

10. Retrieved from http://thevisualcommunicationguy
Retrieved from August 17, 2015

11. Detecting plagiarism
Unplag (Canvas): apps/unplag-plagiarism-detection.html
Google
Changes in style of writing
Style of writing doesn’t match previous work
Prose is “just too good”
Writing that is awkward suddenly becomes elegant
References to highly specialized information
Changes in font or font size

12. Preventing plagiarism
Talk to your class about plagiarism
Give examples of proper methods for quoting and citing material
Be clear about whether outside sources are allowed
Assign papers that are specific instead of generic
Divide research papers into smaller graded tasks (proposal, outline, annotated bibliography, draft, etc.)
Use plagiarism detection software
Accept late work (with a penalty) or offer extensions

13. Why do students plagiarize?
Lack of knowledge about plagiarism
Uncertainty about expectations
Don’t understand the material
Carelessness/Forgetfulness
Don’t understand importance of citing
Writing may just feel like an exercise
Perceived emphasis on content, instead of form
Not invested in assignment/class
Procrastination
Fear of low grade
Can’t see any other option
Pure malicious intent

14. Why is it important to report violations?
Students and faculty alike have an obligation to report suspicions to the Honor Council
The Honor Code provides due process for accused students
Students receive consistent sanctions
Process is a learning experience that deters future violations
A neutral body handles the case so you can focus on teaching
The student may have a history of misconduct
The problem may continue if not addressed
The process protects faculty members

15. Reporting violations
Contact the Office for Undergraduate Education at:
Jason Ciejka Blaire Wilson
We can discuss the incident with you and determine whether it is necessary to move forward through the Honor Council process.
You may discuss the case with the chair, the DUS, or a faculty member who acts as a resource for the department about HC matters. Please avoid disclosing information about the student’s identity.

16. Resources Honor Council Webpage:
programs/honor-council/index.html

17. Questions?