Academic Integrity Policy
In accordance with Biblical principles of honesty and integrity, Arlington Baptist University views any act of cheating or plagiarism as a serious offense. If any faculty member observes or suspects that plagiarism or cheating has occurred, he or she is obligated to address the instance and notify the Academic Affairs office of the situation.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Turning in work done by another person as if it was your personal effort.
- Copying another student’s homework, paper, test, or assignment.
- Copying from a source (books, internet, etc.) and not giving credit to the source.
- Copying and Pasting from a website or document on the Internet.
- Working together with one or more persons on an assignment that is intended to be done by you alone.
- Copying or attempting to copy answers from the test of another student.
- Using notes, materials, or assistance on a test when the instructor has not given clear permission for their use.
- Communicating with another student during a test, quiz, or exam.
- Assisting or allowing someone to copy your work without the instructor’s clear permission to do so.
- Submitting, without explicit permission from the current instructor(s), materials written for a previous or concurrent class.
- Accessing another student’s online course(s) from any semester/term, with or without that student’s approval while registered for that course will be viewed as a deliberate and premeditated action and will be treated as a double offence resulting in an automatic failure of that course in accordance with step 2 below. If the student has already received a warning or it involves more than one course, this infraction could result in dismissal from school.
The consequences for academic dishonesty may be applied at three levels:
1.When a student violates the Academic Integrity Policy, Faculty will contact the Academic Dean to see if this may be viewed as inadvertent. Only “inadvertent” violations will receive the minimum. If the student has completed English Composition I or II at ABU or has taken an online course in two semesters, the infraction will be not viewed as inadvertent. The minimum consequences are to be understood as follows:
a. An on campus student whose violation seems inadvertent may, at the discretion of the instructor, be given a variety of penalties up to and including a zero for the work submitted. If, based on their current grade, the penalty does not prevent the student from passing the course, the student will be allowed to continue. However, the student must also attend an Academic Integrity (AI) Training session. Said student should not be allowed to participate in class activities until an AI training session has been scheduled with the college librarian who will provide an admittance note. When the AI training is completed, the student must first show the appropriate faculty member a signed certificate of completion and then submit the certificate to the Academic Affairs office before a passing grade can be submitted or posted.
b. An online only student or a student whose first inadvertent violation occurs in an online course may, at the discretion of the instructor, be allowed to continue the course. However, the student will be given a zero for the work submitted and must first retake and pass the plagiarism quiz before any further work can be submitted. The student must also submit to their instructor a one-page paper indicating why the noted action(s) violated our Academic Integrity Policy before a passing grade can be given or posted. (The minimum penalty in the online course is more severe because the student has already taken a plagiarism quiz and affirmed an understanding of the process.)
2. An instance of intentional academic dishonesty or subsequent violation in the same course or a second course will result in the student’s dismissal from the course and a failing grade for that course. If an extreme abuse occurs, the faculty or administration may recommend that the student appear before the Academic Affairs committee to give reason why the student should not be suspended or dismissed from school.
3. A third offense, any pattern of academic dishonesty, or a clearly egregious violation (such as willfully assisting or encouraging another student to violate the Academic Integrity Policy) will result in course failure and required appearance before the Academic Affairs committee to determine if possible suspension or dismissal is appropriate.
