Academic & Institutional Policies

OGI Academic Integrity

More so than many human enterprises, scientific research is built on a foundation of trust. When we read results reported in a scientific paper, we trust that the authors are reporting their actual observations - although we may question the conclusions that they draw from them. Similarly, society trusts that the results of research represent an honest attempt by scientists to understand and describe reality. The accelerating rate of scientific discovery is possible only because scientists can trust each other's work. The enormous contribution that science and technology have made to our society would not have occurred without this high level of trust. One of the essential responsibilities of the educational scientific community is to keep alive and vigorous the values of ethical conduct, trustworthy reporting, and absolute honesty at all times.

Students who come to the OGI School of Science & Engineering are expected to observe a high standard of ethical conduct. Academic integrity demands that all work submitted for academic purposes be the work of the person who submits it. Students may be given take-home exams that they are expected to complete in a fixed time and without reference to their books or notes. They are provided with access to fully equipped laboratories and powerful computer systems and are trusted to use them appropriately in the pursuit of their research projects and their coursework. Instructors specify the level of collaboration among students that is permitted on each assignment and expect that students will stay within these boundaries.

The OGI School does not tolerate any instances of dishonesty or lack of integrity by its students. The following details OGI's Academic Integrity Policy.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY

The OGI School of Science & Engineering requires and expects that all members of the educational community maintain the highest ethical standards in all aspects of their work. OGI students, staff, and faculty are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner in all academic endeavors (coursework, research, and research-related activities), maintaining the highest standards of academic honesty. Actions contrary to these standards warrant strict penalties, up to and including dismissal from OGI.

Examples of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:

• submitting the work of any other person without acknowledging that it is not your own;
• giving consent to any other person to submit your work as their own;
• copying, with or without permission, homework or exam answers from another student;
• using or providing unauthorized materials for completion of course work;
• altering a graded examination or assignment and returning it for additional credit;
• mis-reporting or altering research data;
• stealing, or "borrowing" without permission, answer keys, laboratory equipment, or any other material not belonging to you, for academic or personal purposes;
• violating computer security, including but not limited to unauthorized use of passwords, accounts, or code-breaker software or programming; and
• misrepresenting, by act or omission, any fact or circumstance, or contributing to such misrepresentation.

Infringement of the expected standards of academic honesty by any student subjects that student to serious penalties, which may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• oral reprimand;
• reduced assignment grade;
• reduced course grade (which cannot be removed from the student's permanent record by dropping or retaking the course);
• academic probation;
• suspension;
• dismissal from the course; and/or
• dismissal from the department/School.

Penalties for offense(s) will be assessed based on the severity of the offense(s) and whether there is evidence of previous offense(s). Any penalty may be used at any time, as determined appropriate by the OGI School. All charges are subject to student appeal, following OHSU's grievance policy.

It is the responsibility of the instructor to:

1. provide to students written or verbal guidelines describing the sort of collaboration among students that is encouraged, allowed, and disallowed; and

2. handle and report incidents of suspected academic dishonesty in the following manner:

a) confront the student(s) suspected of wrongdoing;

b) if evidence of dishonesty is found, determine the course-level penalty/ies merited by the violation;

c) submit a written report of the incident, including the names of those involved, to the department head, who will then assume responsibility for taking further action.

It is the responsibility of the department head to:

1. independently investigate and confirm the incident; make sure that the student(s) understand how their actions violated the institution's policy on academic dishonesty; and to explain the consequences of the infringement;

2. determine any additional penalty warranted by the situation, considering all factors;

3. discuss, with the student, the actions to be taken;

4. provide a written report of the incident to the Graduate Education Director, who maintains records of all reported incidences in student files. The report may be reviewed when subsequent infringements occur, when the student is evaluated while on academic probation, and at any other time the department evaluates the student.

Each student has the responsibility to:

1. be aware of the OGI policy on academic dishonesty, including the possible consequences, and to seek assistance (such as translation help) to fully understand the policy;

2. know and use proper bibliographic citation for all use of secondary materials;

3. be aware of the collaboration and access levels for all class-related assignments and work actively to adhere to them;

4. ask the instructor when in doubt of appropriate behavior, your instructor is here not only to teach the material, but to answer questions about the educational process;

5. if you think the treatment you receive is unfair, file a grievance following the grievance procedures found later in this handbook.

Gray Areas:

On team projects, teamwork is expected. The work of the team is treated as a unified or collective effort, but contributions from non-team members may be considered academic dishonesty. The usual standards for citation and attribution apply to team projects. In addition, it may be required to identify the individual contributions of team members - mis-identification may be a violation of this policy.

Updated Oct., 2006 by L.P.