Academic Leadership Toolkit

Academic Honor Policy

Overview:

Academic Honor Policy Flowchart

 

Goals:

  • To actively engage students and faculty in preventing academic dishonesty.
  • To sanction appropriately those who violate the policy and deter second offenses.

Authority and Responsibility:

  • Instructors have authority to enter into Step 1 agreements with students who have no prior record of academic dishonesty.
  • Teaching Assistants may enter into Step 1 agreements with approval from supervising faculty.
  • Department chairs and deans are responsible for ensuring that the policy is being followed in their units.
  • The Academic Administrator in the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement is responsible for campus-wide implementation of the policy and support for faculty.
  • The associate deans in the Dean of Students Department are responsible for helping students understand their rights within the process.

Common Pitfalls and Misconceptions:

  • Instructors sometimes fail to warn students about unauthorized collaboration, especially within online platforms, and students often do not view collaboration as a violation.
  • Instructor lack of knowledge regarding the process or unwillingness to go forward sometimes keeps cases from being pursued.
  • Allegations are handled outside the process and are never documented as Step 1 agreements. Thus, they do not create official prior records and result in grade changes that have no basis in policy.

Resources:

  • The Academic Honor Policy is found at here, along with related resources.
  • Forms involved in the process can be accessed electronically. Program Manager for Academic Integrity, Joshua Morgan (jlmorgan@fsu.edu or 644-6876) serves as the primary faculty resources regarding the policy. Office Administrator, Ameko Dillard (adillard@fsu.edu or 644-6876) serves as a secondary faculty resource. 
  • The University has a site license that makes “turn-it-in.com” available to any FSU instructor.
  • Faculty Handbook, Section 7