Ethics Academic Integrity

Sanctions for Rule 20.1.4.

-A wide range of sanctions can be employed in order to strike an appropriate balance between sending a message of accountability and enhancing a student's moral and cognitive development. -Certain sanctions may be imposed by the Honor Council and/or the Instructor -Academic Sanctions: first offenses vs. repeated offenses -Educational Sanctions: can include requirement to perform appropriate university or community service which directly relates to the violation committed. Includes completion of academic integrity development program, workshops, etc.

Professional ethics can be monitored by...

-ADA -ADHA -ADEA -State Board of Dental Examiners

How a climate of integrity at COD is fostered

-academic testing, practical training, clinical examinations, and clinical patient care will be monitored will be monitored in a manner that encourages integrity and discourages ethical behavior -it is the student's responsibility to conduct themselves in a manner refraining from unethical behaviors AND intervening when they are a witness to or suspect of unethical actions from their classmates -failure to report these behaviors is destructive to climate of integrity as is engaging in them

Plagiarism

-appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit -includes intentionally, knowingly, or carelessly presenting the work of another as one's own

Conduct standards for TAMU students

-conduct subject to disciplinary action includes behavioral and academic integrity infractions -expectation is that all students are familiar with Student Rule 24 (student conduct code), Rule 31 (racial and ethnic harassment), and Rule 47 (sexual misconduct)

Courage

-differs from preceding fundamental values in that it is less a value than a quality or capacity -capacity to act in accordance with one's values despite fear -like intellectual capacity, courage can only develop in environments where it is tested

Responsibility

-individual duty and shared communal concern -means standing up against wrongdoing, resisting negative peer pressure, and serving as a positive example -responsible communities hold individuals accountable and collectively work to discourage and prevent misconduct by others

Complicity

-intentionally or knowingly helping, or attempting to help, another to commit an act of academic misconduct -includes allowing another to copy from one's paper during an examination, distributing test questions/content without instructor's permission, collaborating on academic work knowing the collaboration will not be reported

Texas A&M COD Academic Integrity

-intranet: academic due process document -standards of conduct at COD aligned with those published in TAMU student rules -should be clear that issues of behavior of students in the clinical curricula are under purview of faculty at COD -ethical actions of our students are guided by standards expressed by our professional organizations -COD students will be held to the highest standards of personal and professional integrity both on and off campus

Respect

-is reciprocal and requires showing of respect for oneself as well as others -respect for self means facing challenges with integrity -valuing diversity of opinions -display respect for your teachers and fellow students by being punctual and attentive, meeting deadlines, being prepared, interacting with others in a dignified and professional manner

Fabrication

-making up data or results and recording/reporting them -submitting fabricated documents -includes intentional invention of information in any laboratory experiment, report, assessment, ect.

Falsification

-manipulating research materials, equipment, processes, or changing/omitting data/results such that the research is not accurately represented in the record -includes modifying measurements in an experiment or laboratory exercise as to obtain results more conforming to expected values

Potential reasons for traditional system failure

-moral blindness -defective reasoning -lack of commitment to moral ideas -deficiencies in character and competence

Modified honor codes in higher education

-proctored examinations -student pledge -student judiciary -campus priority -rehabilitative sanctions

Moral intensity

multidimensional construct that focuses on the morality of the issue, instead of the individual or context

Traditional honor codes in higher education

non-proctored examinations, student pledge, student judiciary, non-toleration

Main violations reported by students

plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, submitting an assignment written by another student, copying another student's test, and obtained questions before taking test

University Rules on Research

students involved in conducting research and/or scholarly activities at Texas A&M University must also adhere to standards set forth in University Rule 15.99.03.M1 (Responsible Conduct in Research and Scholarship)

Abuse and misuse of access and unauthorized access

students may not abuse or misuse computer access or gain unauthorized access to information in any academic exercise

Violation of college, program, departmental, or course rules

students may not violate any announced college, program, departmental, or course rules that are in compliance with other student rules relating to academic matters

TAMUCOD Code of Ethics

-professional conduct, proper patient management, and ethical behavior are essential to maintain the dignity and credibility of the dental professions. Therefore, an important responsibility for the protection of the profession rests within the dental education environment -COD abides by following Code of Ethics to be embraced by the student body: 1. always behave honorably and with integrity 2. neither permit nor accept that which is not just 3. refrain from lying, cheating, stealing, or intentionally misleading/deceiving anyone as to the known facts 4. refrain from other forms of unethical or unprofessional conduct

Trust

-promoted by faculty who set clear guidelines for assignments and evaluation -promoted by students who prepare work that is honest and thoughtful -engendered by schools that set high, clear, and consistent standards and enforce them

Moral intensity dimensions

-seriousness of consequences -social consensus -temporal immediacy -proximity ***allow us to recognize the moral issue, make ethical judgments, and form behavioral intent

F grade designation

-student who is assessed a grade of F shall have it documented on his/her transcript with the notation "failure due to academic misconduct" or other similar language -shall be treated in the same way as an F in calculating GPA and determination in academic standing -student with an F is automatically on honor violation probation

Fairness

-students expect and deserve (1) predictability, (2) clear expectations, and (3) a consistent and just response for dishonest -faculty expect and deserve (1) fair treatment from students, and (2) fair treatment from colleagues and the school's administration

Multiple submissions

-submitting substantial portions of the same work for credit more than once without authorization from the instructor -includes submitting same work for credit in more than one course without the instructor's permission

Honesty

-truthfulness and knowledge -build on those that have come before us and the future will be built on what we do in the areas of learning, research, service, and clinical practice

First offenses

-usual penalty for a violation shall be an "F" in the course and "Honor Violation Probation" -can have more severe penalties, including expulsion, may be imposed by the Honor Council -less severe penalties: grade reduction, zero on the assignment, requirement to participate in extra requirements, requirement to attend academic integrity development program, placement on honor violation probation, or combo

Repeated offenses

-usual penalty for second offense is expulsion -honor council adjudicates all such cases and may impose less severe sanctions if warranted

Special Note on Group Projects (Rule 20.1.4)

If someone in a group commits academic misconduct, the entire group could be held responsible for it as well. It is important to clearly document who contributes what parts of the joint project and to know what group members are doing and how they are getting the material they provide.

What two schools did we talk about that were subject to major cheating scandals and for what?

Indiana University School of Dentistry: unauthorized attainment and sharing of locked image files University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey: selling clinical procedure credits they needed to graduate to other classmen

Ethics remediation option guidelines

Rule 20 requires that all students with academic ethics offenses be remediated

Sectors that guide academic integrity

Texas A&M University, College of Dentistry, Professional Ethics

Sanctions/penalties for academic integrity violations

failure of course, repetition of course, repetition of assignment or test, remediation activities, reduction of course grade, expulsion, repetition of program year, written reprimand, put on record/transcript, mention of it in reference letters

Fundamental values of academic integrity

honesty trust fairness respect responsibility courage to act

COD guidelines for reporting incidents

if you are suspicious, you need to report it in writing and the report should include student(s) involved and description of evidence. the associate dean of student affairs receives this

Cheating

intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, notes, study aids, or other devices/materials in any academic exercise ***Unauthorized materials include anything or anyone that gives a student assistance that has not specifically been approved in advance in the instructor