Scholastic Honesty
The NDSU policy on scholastic honesty is on p. 32 of the Bulletin. In this course I adhere to the letter and spirit of that policy. The web page you are reading, then, adds to and specifies within that policy and in no way supplants it. Digital Communications and Scholastic Honesty
Most of the work in this course, consisting of written reports, is traditional in format, and the rules for acceptable behavior are defined and known. On the other hand, the written work is done out of class and submitted via the weblog, which raises some issues. You are asked to carry on regular participation and submit assignments using the weblog. It's obvious that anyone could cheat on this, could have someone else send the required messages and assignments, and in most cases get away with it. It isn't something I lose sleep over. There are three things to keep in mind about this. 1. Cheating is possible, often with impunity, on any assignment not done under in-class supervision. Digital communications are no different in this regard. It's just that people have a sort of anything-goes attitude about the Internet that sometimes affects behavior. 2. There is every chance that someone who cheats on assignments will get tripped up. I read the stuff that comes in and often ask follow-up questions in class. Suppose you wrote, or rather didn't write but had someone else write for you, a report, and I read it, and then I brought it to class and said, "This is a fascinating but somewhat cryptic observation you have made, Ms. Tollefson. Could you explain what you mean in more detail?" Indeed, follow-up on weblog transactions is a staple of in-class discussion. 3. Honesty and dishonesty have their own rewards. Cases of Dishonesty
Scholastic dishonesty is neither expected nor tolerated. Scholastic dishonesty, as far as this course is concerned, includes Passing off someone elses work as your own. Plagiarism, commonly defined as "presenting the words, thoughts, or ideas of another person as your own." Fabrication, that is, falsification of information or citations. Helping anyone else commit an act of academic dishonesty. Students caught cheating or aiding someone else in cheating will receive a zero on the assignment. In such cases a notice and explanation may be sent to the student's academic advisor and to the dean of the student's college. Scholastic dishonesty can result in suspension or expulsion from the university. |