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Academic Integrity at TCTC

A Flip-Guide to Ethical Academic Behavior

Violations of academic integrity which fall into any of the four basic categories – cheating, collusion, fabrication, and plagiarism – may be met with a range of possible repercussions.  The administration of sanctions relating to academic integrity violations primarily resides with the course instructor.

If an instructor believes that a student has committed an act of academic misconduct, the instructor will, according to the TCTC Catalog (pp 152-153), bring the issue to the student, advise the student on the nature of the alleged violation, and offer the student an opportunity to refute the allegation.

The instructor will then consider all the information at their disposal and determine to the best of their ability the extent of the infraction and the appropriate sanction.

The range of sanctions open to the instructor include…

  • Completion of an educational activity relating to the nature of the offense
  • Assigning a lower grade or score to the assignment or examination involved in the offense
  • Requiring the student to repeat or resubmit the work involved
  • Assigning a failing grade for the course
  • Requiring the student to withdraw from the course

The instructor will submit a report of the incident and the sanction imposed to the Chief Academic Officer (CAO).  The office of the CAO will inform the student by letter of the findings and the consequences incurred.

The student may appeal the decision to the Chief Academic Officer by submitting a written request to the CAO within seven (7) instructional weekdays of the date of the decision letter.

The sanction and appeal process is further detailed on pages 152 and 153 of the College Catalog.

Acts of dishonesty that fall outside the core areas of academic integrity -- cheating, collusion, fabrication, and plagiarism -- are considered General Misconduct and are dealt with under the authority of the Coordinator of Community Standards.  More complex acts of dishonesty may transgress both the academic integrity policy and the general misconduct policy and could be subject to dual sanctions.