As a part of the University, the Computer Science Program upholds and enforces the general university policies on cheating and plagiarism. All examinations and written homework assignments are subject to the usual standards of academic honesty as described in the University's Student Handbook and other related publications.
Furthermore, the Department expects of its students conduct appropriate to computer science professionals. Professional ethics demands that students abjure those additional forms of dishonesty and abuse which are uniquely possible in using computers. Many of those forms are relatively new and are not specifically covered in the general disciplinary regulations. This document attempts to make explicit the more specialized policies and procedures which the Computer Science Program maintains in order to address cheating in computer-related assignments.
An instructor is free to set the ground rules for the honest completion of assignments within his or her course; the rules may vary from assignment to assignment. In particular, the extent to which group work is permissible depends solely on the instructor. Within the ground rules, the honesty of a student's behavior can usually be explored with the help of the two following guidelines.
It is impossible to attempt to define completely what constitutes cheating or not cheating. However, the following cases should almost always be judged to be at their appropriate extreme.
It should be stressed that in cases of uncertainty it is the student's responsibility to ascertain from the instructor whether an activity is considered cheating or not cheating.
The Computer Science Department does not tolerate cheating. When cheating is suspected, instructors will take reasonable action to establish whether it actually occurred. If cheating has occurred, the instructor will apply the appropriate disciplinary action.
Disciplinary actions are divided into three levels: course level, department level, and university level.
Penalties less severe than those recommended above will be imposed when appropriate.
After the disciplinary decision is made, the instructor will document the incident by recording the names of the individuals involved, a description of the incident, and the action taken. When applicable, copies of the plagiarized work should be attached. The case documentation will be archived by the department's secretary at a special folder at the department's office (the "Cheating and Plagiarism Folder").
The Head of the Committee on Policies and Procedures (the reviewer) will, periodically, review all cases in the "Cheating and Plagiarism Folder" to detect any pattern of misconduct. This review will be made at least once every semester. A pattern of misconduct will be defined as two or more recorded incident within one academic year. When such pattern is detected, the reviewer will recommend the student(s) be disciplined by the department.
The student may appeal the Department's decision by following the Grievances and Disciplinary codes described in the UIS Student Handbook.
The UIS Student Handbook lists "Academic cheating or plagiarism" as a proscribed conduct and gives a list of possible University level sanctions that range from a formal warning notice to dismissal from UIS. Cases sent for University Level disciplinary action will be handled in the manner prescribed in the UIS Student Handbook.