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Violations of the Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity occurring in Computer
Science courses are taken very seriously by the Computer Science faculty. Therefore,
it is necessary to impress upon students the gravity of violations of the Code.
The following are excerpts from a longer version of the Cornell University Code
of Academic Integrity. The exclusion of any part does not excuse ignorance of the
Code.
Principle
Absolute integrity is expected of every Cornell student in all academic undertakings;
he/she must in no way misrepresent his/her work fraudulently or unfairly advance
his/her academic status, or be a party to another student;s failure to maintain
academic integrity. The maintenance of an atmosphere of academic honor and the fulfillment
of the provisions of this Code are the responsibilities of the students and faculty
of Cornell University. Therefore, all students and faculty members shall refrain
from any action that would violate the basic principles of this Code.
General Responsibilities
- A student assumes responsibility for the content and integrity of the academic
work he/she submits, such as papers, examinations, or reports.
- A student shall be guilty of violating the Code and subject to proceedings under
it if he/she:
- knowingly represents the work of others as his/her own.
- uses or obtains unauthorized assistance in any academic work.
- gives fraudulent assistance to another student.
- fabricates data in support of laboratory or field work.
- forges a signature to certify completion or approval of a course assignment.
- in any other manner violates the principle of absolute integrity.
Specific Remarks for Students
in CS Courses
Note: "You" in the following refers to "you and your partner"
should you work with a partner.
The work you do in Computer Science courses is expected to be the result of your
individual effort - the use of a computer in no way modifies the normal standards
of the above Code. You may discuss work with other students, and give or receive
"consulting" help from other students, but such permissible cooperation
should never involve one student having in his or her possession a copy of all or
part of another student's assignment - regardless of whether that copy is on paper,
on a computer disk, or in a computer file. This implies that there is no legitimate
reason to send a copy of a program from one computer account to another, or to be
logged-on to another student's account.
Discussion of general strategy or algorithms is permissible, but you may not collaborate
in the detailed development or actual writing of an assignment. It is also your
responsibility to protect your work from unauthorized access. It is inadvisable
to discard copies of your programs in public places. Students who live in dormitories
are advised to be extra careful about leaving computers on and copies of output
lying around.
Our experience has been that students tend to think less clearly about Academic
Integrity when
- they start a programming assignment late and a sense of panic sets in.
- they see a desperate friend seeking inappropriate levels of help.
Be aware of the social forces that underlie these situations.
Penalties are administered on a case-by-case basis. However, here are some guidelines:
- First-time violation on a programming assignment results in a score that is the
negative of the full credit score for the entire assignment.
- If there is a violation and it is determined that your partner is entirely to
blame, then you will nevertheless receive a zero for the assignment because you
and your partner have a joint responsibility to the Code.
- If you resubmit a program or a prelim for regrading and alter the original submission,
then you will receive a course grade of F. (Note: a randomly selected subset of
graded programs and exams will be photocopied before they are made available
for pick-up.)
- Solution output must be consistent with the submitted solution program. If not,
the entire assignment will receive the grade of zero. There are no acceptable excuses
for the inadvertent submission of the wrong program. (E.g., "I was in a rush
and just forgot to print out the final version."
Second violations result in a course grade of F.
Remember that you may end up with a permanent mark on your transcript and be subject
to University disciplinary action should you violate the Code.
Contact a member of the course staff immediately if you suspect that there may be
a Code violation associated with your programming assignment submission. It
is FAR better to tell us about a possible infraction beforehand than for us to discover
it during the grading process.
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