Information from: http://www.cwru.edu/provost/ugstudies/instrman/highlights.html
Academic Integrity | Academic Infractions | Standards of Conduct | Attendance | Withdrawals Students with Special Needs | C-Competence | Final Exams | Incompletes
Academic Integrity
The University's mission rests on the premise of intellectual honesty: in the classroom, the laboratory, the office, and the solitary examination desk. Without a prevailing ethic of honor and integrity not only in scientific pursuits but also in all scholarly activity, the very search for knowledge is impaired. In these respects, each of us -- especially but not exclusively faculty -- must regard oneself as a mentor for others.
These principles we strive to uphold make it possible for the larger society to place trust in the degrees we confer, the research we produce, the scholarship we represent and disseminate, and the critical assessments we make of the performance of students and faculty, as well as judgments of staff and administrators.
To safeguard the standards on which we all depend, each of us must therefore accept individual responsibility for our behavior and our work, and refrain from taking credit for the work of others.
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Academic Infractions
If a faculty member suspects that an undergraduate student has presented the work of another as his or her own, or is otherwise guilty of academic dishonesty, the faculty member shall so advise the student and the departmental chair and consult with the Dean of Undergraduate Studies about the basis for those suspicions and appropriate disciplinary action. If the faculty member and dean agree that the evidence is not adequate to support a complaint, the matter will be dropped and the student will be so notified. If they do not agree to drop the matter, the following procedures will be followed:
If the infraction is a first offense, the dean and the faculty member may agree to leave the disposition of the matter to the faculty member. The student and the Dean of Undergraduate Studies will be notified in writing and a confidential record of the event and action shall be put on file in the Office of Undergraduate Studies.
Alternatively, following consultation with the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, under any of the following circumstances the faculty member will transmit a report of the infraction to the Dean of Student Affairs or his/her designate for judicial action:
- The student pleads innocent to having committed an infraction, or pleads that the penalty is excessive.
- It is the view of the faculty member and the Dean of Undergraduate Studies that the student's first offense is of a nature and seriousness to justify such a referral.
- The records maintained by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies show the student to have been guilty of one or more previous academic infractions.
- The faculty member, after consultation with the dean, prefers such a referral to the alternative of assuming responsibility for the disposition of the matter.
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Standards of Conduct A student enrolling in the University assumes an obligation to behave in a manner compatible with the University's function as an educational institution.... The University retains the power to maintain order within the University and to exclude those who are disruptive to the educational process. Conduct which is subject to University disciplinary action includes:
- > Interference with freedom of speech or movement, or intentional disruption or obstruction of teaching, research, administration or other functions on University property.
- > Refusal to comply with the directions of University officials, instructional or administrative, acting in performance of their duties.
- > All forms of dishonesty, including cheating, plagiarism, knowingly furnishing false information to the University, forgery, and the alteration or misuse of University documents, records, or instruments of identification.
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Attendance
Students are expected to attend classes regularly. Each instructor is free to determine the extent to which absences affect the final grades of students but should make the policy regarding attendance known at the start of the course. Instructors should report excessive absences to the Office of Undergraduate Studies. Instructors who judge a student's absences from class to be excessive may drop the student from the course with a grade of F. Instructors taking such action must notify the student's dean in writing. Students unable to attend classes because of illness should notify their instructors and make the appropriate arrangements directly with the instructor. The University Health Service and the Office of Undergraduate Studies do not provide medical excuses for class absence. Information concerning the policy of the Health Service and the Office of Undergraduate Studies is available in both the Office of Undergraduate Studies and the University Health Service.
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Withdrawals
With dean's approval, a student may withdraw from a course with a grade of W through the end of the eleventh week of the semester. After that date a student is not permitted to withdraw from a course unless, in the judgment of the dean, there are extenuating circumstances justifying a grade of W. Notice of withdrawal from a course must be signed by the student's dean and taken to the registrar on the appropriate form.
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Students with Special Needs Students with documented learning disabilities, physical disabilities, chronic illness, or other documented disabilities are eligible for individualized services and arrangements through the Office of Educational Support Services. For additional information, contact Susan Sampson, Kelvin Smith Library 105, 368-5230 (TDD: 368-3059), sms17@po.cwru.edu.
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Statement of "C-Competence"
A “C” grade, the minimum for competence in English 150, means that the student has demonstrated in the course of writing seven thousand words (approximately 28 pages) that he or she can consistently produce an original paper that has, prior to revisions suggested by the instructor, the following characteristics, listed under three major criteria for evaluating compositions:
STYLE: The “C” paper is generally clear and moderately concise. Vocabulary and sentence structure are suitable for the subject matter and the intended audience.
ORGANIZATION: The “C” paper delineates a reasonably limited thesis on a subject appropriate to the assignment and develops the idea with some supporting detail, footnoted where necessary. Division into sections is logical, with fairly smooth transitions from one part to the next.
MECHANICS: The “C” paper is neat and for the most part free of errors in spelling, verb and pronoun form, agreement, sentence completion, punctuation, and capitalization. Back to the Top
Final Exams
Final examinations normally are required in all courses and must be given during the final examination period at the time assigned by the Registrar; they may not be given during the final week of classes or on Reading Days. Any exception must be approved by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. No student will be required to take more than two final examinations on a single day. A student who has three final examinations scheduled for a single day should go to the Office of Undergraduate Studies and obtain the assistance of the Dean in arranging to take one of those examinations on an alternative day during the final examination period. Similarly, a student with conflicting examinations should seek the assistance of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies in arranging to have the time of one examination changed.
Absence from a Final Examination
A student must explain immediately and in writing to the Dean an absence from a final examination. If the explanation is acceptable, the Dean will authorize the assignment of the grade Incomplete and the administration of a make-up examination by the instructor. In the event of an unexcused absence from a final examination, the instructor should assign the student a final grade that assumes a grade of zero on the final examination and is consistent with the grading policy established for the course.
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Incompletes ("I" Grade)
Assignment of the Incomplete Grade
The Incomplete grade (I) is assigned by and at the discretion of the instructor when: a) there are extenuating circumstances, explained to the instructor before the assignment of the grade, which clearly justify an extension of time beyond the requirements established for and met by other students in the class, and b) the student has been passing the course and only a small segment of the course, such as a term paper, remains to be completed. It is the student's responsibility to notify the instructor of the circumstances preventing completion of all assigned work. In the absence of notification or adequate justification the instructor has the authority to assign the student a final grade that assumes a failing grade for the missing work. An Incomplete grade should not be assigned:
- when a student has been absent for much of the semester and/or has done little of the work required for a course, or
- because a student is absent from a final examination, unless the dean has authorized the grade.
Changing the Incomplete Grade
The instructor shall submit to the Registrar a final evaluative grade to replace the Incomplete upon completion of the work outstanding by a date established for the student by the instructor. The amount of additional time allowed the student should serve to accommodate the student while being fair to other students in the course. It may be no more than a few days or weeks and, at the extreme, it should not extend past the eleventh week of the session following the one in which the Incomplete grade was received. In certain cases (such as students on probation) the dean may establish an earlier date for completion of courses with Incomplete grades. When a student fails to submit the work required for removing the Incomplete by the date established, the instructor shall transmit to the Registrar a final grade that assumes a failing performance for the missing work. In the absence of the assignment of a grade by the instructor the Registrar will convert the I to F when the deadline for making up Incomplete grades from a previous semester has passed. Back to the Top |
