A Letter to My Students Concerning Academic Integrity

Dear Students:

I believe that the most important responsibility of each member of the Episcopal High School community is to conduct oneself with integrity in all areas of his or her life. As a student in my history class, I will demand that you adhere absolutely to the EHS Honor Code in all of our interactions inside and outside the classroom.

Before explaining in detail what my expectations are for you, I want to share with you some general thoughts on why I know academic integrity is so important. Many people argue that a little cheating in school never hurts anyone. Nothing could be further from the truth. First, it undervalues the hard work that all the other students who acted honestly did. Next, it is disrespectful and hurtful to me, the instructor, who puts considerable time and effort into designing activities that challenge you as a student. Finally, it endangers you the student. If your performance on something is based on dishonesty, I cannot accurately evaluate your progress in the course, and will be unable to help you fulfill your true potential. This is to say nothing of the fact that, as person of faith working at a religious institution, I believe lying to be a danger to your very soul. In addition, many might argue that cheating on a minor assignment is not a big deal, because they would never be dishonest in significant matters. However, this reasoning is fallacious. If you take the easy way out in the small things in life, how hard will it be to make the ethical decision in major moments, where doing the right thing might involve a significant loss of money, public embarrassment, or worse? The simple truth is that cheating in the small things makes it that much easier to compromise one’s integrity in more important areas of life.

To be fair, you must understand that I hold myself to the same high standards of integrity that I demand from you. You have the right to a well-prepared lesson that will improve your understanding of history and academic skills. You have the right to receive assignments that are a worthwhile use of your time in order to prepare you for class lessons and strengthen your abilities as a student. You have the right to receive challenging but fair assessments that are evaluated in a reasonable manner that are clearly explained to you. If you feel that I have been remiss in any of my obligations to you, you have the responsibility to meet with me and express your concerns. Be aware, however, that there is a clear difference between a mature and respectful airing of grievances and insolent whining that I will refuse to tolerate.

You will always have my respect if you give your best effort in the course and conduct yourself with integrity, no matter what the results. I will be extremely disappointed if you fail in one of these areas. However, forgiveness will always be available after an appropriate apology. I expect that you will extend me the same courtesy.

Sincerely,

Mr. Lerch

Academic Integrity: A Closer Look

The EHS Honor Code pledge reads as follows:

“As a member of the Episcopal High School Community, I pledge that I will not lie, cheat or steal, and that I will uphold the values of honesty and integrity.”

In order to fully understand these responsibilities, let’s review some examples and scenes in the classroom setting to better understand our obligations.

Legal Disclaimer: The enumeration of specific examples of honor code violations and acceptable collaborations is no way intended to be a comprehensive list. The following samples are merely the most common in the academic setting, and students should be aware that many other activities could be considered violations of academic integrity. In all cases, students should use their best judgment and consult the teacher if they have any questions.

Examples of Honor Code Violations in the Classroom Setting / Examples of Acceptable Activities
1)  Copying homework or test answers from another student, or submitting someone else’s work as your own
2)  E-mailing answers or completed work to another student for their use on an assignment
3)  Discussing test questions with students from an earlier/later class
4)  Copying or paraphrasing material for a source without providing citation / 1)  Completing individual work individually, or following teacher instructions for group work
2)  Helping peers understand the directions for a given assignment, or discussing confusing problems
3)  Reviewing in groups before test or seeing teacher in tutorial
4)  Properly acknowledging all sources used in consultation with assignment

Directions: Read the following scenes. Has an Honor Code Violation occurred? If so, why is it a violation? What could these students have done differently in these cases to maintain their academic integrity?

Scene 1: Amy and Annie are sitting in the freshmen hall before first period. Amy asks Annie, “What answer did you get for #5 on the algebra homework last night?” Annie tells her the answer, and Amy writes it down and fills in some work later.

Scene 2: Johnny, Joey and Jimmy are lab partners in chemistry. For a lab report, there are three analysis questions to answer in the final report. They decide to share the work, having each answer one question, and later e-mail the answers to each other.

Scene 3: Dean is working on a history report. After reading a great paragraph on the Nigerian government, he writes a similar paragraph in his essay, but changes a few of the words to some synonyms and moves around a few minor phrases.