Academic misconduct

Academic misconduct at UNLV is governed by both the Office of Student Conduct (OSC), which defines what constitutes academic misconduct and the process by which it is dealt with, as well as the individual instructor who usually, and more explicitly, suggests sanctions for violations of academic misconduct.

Please visit the Office of Student Conduct's page on academic misconduct for more information.

Academic misconduct and programming

In the context of programming courses, typical instances of academic misconduct are as follows:

• Students work side-by-side on code, turning in partially or wholly identical code
• One student gives their code to another student or students who then copies part or all of it
• A student has someone else write their code for them, either directly or indirectly (e.g. standing over their shoulder instructing them on how to write/modify their code)
• A student copies code from the textbook or the internet
• A student reuses code from a prior class

To avoid academic misconduct, here are some helpful guidelines:

• Write your code by yourself and not alongside another student
• Do not share your code with any other student
• Do not copy any code from any source whatsoever
• Do not verbally tell another student how to write code
• If you need assistance, consult resources such as an instructor, graduate assistant, lab instructor, tutor,
• If you use a reference such as the textbook or the Internet, do not copy code directly

Note: All of the information here is subject to the direction of the instructor. For instance, an instructor may explicitly tell students to work together or copy code.

Violations of the Academic Misconduct Policy

If you are aware of any violation or potential violation of the Academic Misconduct Policy involving any student, please inform your instructor.

If an instructor believes the Academic Misconduct Policy was violated, they are to follow the guidelines set forth by the OSC as follows:

• Notify the student(s) of the alleged violation
• Meet with the student(s)
• If the instructor believes academic misconduct occurred, file an Alleged Academic Misconduct Report which contains details about the alleged academic misconduct as well as a proposed sanction
  • Sanctions vary from instructor to instructor and are usually stated at the beginning of the semester and/or in the syllabus; a typical sanction might be a 0 on an assignment for the first occurrence and an F for the course on the second occurrence -- please check with your instructor for more details
  • Students can opt to accept the sanction or may request a hearing

Additional details

Suppose it is your first instance of academic misconduct and you accept responsibility and the sanction. In that case, you will receive the penalty according to the instructor and the form will be filed. Additionally, the OSC will meet with the student. Generally student is formally warned about doing it again, must attend an academic integrity seminar, and must write a letter of reflection.

If it is not the first time such a form has been filed then it depends on how many total have been filed across all courses and how recent the last one occurred. For instance, if student had a form filed when they were a freshman and then another is filed when they are a senior no additional sanctions are likely to occur. If a student had a form filed in the Fall and then again in the Spring, it's possible that the OSC may suspend the student for some time, but this is on a case-by-case basis.

In most cases the OSC does not place any sort of note on the student's transcript. Additionally, their other instructors are not typically notified. However note that the individual instructor may consult with other instructors that the student had in order to provide supplementary evidence regarding academic misconduct.

In cases where a hearing is requested, if the hearing cannot be scheduled before the end of the semester then the student may receive a final grade of I (incomplete) until the hearing can be conducted.