Instructor Procedures for Honor Code Violations

The Honor Code is an important part of the academic experience of Loyola University Maryland students. It is imperative that instructors and students alike embrace its goals and recognize the importance of academic honesty. The value of a Loyola degree, as perceived by potential employers and graduate programs, is affected by our commitment to academic integrity.  The goal of the Honor Code is primarily educational, not punitive.  Please help the University promote a stronger culture consistent with "Strong Truths Well Lived" by noting the following:

I.  Tests and written work

The Honor Council asks that you include the honor pledge and ask students to sign this pledge on all written work:

"I understand and will uphold the ideals of academic honesty as stated in the Honor Code."

II.  Syllabi

Please include a statement indicating your support of the Honor Code and spelling out what it entails in your particular course. You are welcome to use or modify the examples below.

Example One:

The Honor Code states that all students of the Loyola Community have been equally entrusted by their peers to conduct themselves honestly on all academic assignments and tests. Loyola students have a collective and individual responsibility for the ethical welfare of their academic community.

All outside resources or information used should be clearly acknowledged.  If there is any doubt or question regarding the use and documentation of outside sources for academic assignments, your instructor should be consulted.  Please refer to the Honor Code for more information and further clarification of the standards, types of violations, adjudication process, and sanctions that may be imposed for violations.

Example Two:

All students of the University are expected to understand the meaning of the Loyola Honor Code.  Ignorance of the Code is not a valid reason for committing an act of academic dishonesty. The following constitute violations of the Code and are defined in the Honor Code: cheating, stealing, lying, forgery, plagiarism, duplicate submission, and the failure to report a violation.

Please take the time to clarify what constitutes an Honor Code violation and the consequences or sanctions for committing such a violation in your course. The experience of the Council is that students do not always understand what constitutes a violation of the Code, especially in courses outside of their major field of study or when group projects are assigned. Providing clear expectations, both on your syllabus and verbally at the beginning or each course, will assist students in making good choices.

Please take the time to clarify what constitutes an Honor Code violation and the consequences or sanctions for committing such a violation in your course. The experience of the Council is that students do not always understand what constitutes a violation of the Code, especially in courses outside of their major field of study or when group projects are assigned. Providing clear expectations, both on your syllabus and verbally at the beginning or each course, will assist students in making good choices.   The use of Artificial Intelligence tools should be addressed.  

III. If an instructor suspects that an honor code violation has occurred:

Instructors should follow guidelines established by their department in determining whether a violation has occurred. In most cases, the instructor should speak directly with the student suspected of a violation in the process of making a determination. If the instructor believes that a violation of the Honor Code has taken place, the instructor is expected to take appropriate action with respect to academic sanctions and to report the violation to the Honor Council by using the form published on the Honor Council web site, or from the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. Both the instructor and student must sign the form, which is then sent to the office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies.  Please note that it is very important that, once an honor code violation is suspected, that the infraction is reported in a timely manner.  As a result, all violations should be submitted no later than thirty days from the time the student signs the violation report form.

Note: It is very important that all Honor Code violations be reported, even when the student admits to the violation.  This is the only way to ensure that multiple violations are identified.

IV.  Best practices for addressing honor code violation concerns with students:

1.  Notify a student in writing that you would like to discuss a concern you have about their exam, project, paper or submission.  Invite them to visit you in office hours or at an agreed upon time.  It is important to preserve confidentiality and privacy when discussing these concerns.   You also want to make sure you have enough time to have the discussion. 
2. For group projects, you may address the group as whole to further investigate a suspected violation but submit each honor code documentation through separate e-mails or physical packets.   Multiple students should not be copied on e-mails, nor should violation forms be sent in the same e-mails.   
3. Remain objective in your approach when meeting with students.  Focus on factual information and the behaviors connected to academic integrity.   Explain your rationale for submitting the violation and academic sanction and ask them for their perspective.  
4. Your syllabus guidance should guide your decision making to report a violation.  Furthermore, consistency is important across student and/or sections of a course.   We encourage departments to review expectations on a regular basis and consult with the Dean of Undergraduate Studies or the moderator of the Honor Council if they have questions or need further guidance.  
5. Present students with both of their options – to accept responsibility or deny responsibility.  Don’t coerce them to take responsibility.  Encourage them to be truthful in their response.  
6. Contact the Dean of Undergraduate Studies if a student is not responding to your request for a meeting.  To provide a timely process and resolution, we would advise notifying the Dean of Undergraduate Studies of a violation no longer than a week from first notifying the student of a suspected violation.
7. Strike a balance between empathy and upholding expectations.  All students respond to accusations of a violation in different ways.  For some, the accusation is devastating, and the process can be overwhelming.   Our goal is to initiate the process and if they are responsible, to hold them accountable for their behaviors.  At the same time, you want to preserve a path forward for the teacher-student relationship to continue – especially when the academic sanction does not result in failure for the course.  
8. Students who deny responsibility have a right to continue in the class – even when the academic sanction may be failure for the course.  Please continue to treat then as full participants in the course and grade their assignments.    
9. When your suspected violations include suspicions of the use of artificial intelligence, probe further with the student.   Do not rely on AI checkers alone to substantiate an accusation.  Ask the student to provide details of their learning process or demonstrate the steps they took that contributed to the final submission.   This discussion or inquiry can be submitted as evidence on the violation form or supporting documentation.
10. A complete honor code violation packet should include the signed violation form, the syllabus for the course, the assignment and expectations for academic integrity (if not included in the syllabus), a copy of the student’s submission (or exam) and any other supporting evidence that you used to compose the violation form.  

V.  After an honor code violation is reported:

The Honor Council holds two types of hearings for violations or alleged violations of the Code. A Full Hearing takes place when the student does not admit to the violation that is reported, or if the instructor wishes to have the Council rule on whether a violation took place. This hearing requires the attendance of the witness to the violation (usually the faculty member) and the accused student. A Sanctioning Hearing is held when the student admits to the violation. In such cases, the Honor Council engages the student in a discussion of the violation, and decides whether it will impose additional sanctions to those imposed by the faculty member.  The presence of the faculty member is not required at a Sanctioning Hearing. The faculty member involved in the violation or alleged violation will be notified of all decisions of the Honor Council. More information on the reporting and hearing processes can be found in the Honor Code booklet.

Students are not allowed to drop a course in order to avoid an academic penalty if an Honor Code violation has been submitted, or if an Honor Code violation is in the process of being submitted.  The prohibition on not dropping the course applies even if the last day to drop a course with a “W” has not passed. Students are expected to attend the class, complete all course assignments, and take all examinations until the case is resolved.  The course instructor is reminded that she or he must, per University policy, permit the student to continue to attend class, complete all course assignments, and take all examinations until the case is resolved, and may not recommend that the student drop the course as an academic sanction. If a student is found not responsible for a violation, the student is allowed to drop the course without penalty, even if the withdrawal deadline has passed, if the alleged violation occurred prior to the last day to drop a course with a “W”.

We thank you for your concern about the importance of academic honor at Loyola and we look forward to working with you to ensure an environment supportive of the motto, "Strong Truths Well Lived."