academic honesty

All syllabi should reference the role of academic honesty in your course, your field, and at the University. At a minimum, syllabi should include the following:

  • A statement that students are expected to adhere to Bryant’s policy on Academic Honesty.
  • A link to the policy: Academic Regulations and Policies
  • An explanation of your approach to handling violations of the policy. For instance, students should be informed about whether you plan to be flexible with consequences or whether every infraction will be handled with the same consequence, and what that consequence is.

Syllabus example

Below is an example of language to include in your syllabus:

Academic Honesty
The topic of permissible and impermissible actions for the work you produce and submit is called “academic honesty.” You are expected to conduct yourself in a manner that is fully consistent with Bryant’s Academic Honesty Policy (Academic Regulations and Policies). Any infraction of the Academic Honesty Policy, committed on purpose or inadvertently, will result in a penalty assessed by your instructor. Such penalties may include being given a zero on the assignment, a penalty off your final course grade, or failure of the course.

other considerations

  • Course design. Why might a student act in an academically dishonest way in your course? What can you do to remove the incentive or opportunity for such an action?
  • Education vs punishment. How have you educated students as to appropriate and inappropriate actions for your course and field? What sorts of student actions warrant punishment, and what sort of punishment is appropriate?
  • Who are your students? If you are teaching first-year or international students, you have a particular responsibility to help them understand norms and expectations in college, in the U.S., and in your field. A purely punitive response to incidents of academic misconduct is not appropriate for this population. Find ways to scaffold student work so potential violations of the policy can be identified and addressed before they become actionable.
To further discuss how to handle and incentivize academic honesty in your course, please contact the CTE by emailing cte@bryant.edu.

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