Academic Integrity

The College shall act with consistency in dealing with issues of academic integrity and in guaranteeing students every opportunity for due process per Board Policy 4.13. Faculty, students, and the larger college community actively foster a climate promoting the highest academic standards.

Academic integrity is a commitment to the ethical principles of honesty, fairness, trust, respect, responsibility, and accountability in academic work. It involves presenting original work, properly citing sources, maintaining authenticity, and respecting intellectual contributions in learning, teaching, and research. Violations of academic integrity can have serious academic and professional consequences, while adhering to it helps build trust, fairness, and a strong ethical foundation within educational communities.

Academic Integrity Definitions

The following items, which are not all inclusive, represent unacceptable actions and violations of this academic integrity policy, regardless of instructional modality:

Cheating

A form of academic dishonesty by which an individual misrepresents their mastery of course content or clinical experience. Cheating may apply to examinations, labs, written
assignments, clinical experiences, online discussions, and any other student task or assignment.

Examples of cheating include, but are not limited to the following:

Using unauthorized materials such as a textbook, prepared notes, study aids, or an electronic device during an examination.
Accessing or using another person’s college system account, computer account, access codes, or electronic files to complete a task.
Possessing or obtaining an examination without the faculty’s authority or prior knowledge.
Submitting an assignment purchased or acquired from a commercial entity (e.g., term papers, software programs, etc.).
Preprogramming or accessing electronic devices or learning management systems without authorization.
Using materials passed down from previous students – whether solicited or unsolicited.
Utilizing software, programs, homework assistance websites, or artificial intelligence in ways not specifically authorized by the course faculty.
Copying or recording material before, during, or after an assessment or assignment for unauthorized distribution

Plagiarism

A form of dishonesty by which a person falsely represents words, ideas, phrases, sentences, code, data, or any media as their own or otherwise fails to properly acknowledge the source
of such material.

Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to the following:

Presenting quotes from another source without proper citation.
Presenting ideas, opinions, or theories from another source without proper citation.
Using facts, statistics, code, media, or other material taken from a source without citation – this includes materials provided by the faculty.
Using artificial intelligence software in any way not authorized by the faculty.

Fabrication

A form of dishonesty by which the person deliberately invents or falsifies information or research findings with the intent to deceive.

Examples of fabrication include, but are not limited to the following:

Falsifying citations by presenting sources not consulted or used.
Citing a source that does not exist.
Intentionally distorting the meaning or applicability of data.
Falsifying the bibliography or reference list by including sources not used in the project.
Inventing or falsifying data or source information in experiments, research projects, or other academic assignments.
Listing hours worked or activities performed during a clinical or service-learning experience that did not occur.
Misrepresenting one’s personal circumstances by fabricating excuses (e.g., illness, injury, accident, personal emergency) to avoid accumulating absences, to delay
submitting assignments or taking an exam, or to request an incomplete or administrative drop from the course.
Misrepresenting one’s contribution to scholarly research and/or publication.
Misrepresenting or falsifying job application materials.

Collusion

A form of dishonesty involving two or more people acting in a manner intended to misrepresent individual effort, learning, and/or contributions to course assignments.

Examples of collusion include, but are not limited to the following:

Allowing another student to copy work or complete work that is not their own.
Completing an assignment for another student or sharing completed work.
Bribing, extorting, enticing, or entrapping someone to complete work on another’s behalf.
Searching, requesting, or sharing answers/solutions with others or online.
Sharing materials and/or answers before or after an assessment without authorization.
Collaborating with another person during an exam or assignment without authorization.

Other Examples of Academic Integrity Violations

Other examples include, but are not limited to the following:

Sharing academic work, whether original or not, on the internet for the purpose of cheating, colluding, or violating academic integrity.
Encouraging another to commit an academic integrity offense.
Aiding or conspiring to commit an academic integrity offense.
Changing, altering, falsifying, or assisting in the changing, altering, or falsifying of a grade report or form, or gaining unauthorized access to a college office, building,
or computer for such purposes.
Denying access to scholarly resources or hindering a student’s progress intentionally, including but not limited to providing false or misleading
information, stealing, or defacing library materials, misplacing, or destroying reserve materials, or altering and/or destroying someone else’s documents or digital
files.

Generative Artificial Intelligence and Related Entities

Lincoln Land Community College recognizes the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and related technological entities for teaching, learning, and research.

The College supports the responsible exploration and use of all technologies to enhance student learning and development. However, the use of technology within LLCC, including AI, must align with the College’s commitment to academic integrity and ethical standards as students demonstrate satisfactory mastery of course learning outcomes.

Faculty will establish the level of authorized use and/or acceptability of AI and other such technologies at the course and assignment levels as expressed in the course syllabus and, when applicable, project or assignment guidelines.

Students who submit work, in part or whole, created by or copied from AI or similar technologies outside of what is outlined as permissible by the faculty in the course syllabus and/or assignment prompt, misrepresent the authenticity of their intellectual work and are, therefore, committing an academic integrity violation.

Academic Integrity Procedures

Alleged violations of this policy are addressed according to established college procedures. Students may review the complete procedures in Board Policy 4.13.

Appeals of Alleged Violations of the Academic Integrity Policy

Per Board Policy 4.131, any student who receives a penalty based upon an allegation of violating the policy on academic integrity, as outlined in Board Policy 4.13 and believes that no violation took place, may appeal the allegation. Every effort should be made to resolve the issue informally before pursuing a formal appeal. The appeal procedure is intended to allow the student and faculty member to present evidence surrounding the facts of the case and is not intended for reviewing the professional judgment of faculty regarding the assessment of the quality of work of their students and shall not abridge, circumvent, nor diminish academic freedom in any way.

While the appeal procedure is in process, no matter the penalty, the student shall remain enrolled in the class and allowed to attend and participate in class meetings.

Note: Sanctions established within program-specific handbooks overrule corrective actions and/or potential sanctions listed within this procedure.

If a student receives a final grade in a course with which they disagree and the final grade was not determined by a penalty imposed due to an allegation of violating the academic integrity policy, then that student has a right to pursue a grade review as outlined in the Grade Review policy (Board Policy 4.14).