Honor Code and Academic Integrity

Faculty members have a crucial role to play in helping students understand and embrace the value of academic integrity and Middlebury’s Honor Code. 

As stated in the Handbook, faculty are strongly encouraged to discuss and include on their syllabus their expectations of academic honesty as they relate to the course and to Middlebury’s policies, and to orient students to issues of academic integrity, source attribution, and authorized resources that may be particular to their academic field and to the assignments of the class. 

Reporting Academic Misconduct

Faculty who have concerns about potential Honor Code or Academic Honesty Policy violations should report such concerns HERE. Any faculty member can also reach out to the Dean of Students to consult about any alleged academic misconduct concerns. 

Syllabus 

It is helpful to include in your syllabus specific instructions on what constitutes authorized and unauthorized aid on assignments and examinations. Issues to consider include sharing group-generated data; proof-reading by native speakers in language courses; parental collaboration; use of tutors, etc. It is additionally helpful to include in your syllabus a clear policy on late assignment submissions. The faculty committee on Academic Integrity has collated sample syllabus language from faculty peers that you can consult as you prepare your own course syllabus.

The Honor Code pledge reads as follows: “I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this assignment.” It is the responsibility of the student to write out in full, adhere to, and sign the Honor Code pledge on all examinations, research papers, and laboratory reports. Faculty members reserve the right to require the signed Honor Code pledge on other kinds of academic work.

Examinations

You should also be aware that any exams that you give must be unproctored. After passing out the exam and answering questions about it, you should leave the room. However, the Dean of the Faculty may grant an instructor permission to proctor an examination in his or her course when the instructor has communicated to the dean of the faculty that she or he has a concern that students will cheat in examinations in the course. Authorization will apply to the remainder of the semester. The faculty committee on Academic Integrity has created guidelines and recommendations for faculty who offer in-person exams, whether proctored or unproctored.

Plagiarism

We strongly advise faculty to discuss the issue of plagiarism in all classes that involve writing papers, so that students are familiar with your expectations regarding their use of secondary sources, if any, and the way in which sources are appropriately documented in your field. As noted above, you should also be clear about what level of collaboration among students, if any, is desired or acceptable in their completion of homework assignments. Please remind students that duplicate use of written work is also a violation of the Honor Code.

Middlebury Handbook

The Academic Honesty section of the Middlebury Handbook spells out the particulars of the Honor Code. The policy expressly forbids the following acts:

  • Plagiarism

  • Cheating

  • Duplicate Use of Work

  • Falsifying Data

If you have any questions about the Honor Code that your departmental colleagues cannot answer, please contact Dean of Students, Joe Russell at joer@middlebury.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Students respond positively when professors take time to discuss not only the logistics of their assignments in relation to the honor code, but broader issues of academic integrity in the context of their field and of their class. Although some professors do this at the beginning of the semester, others reinforce this theme by finding ways to integrate it throughout the class. 

It is helpful to include in your syllabus specific instructions on what kind of assistance is and is not permitted. Issues to consider include sharing group-generated data; proof-reading by native speakers in language courses; parental collaboration; use of tutors, etc. It is additionally helpful to include in your syllabus a clear policy on late assignment submissions. The faculty committee on Academic Integrity has collated sample syllabus language that illustrates various ways to incorporate the honor code and academic honesty policies into a course. 

The Digital Learning & Inquiry (DLINQ) team has also curated excellent resources and recommendations specifically related to artificial intelligence in the classroom. Take a moment to explore AI at Middlebury. 

There is no formula or guideline for making this distinction. In cases where you find yourself in this kind of gray area, it’s helpful to contact the Community Standards office. Together you can review the situation and a member of the office will be able to provide some broader institutional context for how cases like this have been handled in the past. 

Contact the Dean of Students, Joe Russell at joer@middlebury.edu or 802-443-3417. You’ll talk through your situation and determine if there is enough evidence to move forward. When moving forward, the professor notifies the student that because of concerns about a possible Honor Code violation, they have referred the case to the Dean of Students. The professor then documents their concern in an official Academic Integrity Report.

No. When students accept responsibility for violating the Honor Code at the outset, it is possible to resolve the case through the Deans Disposition option, through which the community standards officer assigns a sanction. This is done in close consultation with the professor, as sanctions usually include failure of the assignment or failure of the class, as well as a reprimand or short-term suspension of some kind.

When students contest the charges, or when there are multiple students involved, the case is generally referred to the Judicial Board, which includes students, faculty, and staff.