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ETHICAL STANDARDS & STUDENT CONDUCT Statement Plagiarism Other Forms of Academic Dishonesty Cheating Academic Misconduct False Information Theft or Damage of Intellectual Property Disturbances in the Classroom Alteration of University Documents Distribution of Lecture Notes Statement The School of Social Welfare is committed to upholding the ethical standards required of social workers in their relationships with clients, colleagues, co-workers, and members of the public. These standards apply not only in the MSW field internship (where direct contact with clients requires exemplary ethical conduct) but in classroom and other School activities. Ethical conduct requires integrity, tolerance, academic honesty, confidentiality, and a respect for privacy. The School does not tolerate violent or abusive behavior, disruption of classes or School-sponsored meetings or events, sexual harassment, racist, sexist, or homophobic comments, or academic dishonesty. Violations of the School's ethical standards will result in disciplinary action. Two areas of student conduct, therefore, are of primary importance - professional and academic. Proper professional conduct requires students to behave in a manner consistent with the ethical principles and standards of the social work profession, as formalized in the NASW Code of Ethics. Students enrolled in Berkeley's MSW program are required to demonstrate their suitability for the profession and their commitment to the profession's core values of service, social justice, honesty, and competence. Among other expectations, students must be able to maintain constructive interpersonal relations with Berkeley faculty and staff, field agency representatives, fellow students, and others; they must be able to deal with conflict and disagreement in a respectful and forthright manner; and they at all times must be able to act ethically in conformity with the law, agency and University standards, and social work values. Like all Berkeley students and faculty, MSW students are expected to show respect and courtesy to other members of the campus community. Proper academic conduct requires students to conduct themselves in a manner compatible with the University's function as an educational institution fostering individual growth, freedom of expression, a sense of community, and educational excellence. Proper academic conduct requires students to fully participate in the learning process, to carry out, to the best of their ability, their academic responsibilities, and to complete their class and field obligations fully and honestly. The Berkeley Campus Code of Student Conduct (http://uga.berkeley.edu/sas/rights.shtml) specifies standards of academic conduct in a number of areas. The basic tenets of academic honesty prohibit cheating, plagiarism, or other forms of misrepresentation.   Back to top Plagiarism The Code of Student Conduct defines plagiarism as “the use of intellectual material produced by another person without acknowledging its source.” Examples include: Wholesale copying of passages from works of others into one’s homework, essay, term paper, or dissertation without acknowledgment. Using the views, opinions, or insights of another without acknowledgment. Paraphrasing another person’s characteristic or original phraseology, metaphor, or other literary device without acknowledgment. Students and others often misunderstand what plagiarism is, and its seriousness as academic misconduct. To avoid plagiarism the following guidelines should be followed: When using a phrase, sentence, or longer passage from any source, put them in quotation marks and cite the source using conventional referencing procedures. When paraphrasing someone else’s ideas, cite the source. When relying on someone else’s ideas, even when not quoting or paraphrasing, cite the source. The consequences of plagiarism are serious, and can include expulsion. Instructors have the right to assign an “F” for any work produced by cheating without determining whether the student has a passing knowledge of the relevant factual material. That is an appropriate academic evaluation for a failure to understand or abide by the basic rules of academic study and inquiry. An instructor also has the right to assign a final grade of “F” for the course if you plagiarized a paper for a portion of the course, even if you have successfully and, presumably, honestly passed the remaining portion of the course. It must be understood that any student who knowingly aids in plagiarism or other cheating, e.g., allowing another student to copy a paper or examination question, is as guilty as the cheating student. Back to top Other Forms of Academic Dishonesty Academic dishonesty is any action or attempted action that may result in creating an unfair academic advantage for oneself or an unfair academic advantage or disadvantage for any other member or members of the academic community. Below are types of academic dishonesty with examples of each. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. Back to top Cheating. Cheating is defined as fraud, deceit, or dishonesty in an academic assignment, or using or attempting to use materials, or assisting others in using materials which are prohibited or inappropriate in the context of the academic assignment in question, such as: Copying or attempting to copy from others during an exam or on an assignment. Communicating answers with another person during an exam. Preprogramming a calculator to contain answers or other unauthorized information for exams. Using unauthorized materials, prepared answers, written notes, or concealed information during an exam. Allowing others to do an assignment or portion of an assignment for oneself, including the use of a commercial term-paper service. Submitting the same assignment for more than one course without prior approval of all the instructors involved. Collaborating on an exam or assignment with any other person without prior approval from the instructor. Taking an exam for another person or having someone take an exam for oneself. Back to top Academic Misconduct Removing, defacing, or deliberately keeping from other students library materials that are on reserve for specific courses. Back to top False Information Furnishing false information in the context of an academic assignment. Failing to identify oneself honestly in the context of an academic obligation. Fabricating or altering information or data and presenting it is legitimate. Providing false or misleading information to an instructor or any other University official. Back to top Theft or Damage of Intellectual Property Sabotaging or stealing another person’s assignment, book, paper, notes, experiment, project, electronic hardware or software. Improperly gaining access to, or electronically interfering with, the property of another person or the university via computer or other means. Obtaining a copy of an exam or assignment prior to its approved release by the instructor. Back to top Disturbances in the Classroom Interfering with the course of instruction to the detriment of other students. Disrupting classes or other academic activities in an attempt to stifle academic freedom of Failing to comply with the instructions or directives of the course instructor. Phoning in false bomb threats. Unnecessarily activating fire alarms. Back to top Alteration of University Documents Forgery of an instructor’s signature on a letter of recommendation or any other document. Submitting an altered transcript of grades to or from another institution or employer. Putting one’s name on another person’s exam or assignment. Altering a previously graded exam or assignment for purposes of a grade appeal or of gaining points in a regrading process. Back to top Distribution of Lecture Notes Selling or distributing course lecture notes, handouts, readers, or other information provided by an instructor, or using them for any commercial purpose without the express permission of the instructor. Back to top