Mechanical Engineering Academic Honesty Policy

Mechanical Engineering (ME) faculty, and the entire field of engineering, take academic honesty very seriously. Consequently, what follows is the ME Academic Honesty Policy involving any ME related activities. The ME Academic Honesty Policy addresses, among other things, cheating, copying, complicity, unauthorized discussions, plagiarism, software solutions, abuse of academic materials, falsifying grades, etc. This Academic Policy applies while working on, among other things, homework, quizzes, exams, projects, labs, co-curricular activities, etc.

While team work is encouraged in many cases, team work is not allowed in all cases. Faculty will attempt to clearly define the boundaries of team work of assigned tasks, but it is the student’s responsibility to seek guidance from the instructor as needed. Note that even in cases where team effort is encouraged, these teams specifically refer to fellow students registered for and currently participating in that particular class. Consulting outside resources such as other engineering students (in or not in that particular course), faculty, degreed or practicing engineers, or websites, chats, or phone calls with live/smart responses is expressly prohibited. It is strongly recommended that students assume all assigned tasks are to be completed individually unless clearly stated otherwise.

If a violation of the ME Honesty Policy has occurred, the faculty member for the course:

  1. Documents the violation(s) via photocopies, pictures, electronic logs etc.
  2. Decides on the recommended action including changes in the task grade and/or course grade, and student discipline implications.
  3. May convene a meeting with other ME faculty members to review both the violation and possible actions.
  4. Completes the Notification of Violation Form (See Reference 2 below) which includes informing the student of the violation. ME faculty will also inform the student of the associated discipline via email within seven (7) business days during the academic year.
  5. Takes associated action including:
    1. a. For every violation, email the academic advisor for documentation in the student’s academic file.
    2. For every violation, will enter a score of ‘0’ for the task. Students not passing a course due to violation of the ME Honesty Policy will face consequences dependent upon the specific situation:
      1. For situations in which the violation becomes known prior to the beginning of any courses requiring the failed course as prerequisite, students will be required to drop from such courses until the failed course is successfully repeated.
      2. Students must successfully repeat any courses failed for violation of the ME Honesty Policy before being allowed to enroll or complete Senior Design. If the grade change occurs mid-semester, the student is required to drop their Senior Design course.
      3. For situations in which the violation becomes known during a semester of any courses requiring the failed course as a prerequisite, students will be allowed to continue in their current courses but must successfully repeat the failed course.
      4. For situations in which the violation becomes known after a subsequent course is successfully completed which requires the failed course as a prerequisite, students will be allowed to continue in their courses but must repeat the failed course prior to graduation.
    3. For a second violation in the same or different course, a course grade of ‘F’ will be issued and the course cannot be dropped. Also, for the second ME Honesty Policy violation, the student will be permanently removed from the ME program.
    4. At the faculty member’s discretion: submit notation of violation to Navigator, and/or initiate other official university processes or policies regarding violations of academic integrity, and/or take other associated actions as deemed necessary.

Review St. Cloud State University's policy on academic integrity