Academic Integrity
With CS50 Cheating Cases, FAS Dean Taking Hands-Off Approach
FAS Dean Michael D. Smith said he was reluctant “to get involved too deeply” in the Computer Science department, where he still teaches.
As CS50 Expanded, Course Materials Became More Publicly Available
Some CS50 staffers said the course’s recent expansion and online availability of answer keys likely contributed to high levels of academic dishonesty.
For Some in CS50, Collaboration Policy Was Too Vague
Former students and course staff said course policy was unclear about what constituted cheating, creating the potential for unintentional violations.
Sophomores, Sciences Saw Most Honor Council Cases Last Year
The vast majority of 115 academic dishonesty cases the College’s Honor Council heard last academic year occurred in courses offered in the Sciences Division or the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, according to the adjudicating body’s first-ever annual report.
Professors Ask Computers to Catch Cheating
Professors are more widely employing algorithms, from decades-old codes to ones created by instructors, as an automated means to detect plagiarism in student assignments.
Honor Council Takes to Dining Halls To Expand Outreach
Undergraduate members of the student-faculty body tasked with implementing the College’s first honor code are reaching out to their classmates in dining halls and lecture halls about the goals and philosophy of the young committee.
Honor Code Could Prompt Talk of Students’ Roles in Discipline
Administrators acknowledge that a question that logically follows the honor code’s introduction is whether Harvard will move to expand students’ role in disciplinary procedures later on.
At Honor Code Panel, Students and Faculty Talk Communication
“The vast majority of faculty really do care, and the vast majority of students care. Yet I think a good portion of the time, we miss each other in unintentional ways,” said Brett Flehinger, the Honor Council’s secretary.
To Curtail Cheating, Study Suggests Randomly Assigned Seats
A study co-authored by Steven D. Levitt suggests that assigning students randomly to seats during exams significantly reduces instances of cheating.
Honor Council Members Adjust Schedules as Hearings Begin
Undergraduate members of the Honor Council—the student-faculty body tasked with enforcing the honor code—are adjusting their schedules as the Council hears its first slate of academic integrity cases.
College Stalls Plans for Ad Board Database Meant To Increase Transparency
The Administrative Board has repeatedly pushed the database’s target release date back, amid concerns that the summaries could compromise the privacy of individual students.
Faculty Approve Theater Concentration, Affirmation of Integrity
Faculty of Arts and Sciences members voted unanimously in favor of legislation requiring students at the College to make an affirmation of integrity, and for the establishment of a new Theater, Dance, and Media concentration.
Faculty To Vote on Elimination of Pre-Term Planning
The College will no longer conduct pre-term planning if members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences vote in favor of proposed changes to the student handbook at their monthly meeting Tuesday.
Honor Council Begins Training Undergraduate Members
As the College readies for a fall rollout of its first honor code, undergraduates on the student-faculty body that will hear cases of academic integrity have begun their training.
Honor Council Selects Student Membership
Twelve undergraduates will sit on the Honor Council, which will hear cases of alleged academic integrity violations, and 14 will serve as “academic integrity fellows” and will provide advising to students accused of breaching the honor code.
Faculty Hear Proposals on Theater Concentration, Honor Code Affirmation
Under the honor code legislation, students would be required to affirm their awareness of the honor code each time they register for the semester and would be unable to register should they not make that affirmation.
Honor Code Affirmation Legislation Details Frequency
In addition to these requirements, faculty members would be “encouraged to ask students to affirm their awareness of the Honor Code on assignments when appropriate” when the honor code goes into effect in the fall of 2015.
New Office To House Ad Board and Honor Council
The Office of Academic Integrity and Student Conduct will replace the College’s Office of the Secretary of the Ad Board in July, according to an email sent to undergraduates Friday from Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana.
Ad Board Statistics Show Decline in Withdrawals
The Ad Board required five undergraduates to temporarily withdraw from the College in the 2013-2014 academic year in disciplinary cases related to sexual “social behavior.”
College Readies Honor Council Procedures, Membership
The Honor Council, the composition of which will be announced this spring, is scheduled to begin hearing academic integrity cases next fall at the same time as the College's first honor code is implemented.
University Did Not Defame Former Law Student, Judge Rules
Former Law School student Megon Walker had sued Harvard in response to disciplinary actions levied against her after the school’s Administrative Board concluded that she had committed plagiarism in 2009.
Video: Top 10 Stories That Shaped 2014
2014 was a year of change and controversy as Harvard affiliates reacted to events on campus and across the nation. In this feature, Crimson Multimedia uses photo and video to recap the 10 biggest stories of 2014.
Ten Stories that Shaped 2014
2014 saw a lot of change and controversy as members of the Harvard community reacted to events on campus and across the nation. In this feature, the Crimson will recap the 10 stories that shaped 2014 with an eye towards the new year.