In Six-Year High, 27 Undergraduates Forced to Withdraw from Harvard in 2020-2021 Due to Honor Code Violations

In a six-year high, 27 students were forced to withdraw from Harvard College during the 2020-2021 academic year due to academic dishonesty, according to a report released this month.

Harvard Courses Turn to Monitored Exams, Open-Book Assessments, and Faith in Students As Classes Move Online

With the first week of online classes underway, faculty say they have faith in the College’s Honor Code to guard against the temptation of mid-exam Googling.

Honor Council Reports Drop in Academic Violation Cases

Harvard College’s Honor Council saw a drop in the number of cases it heard during the 2018-2019 academic year, posting only 64 for the year in the annual report it released last week.

Brigitte Libby Named Assistant Dean of Office of Academic Integrity and Student Conduct

Current Pforzheimer House resident dean Brigitte A. B. Libby will assume the position, which helps oversee the Honor Council, starting June 4.

Dean of Undergraduate Education Jay Harris to Step Down

​Dean of Undergraduate Education Jay M. Harris will step down at the end of the academic year after almost a decade in one of the College’s top administrative position.

Honor Council Increases Training Sessions for Teaching Fellows

The added trainings come on the heels of a broader outreach effort intended to grow the Council’s influence on campus.

Honor Council Town-Hall Meeting

Brett Flehinger, the Secretary of the Honor Council, Jack W. Jue '18, and Margery W. Tong '17 speak at a town-hall meeting on the Honor Code.

Honor Council Increases Student Outreach, Meets With Athletic Teams

The College’s Honor Council is increasing its outreach to students this semester as part of a broader push to grow the body’s influence on campus.

Brett Flehinger

Brett Flehinger, the Secretary of the Honor Council and the Associate Dean for Academic Integrity and Student Conduct, discusses the Honor Council report released Monday with Jack W. Jue '18, a voting member of the Council.

Honor Council Reports 'Inappropriate Collaboration' Cases Doubled Last Year

In its report, the Honor Council obliquely referenced CS50, writing that “one large introductory course” had skewed the data for last year.

CS50 Updates Course Policies, Asks Students To Go To Class

Students shopping one of Harvard’s most popular undergraduate courses will arrive in Sanders Theater tomorrow to a changed CS50.

Honor Council 2.0?

Two years in, some are questioning the Honor Council's role—and whether it can fulfill it.

Some Accused of Cheating in CS50 Sought Legal Counsel

One lawyer said Harvard is unlikely to face lawsuits from students accused of cheating in CS50 because the cases are “awfully hard” to prosecute.

Honor Code

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.

Quieting Previous Publicity Campaign, Honor Council Selects 11

Eleven new students have been selected to serve on the College’s Honor Council next year, at a time when the adjudicating body has deliberately decreased its public presence.

Students Sign Honor Affirmation on Final Assignments

During final exams, and on final papers and assignments, undergraduates have starting affirming their awareness of Harvard College’s first honor code, which went into effect this semester.

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.