Upholding Academic Integrity: Core Values at UCF

The University of Central Florida (UCF) places a strong emphasis on academic integrity, recognizing it as fundamental to its educational mission. This article delves into the core values that underpin academic conduct at UCF, providing a comprehensive understanding of the expectations for students, faculty, and staff. By fostering a culture of integrity, UCF aims to ensure that all academic pursuits are conducted with honesty, respect, and a commitment to excellence.

Introduction: The Foundation of Academic Excellence

UCF's commitment to academic integrity is reflected in its creed, which serves as a guiding principle for the university community. The UCF Creed embodies the values of integrity, scholarship, community, creativity, and excellence. These values are not merely aspirational; they are the cornerstones upon which academic success and personal growth are built.

The UCF Creed: A Shared Value System

Following a year of thorough research and brainstorming spearheaded by a task force appointed by President John C. Hitt, the UCF Creed was officially introduced to approximately 1,500 students and their families during the New Student Convocation in August 2001. This marked a significant step in establishing a unified value system for the entire UCF community.

The adoption of the UCF Creed was driven by the desire to instill a shared understanding of ethical conduct among students, faculty, and staff. It emphasizes the importance of honesty, integrity, and respect in all academic and professional interactions.

Core Values of Academic Conduct at UCF

The core values of academic conduct at UCF are:

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Integrity: Integrity is the first tenet of the UCF Creed, emphasizing the importance of practicing and defending academic and personal honesty. It forms the bedrock of all scholarly activities and requires individuals to be truthful, fair, and ethical in their actions.
Scholarship: The second tenet of the UCF Creed, scholarship, reflects a commitment to cherish and honor learning as a fundamental purpose of membership in the UCF community. It involves dedication to intellectual pursuits, a thirst for knowledge, and a commitment to academic excellence.
Community: The value of community underscores the importance of collaboration, respect, and inclusivity within the academic environment. It encourages students, faculty, and staff to work together to create a supportive and enriching learning environment.
Creativity: Creativity is recognized as a vital component of academic inquiry, encouraging students and faculty to think critically, explore new ideas, and push the boundaries of knowledge.
Excellence: The pursuit of excellence is a driving force behind academic endeavors at UCF. It involves striving for the highest standards of performance, continuous improvement, and a commitment to quality in all aspects of academic life.

Understanding Academic Misconduct

Academic misconduct encompasses a range of behaviors that violate the principles of academic integrity. These include, but are not limited to:

Plagiarism: Presenting another's ideas, arguments, words, or images as your own without proper attribution. This includes using direct quotes without quotation marks and/or source attribution.
Cheating: Using unauthorized materials, giving or accepting unauthorized assistance on assignments or tests.
Unauthorized Collaboration: Working with others on assignments that are intended to be completed individually.
Submitting Work from Other Courses: Submitting an assignment that you completed for another course without the instructor's permission.
Distributing Course Materials: Distributing course materials to a third party without the instructor's authorization.
Buying or Selling Assignments: Engaging in the unethical practice of buying or selling assignments.

Preventing Plagiarism: Tools and Resources

UCF provides students with resources to help them avoid plagiarism and maintain academic integrity. One such tool is Turnitin.com, an automated system that compares student assignments with a vast database of web sites and student papers.

Students are expected to submit assignments through the Canvas Assignment Tool in electronic format. After the assignment is processed, the instructor receives a report from Turnitin.com that indicates whether and how another author's work was used in the assignment.

Consequences of Academic Misconduct

Engaging in academic misconduct can have serious consequences, including:

A failing grade on the assignment
A failing grade in the course
Suspension from the university
Expulsion from the university

Faculty members may also have automatic policies or reactions for violations of academic integrity, such as an automatic zero for the assignment or a re-do opportunity with a set penalty.

Creating a Culture of Integrity: The Role of Faculty

Faculty members play a crucial role in fostering a culture of academic integrity at UCF. They can do so by:

Clearly communicating expectations for academic conduct in their syllabi.
Designing assignments and tests that have educational value and promote original scholarly efforts.
Utilizing tools such as Turnitin.com to detect plagiarism.
Addressing instances of academic misconduct promptly and fairly.
Serving as role models for ethical behavior.

A clear syllabus can help both instructors and students avoid unwelcome surprises and share a clear understanding of expectations. Core syllabus statements that apply to all classes at UCF are contained in Simple Syllabus.

An ethics statement in the syllabus outlines the guidelines by which the class will be run, discussing plagiarism, cheating, honor, and expectations of students regarding these aspects.

Student Resources for Academic Success

UCF offers a variety of resources to support students' academic success and help them maintain academic integrity. These include:

The Student Academic Resource Center (SARC): SARC provides free resources and services to help undergraduate students earn higher grades and graduate on time. These resources include peer academic consultations, workshops, and SI leaders assigned to specific course sections.
The University Writing Center (UWC): The UWC provides tutoring services at every stage of the writing process, helping students understand assignments, research, draft, revise, incorporate sources, and learn to proofread and edit.
The Math Lab: Provides assistance with mathematics courses.
UCF Libraries: Offer access to a wealth of resources, including digital textbooks and research databases.

Utilizing Technology Ethically

In today's digital age, it is essential to use technology ethically and responsibly. UCF encourages students to use online services and software applications in a manner that aligns with the university's values of academic integrity.

Students should be aware that distributing course materials to third parties without the instructor's authorization is a violation of the University's Rules of Conduct. They should also be cautious of third parties offering to sell course notes, as these materials may contain errors that could affect their performance or grade.

Online Course Expectations

The completion of graded work in an online course should be considered a formal process, requiring the same level of integrity as in a traditional classroom setting. Students are expected to remain on the testing screen for the duration of each quiz, test, or exam.

UCF utilizes online test monitoring systems such as Monitor, which uses a webcam to monitor test-taking activity during online testing. Videos are only accessible to the instructor and are stored in a secure environment.

Communication and Respect

All communication between students and instructors, as well as among students, should be respectful and professional. This includes online communication, where it is important to maintain a courteous and considerate tone.

The Role of the Center for Distributed Learning (CDL)

The Center for Distributed Learning (CDL) serves as the central agent for online learning at UCF, providing leadership in distance learning policies, strategies, and practices. The CDL offers a range of services to support faculty in designing, enhancing, and delivering online courses, including instructional design, personalized learning, and technical support.

Addressing Challenges and Seeking Support

UCF recognizes that students may experience challenges during their academic journey, including struggles with academics, finances, or personal well-being. UCF has a multitude of resources available to all students through UCFCares.com, providing free services and information for a variety of student concerns, including alcohol use, bias incidents, mental health concerns, and financial challenges.

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