Academic Conduct Policy

Consistent with the Christian character and values of Dallas Baptist University and in order to encourage and preserve the honor and integrity of the academic community, the University expects its students to maintain high Biblical standards of personal and scholarly conduct.

Honor Code

HONOR CODE

The Integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. – Proverbs 11:3

It is the mission of Dallas Baptist University to provide students with an educational experience that will allow them to grow in every aspect of their lives. Central to the success of the student is the knowledge that God made us in His own image. This reminds us that in the vast universe that reflects God’s glory, humans are uniquely “crowned with glory and honor” (Arthur F. Holmes, The Idea of a Christian College).

Through the Honor Code at Dallas Baptist University students are to uphold the integrity of themselves, their fellow students, and God by maintaining the highest moral and ethical character in all aspects of their college career.

THE HONOR PLEDGE

As a student at Dallas Baptist University, I pledge to uphold the honor and integrity of myself, my fellow students, and my God to the highest moral and ethical standard. As I grow in my understanding of servant leadership, I promise to abide by all University policies and procedures. I will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate this behavior in others. I pledge to confront and expose any attempt to undermine the success of the academic or university community at DBU.

Faculty members are encouraged to remind students in their classes of this written statement of policies and procedures developed by the University in regard to cheating on examinations, plagiarism, collusion, and other academic-related misconduct.

All instructors or proctors shall have the right to examine materials in the student's possession during quizzes, examinations, and/or laboratory sessions.

In instances of cheating during an examination or other classroom or laboratory activity or exercise, the instructor shall have the right to suspend the student(s) who is (are) cheating from further work on the examination or exercise and to deny the student(s) credit for the examination or exercise.

Human Participants Policy

In preparation of the proposal, any research involving human participants must be in compliance with the Protection of Human Participants at DBU Manual and Protection of Human Participants Application Form. If the proposed research involves human participants, the candidate must have written approval from the Committee for Protection of Human Participants prior to contacting the research participants and before the proposal has final approval. Failure to gain approval before interacting with research participants could result in a denial of the candidate’s proposal and have possible legal ramifications for the candidate. The candidate and his or her dissertation committee chair should consult the Protection of Human Participants at DBU Manual for the formal process by which to obtain training and application approval.

Academic Misconduct includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Cheating shall be defined as copying from another student's test paper, laboratory work, other written work, or computer files and listings; using, during a test or laboratory experiment, material and/or devices not authorized by the person in charge of the test, including the sharing of calculator results or information and the unauthorized use of cellular telephones, tablets and other electronic tools to improperly access or share information; willfully cooperating with or seeking aid from another student during a test or laboratory experiment without permission; knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, or soliciting in its entirety or in part, the contents of a test or other assignment unauthorized for release; substituting for another student, or permitting another student to substitute for oneself, to take a test or other assignment or to make a presentation.

Plagiarism shall be defined as the appropriation, theft, purchase, memorization, or obtaining by any means another's work, and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of that work as one's own offered for credit. (Appropriation includes the quoting or paraphrasing of another's work, words, or ideas without appropriate citation of the source(s).)

Re-submission of assignments shall be defined as submitting any work previously submitted by the student for credit in another course. Such action is prohibited unless previously approved by the current instructor.

Collusion shall be defined as the unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing work offered for credit. A student is not guilty of collusion if he or she merely discusses with another a matter relevant to the work in question.

Abuse of resource materials shall be defined as mutilating, destroying, concealing, or stealing such materials.

Computer misuse shall be defined as unauthorized or illegal use or destruction of computer software or hardware through the DBU Information Technology Department or through any programs, terminals, or freestanding computer owned, leased, or operated by DBU or any of its academic units.

Classroom misconduct shall be defined as any conduct by a student during a class meeting which is disrespectful of another person or disrupts the progress and continuation of the class in the judgment of the instructor, regardless of the time and location for the class meeting. This includes texting, surfing the web, earbud/Bluetooth use, etc.

Possible Actions for Academic Misconduct

Any one or more of the actions listed below may be taken with regard to a student who has engaged in academic misconduct.

A. Action by the Faculty Member

Handle as a confidential matter between the student and the faculty member.
Notify the dean that an incident has occurred and has been dealt with.
Assign a grade of "F" (or a zero) for the examination or assignment.
Recommend to the dean that the student be dropped immediately from the course with a grade of "F." This grade cannot be changed by student-initiated withdrawal.
If the alleged incident occurs during a final examination, an "I" (incomplete) shall be given to the student until a decision is made.

B. Action by the Dean

Place a written incident report in the student's permanent University record.
Recommend to the Vice-President for Enrollment that the student be placed on probation at the University for a specified period of time.
Recommend to the Vice-President for Enrollment that the student be suspended from the University for a specified period of time.
Recommend to the Vice-President for Enrollment that the student be expelled from the University.

C. Action by the Vice-President for Enrollment

Place the student on probation at the University for a specified period of time.
Suspend the student from the University for a specified period of time.
Expel the student from the University.