Human Resources: Faculty Handbook

Highline Community College does not approve of cheating by students. But students’ rights are strongly protected by Student Services. Students should not be publicly embarrassed or falsely accused. Instructors need to confront cheating carefully to preserve the dignity of the accused student(s) so far as is possible. Instructors also need to identify and preserve the evidence if they are going to accuse a student of cheating. This may involve, for example, a quiet and firm collection of “cheat notes” during a test, along with the test. The student(s) should be instructed quietly to see you during your office hours. You should also contact your coordinator, or if unavailable, your division chair, for advice on how to proceed before you hold the discussion with the student in your office. There are legal issues involved that you need to be aware of ahead of time.

After all of the above, however, you are expected to prevent and stop cheating. You simply need to make sure the dignity of the student is protected, you have incontrovertible evidence, and you preserve the evidence. The above statement applies to test notes, plagiarism, or whatever you are alleging.

Past experience has shown that sometimes the evidence is still needed one or two years after the incident. If you have a case of cheating or plagiarism, please leave the evidence with a written description of the events and the consequences on file with the division chair. You should also keep a copy for your records.

One note of caution: Some students do not know what plagiarism is, so do add the topic in your course syllabi and take a minute to explain the concept to them at the beginning of the quarter.

Please see the Students Rights and Responsibilities web page.

Department of Human Resources | Highline Community College
2400 S. 240th Street | P.O. Box 98000, M.S. 99-200
Des Moines, WA 98198-9800
Phone: (206) 878-3710, ext. 3812 | Jobline: (206) 870-3751
Fax: (206) 870-3773 | TTY: (206) 870-4853