Responding to disruptive conduct in learning spaces can be challenging. To support faculty and staff, the Dean of Students Office, the Office of Student Conduct, the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost, and the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) have developed a Disruptive Conduct Response Toolkit to help address and manage disruptive behavior.

In collaboration with CELT, the ISU Faculty and Staff Academic Integrity Handbook was created to support faculty and staff in proactively and reactively addressing academic integrity within their courses. This handbook is intended to help instructors create a supportive environment that encourages responsible and honest academic work. The handbook provides tangible strategies for addressing academic integrity with students at Iowa State and how to hold students accountable when incidents of academic misconduct occur.

Academic misconduct is any action or attempted action that may result in creating an unfair academic advantage for oneself or an unfair academic advantage or disadvantage for any other member or members of the academic community. Students found responsible for academic misconduct may be subject to disciplinary sanctions, including a disciplinary reprimand, conduct probation, deferred suspension, suspension, or expulsion. 

Instances of academic misconduct ultimately affect all students and the entire university community by degrading the value of degrees when some are obtained dishonestly, and by impacting the grades of students working honestly.

Examples of Academic Misconduct

While this is not an exhaustive list of academic misconduct, common examples of academic misconduct include:

  • Obtaining or use of unauthorized information: It is a violation to obtain or use unauthorized assistance or prohibited materials and texts, tools, or study aids, unapproved use of cell phones, internet, or other electronic devices, unauthorized collaboration or copying on a test or assignment. 
    • Other examples may include working with another student on a take-home test or homework when not specifically permitted to do so by the instructor, looking at your notes or other work during an examination when not specifically permitted to do so, unauthorized sharing of questions or answers with another student or students whether in the classroom, via group chat or messages or another internet platform, or where posted by another student at an online academic warehouse (Course Hero, Chegg, Study Blue, etc.).
  • Misrepresentation, falsification or fabrication of information: It is a violation for students to misrepresent or falsify coursework. Examples of this may include purchasing or downloading for use a paper from a term paper service or online academic warehouse, working jointly on a project and then submitting it as one's own, requesting, hiring, or otherwise encouraging someone to take a course, exam, test, or complete assignments on your behalf or for another student.
    • Students may not engage in or submit falsified or fabricated course work such as falsifying research, inventing or falsely altering data, citing fictitious references, falsely recording or reporting attendance, hours, or engagement in activities such as internships, externships, field experiences, clinical activities.
    • It is additionally a violation for students to tamper with or attempt to alter grades, academic records, or an instructor’s evaluation of work by altering materials or documents, tampering with evaluation tools, or other means of interfering.
  • Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a form of misrepresentation. Students may not present the work, words, theories, data, expressed ideas, or artistry of another person or persons as their own, neither word-for-word nor paraphrasing of another person’s work.  It is a violation for students to reproduce another person's paper, work or artistry, even with modifications, and submit it as their own.  Students may not use another person's work or words (including unpublished material) without appropriate source documentation or citation.
    • It is a violation for students to submit substantially the same work to satisfy requirements for one course or academic requirement that has been submitted in satisfaction of requirements for another course or academic requirement without permission of the instructor of the course for which the work is being submitted.
  • Other academic misconduct: Students are prohibited from any action that helps another student engage in academic misconduct. 
    • Examples may include providing or selling coursework or materials to another person; unauthorized provision or discussion of exam questions or answers with students that will be taking the same or similar exam; posting coursework created by an instructor without their permission; taking an exam/completing an assignment for someone else; or otherwise seeking to acquire, selling, bribing, paying or accepting payment for unauthorized academic work or assistance that contributes to academic misconduct. 
    • Students are prohibited from the recording and/or sale or dissemination (including posting) of instructional content without the express permission of the instructor(s) or through an approved accommodation coordinated via Student Accessibility Services.

Our office has created the academic integrity tutorial, which includes a pre- and post-assessment, knowledge checks, and a final knowledge assessment that you may consider assigning in your courses. The content can be accessed through the course commons by searching Academic Integrity Tutorial: Office of Student Conduct.

Below are ways you may consider implementing this resource in your course:

  • Embed the tutorial link into your Canvas course as a resource for students.
  • Assign the tutorial and facilitate a class or virtual discussion around the content. Questions could include:
    • What does academic integrity mean in the context of your work in this course?
    • How do course expectations influence what resources, collaboration, or assistance are permitted?
    • What should a student do when they are unsure whether a resource, an AI tool, or a form of collaboration is allowed?
    • How might unauthorized assistance affect learning, skill development, and preparation for a future profession?
  • Assign the tutorial and require students to answer, download, and submit the questions found under “What is academic integrity and why is it important?”
  • Assign the tutorial and require students to complete the knowledge assessment, entering the assigning instructor’s email address. Once submitted, the instructor will receive an email confirming completion with the student’s responses. 
    • The knowledge assessment is located on the final page of the tutorial under “Conclusion, Post-Learning Assessment, & Final Knowledge Assessment.”

Academic misconduct is a violation of the behavior expected of a student in an academic setting as well as a student conduct violation. A student found responsible for academic misconduct is subject to appropriate academic penalty, to be determined by the instructor of the course, as well as sanctions under the university Student Code of Conduct. If an instructor believes that a student has behaved dishonestly in a course, the following steps are recommended:

  1. Contact the student to indicate there are concerns with the coursework; this can be done via email or another appropriate student learning platform.
  2. Provide the student an opportunity to respond and indicate whether they admit or deny responsibility. When engaging with students about suspected misconduct, faculty may wish to share relevant information that supports their suspicion, providing students an opportunity to respond before a report is filed with the Office of Student Conduct. In these situations, students may experience fear or panic, or feel embarrassed or overwhelmed, which could affect how they respond and what they share. Our website provides sample language for how you might approach a conversation with a student about concerns of academic misconduct. 
    • Where students request to meet, instructors can facilitate this as plausible (in-person or virtual), involving the relevant and appropriate instructors for the referral (e.g., teaching assistant for the course and/or supervising faculty.)
    • In cases involving multiple students, it is recommended that meetings occur individually.
    • Faculty are not required to determine whether a violation occurred before submitting a referral. The disciplinary process evaluates available information and determines whether a policy violation occurred.
  3. If they deny responsibility, do not assign a grade for the assignment or course (leave grade as N for grade processing) until the Office of Student Conduct has shared the student disciplinary conclusions.
  4. If they admit the misconduct, you may assign a grade according to your discretion and what you may have outlined in your syllabus.
  5. Refer the case and information to the Office of Student Conduct using the academic misconduct reporting form, include related materials such as exams, coursework, reports, websites, external resources, syllabi, summary of the interaction with student(s), and other relevant information, as requested.

In cases involving denial of responsibility, when an outcome is determined by the Office of Student Conduct, both the student and the instructor will be notified of the disciplinary process conclusions.

For questions regarding the process, contact the Office of Student Conduct.

The complete Student Code of Conduct policy and process pertaining to academic misconduct is available as a resource.

Faculty are encouraged to provide information in their syllabus regarding expectations related to coursework completion, academic integrity and the academic/grade consequences for students who complete their work dishonestly. CELT and the Office of Student Conduct have created sample syllabus statements and sample statements regarding the use of artificial intelligence. 

The class will follow Iowa State University’s policy on academic misconduct (Section 5.1 in the Student Code of Conduct). Students are responsible for adhering to university policy and the expectations in the course syllabus and on coursework and exams, and for following directions given by faculty, instructors, and Testing Center regulations related to coursework, assessments, and exams. 

Anyone suspected of academic misconduct will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct in the Dean of Students Office. Information about academic integrity and the value of completing academic work honestly can be found in the Iowa State University Academic Integrity Tutorial.

Promoting Academic Integrity

  • Discuss the importance of academic integrity early in the semester and connect it with ethical practices in the student’s field of study.
  • Share with students that you plan to hold students accountable for academic misconduct and the steps you are taking to address misconduct in your course.
  • Add reminders to the beginning of exams and assignments with clear instructions on what is and isn’t permissible. Common points of confusion can include working with others, group projects, and permissible resources.
    • Example: Can students utilize outside resources? If they can, consider creating a list of preferred sources and/or prohibited external resources.
    • Example: Can students work together? If so, what does effective and appropriate collaboration look like? It is important to clearly define collaboration.
  • Require students to show their work on problems/solutions and to submit any personal note sheets allowed for exams.
  • Ensure your syllabus contains a statement of academic misconduct.
  • Consider implementing an Academic Integrity Pledge for the course. Example integrity pledges can be found online.

Coursework Design Considerations

Faculty have shared the following ideas with our office to deter cheating and/or make identifying misconduct easier:

  • Use an expanded and scrambled bank of questions, particularly for multiple choice questions.
  • Use a randomization feature; this can be particularly helpful for questions involving numbers and can allow you to uniquely identify a student based on a question or set of questions.
  • For essay-based exams, consider fewer questions with longer answers and allow students to choose from a bank of questions to answer.
  • Water-mark exams and lock-down the PDF to eliminate copy and pasting; any screenshots or photos of the exam would be water marked with the student’s user ID.
  • Research shows that ongoing small assignments, including those that build over time like multiple drafts to a final paper, promote academic integrity.
  • Design assignments that require students to apply their knowledge to “real world” problems or situations; this requires original and creative thinking and gives more purpose to the assignment.
  • Consider alternative ways to assess knowledge such as projects in lieu of an exam, video-recorded reports or exams, etc. 

For more resources on teaching including course delivery, strategies, and assessment and evaluation, please visit Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT).

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and others are increasingly used by students in academic settings and continue to evolve rapidly. These tools may be permitted, restricted, or prohibited depending on the course, assignment, or instructor expectations. As a result, faculty and instructors are encouraged to clearly communicate expectations regarding AI use in their syllabi, assignment instructions, and course discussions.

The use of AI is not inherently academic misconduct. Rather, concerns arise when AI is used in a manner that violates course expectations, provides unauthorized assistance, or replaces the student's own demonstration of learning. When evaluating concerns, faculty should focus on course expectations, assignment requirements, the student's work product, and any other relevant information rather than relying on AI-detection tools alone.

CELT has developed resources that may assist faculty in developing syllabus language, discussing AI use with students, and designing assignments and assessments that align with course learning objectives. Faculty may also review the Office of Student Conduct's guidance regarding referrals involving suspected unauthorized AI use.

Promoting Academic Integrity in the Context of AI

As AI technologies continue to develop, faculty may wish to consider the following strategies:

  • Clearly communicate course and assignment expectations regarding AI use, including whether use is permitted, restricted, or prohibited.
  • Discuss appropriate and inappropriate uses of AI within the context of your discipline and course learning objectives.
  • Design assignments that require students to demonstrate their own learning, reasoning, analysis, and application of course concepts.
  • Consider incorporating drafts, reflections, process documentation, in-class work, presentations, or other opportunities for students to demonstrate how they arrived at their final product.
  • Encourage students to seek clarification when they are unsure whether a particular use of AI or another resource is permitted.
  • When concerns arise, consider discussing the student's work and process with them as part of gathering relevant information.

No single strategy will eliminate academic misconduct. However, clear expectations, thoughtful assignment design, and open communication can help students make informed decisions and better understand their responsibilities related to academic integrity.

Online study, tutoring, answer-sharing, and AI platforms may be used appropriately or inappropriately depending on course expectations and instructor authorization. Faculty are encouraged to communicate clear expectations regarding the use of these resources in their syllabi, assignments, and course discussions. Information about submitting referrals for academic misconduct can be found under the Academic Misconduct Incident Report Form page.

Relevant University Policies

Online Postings and Academic Misconduct Referrals

Faculty who discover course materials, assessments, answer keys, or solutions posted on online platforms may be able to request content removal or pursue platform-specific honor code, copyright, or academic integrity reporting processes.

Faculty who believe a student has shared, accessed, or used unauthorized materials or assistance in violation of course expectations may submit an Academic Misconduct Incident Report, and include any available supporting information. The Office of Student Conduct may follow up for clarification or additional documentation as needed.

Conduct that jeopardizes research integrity undermines the advancement of knowledge, erodes public support, wastes resources, and may jeopardize safety and health. Federal policies and regulations require, as a condition of eligibility for funding, that the university have policies to investigate research misconduct and, when found, to take corrective action. For these reasons, Iowa State University condemns research misconduct and is committed to addressing allegations and findings of such behavior.

This Research Misconduct policy incorporates definitions and procedures set forth in the Office of Science and Technology's Federal Research Misconduct Policy, as well as the Public Health Services Policies on Research Misconduct, as of 2010. When appropriate, federal policies and regulations, and interpretations of them, will be considered in making determinations under this policy.

For more information, view the full Research Misconduct page.

Iowa State University's Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources policy (AUP) provides for access to Information Technology (IT) resources and communications networks within a culture of openness, trust, and integrity. In addition, Iowa State University is committed to protecting itself and its students, faculty, and staff from unethical, illegal, or damaging actions by individuals using these systems.

For more information, visit the full Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resource page.

The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching provides resources for instructors related to Academic Integrity, assessment design, syllabus development, artificial intelligence, online instruction, and classroom management. Faculty are encouraged to explore these resources when designing courses, developing assignments, or addressing academic integrity concerns.