- Home >
- Instructors >
- Campus Partner Presentations >
- Cocky Never Cheats: Academic Integrity & the Honor Code at USC
Cocky Never Cheats: Academic Integrity & the Honor Code at USC
This presentation discusses the importance of academic integrity at USC. "Cocky Never Cheats" (CNC) specifically addresses the individual policies of the Honor Code, ways to avoid academic dishonesty (i.e. use of campus resources, building relationships with faculty members, etc), and finally how cheating impacts the USC community, as well as an individual student's reputation and value of degree. "Cocky Never Cheats" is an interactive educational program that uses "Think-Pair-Share" to provide student led feedback to the Academic Integrity quiz that is presented to the students.
The "Cocky Never Cheats" presentation supports University 101 learning outcomes:
I. Foster Academic Success
c. Recognize the purpose and value of academic integrity and describe the key themes related to the Honor Code at the University of South Carolina.
"Cocky Never Cheats" is the only Campus Partner Presentation that directly covers the University of South Carolina's Honor Code. With students coming from varied high school experiences, CNC aims to educate students on the "new" Carolina community standards for academic behavior as detailed by the Honor Code.
II. Help Students Discover and Connect with the University of South Carolina
a .Identify appropriate campus resources and opportunities that contribute to their educational experience, goals, and campus engagement
CNC details various campus resources that can assist in student success, but more importantly in helping students avoid a violation of the Honor Code. The presentation will cover specific campus resources, such as the Student Success Center and the Writing Center, and how utilizing these resources can assist students in completing their work in a manner that potentially avoids a violation of the Honor Code
b. Develop and apply skills that contribute to building positive relationships with peers, staff and faculty.
CNC puts a strong focus on communication between student and professor. In many Honor Code cases, the student failed to approach the faculty member for clarification or help, and were left with what they thought was the "only" option, which was to violate the Honor Code. CNC also encourages students to communicate the value of the Honor Code to other members of the Carolina community.
As a result of attending this presentation students will:
- Be able to articulate the philosophy of the University’s Honor Code, as well as its policies, procedures, and possible outcomes of violations
- Be able to identify and locate resources related to academic integrity
- Be able to evaluate the importance of academic integrity on the value of their USC degree
“Cocky Never Cheats” is presented by a professional staff member or a graduate student from the Office of Academic Integrity. Presenters will have a PowerPoint presentation that includes active dialogue between the presenters and participants. CNC also uses iClicker technology for its “quiz” to provide instantaneous, yet anonymous, feedback to the quiz portion of the presentation. Student participants are encouraged to talk openly about academic integrity during this session and ask questions related to what can be considered cheating, and what is permissible academic behavior at USC.
Topics covered include:
- Introduction of the University of South Carolina’s Honor Code and its policies
- Differences between the Carolinian Creed and the Honor Code
- Ways students can prevent cheating, including use of available resources on campus
- Discussion and clarification of typical “gray areas” of potential cheating, like the use of old tests, previous original work, or collaboration among students
- Honor Code Quiz: hypothetical situations are presented to students and they are asked if the particular behavior(s) violate the USC Honor Code or not. If the behaviors are violations, students are further asked for rationale behind their decision.
- Review of the process of referral to the Office of Academic Integrity and the possible sanctions a student may receive for an Honor Code violation. Special care is taken to explain that the academic penalty (like failing the class or the assignment) is completely up to the professor, but that the Office of Academic Integrity can assign sanctions as well
- Discussion on how the lack of academic honesty in college impacts a student’s education, the value of their USC degree, and how those cheating behaviors can follow them throughout their professional careers after their time at Carolina.
The Office of Academic Integrity hosts training for all of their graduate staff prior to the start of the semester. A portion of this training is dedicated to all outreach opportunities, including University 101 presentations. It is at this training that the content of the presentation is reviewed and discussed. Once the semester begins, the graduate assistants are required to observe 3-5 presentations with a professional staff member before they are able to facilitate on their own.