Honour Policy

Mathematics Classes

Taught By

Dr. Padraig McLoughlin

NOTE: Cheating is defined by a student's actions which include, but is not limited to, plagiarism, using "cheat sheets," copying another person's work, etc. It also includes discussing problems on the take home with other people, using a tutor, or working with another person on an assignment that is to be completed outside of class and is to be handed in for a grade.

When one is doing homework one may consult with any other person, may use any ancillary material, or may consult a tutor (which really doesn’t help in my mind).

When one is doing a take-home assignment that is to be graded there is a strict and non-negotiable policy that must be adhered to without exception. The student shall do his work on his own; he may discuss his work (even during the completion of the task) with only one person other than himself (that would be me); he shan’t discuss his work with others in the class (or outside the class [professors, students, etc.) until after the assignment is handed in to be evaluated. There is no place for any ‘group-work,’ there will be no joint assignments, there is no group project work, etc.

The student may use other books from the library here at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania or other libraries but that shall be done alone not in ‘teams.’ You, the individual, must discern the veracity, or lack thereof of a claim, and either prove or disprove said claim. Learning takes hard work and perseverance - - there is no substitute for disciplined, rigorous, tenacious, and patient work.

No one ever learnt material well by taking short-cuts or ‘getting just by’ and certainly if you, the individual student, wish to succeed you need to commit yourself to doing the work and learning - - hence, fulfilling your potential.

If a student's ethic system lacks the required honesty and candidness such that it includes the concept that cheating is allowable, tolerable, or can be rationalised in such a manner that the individual can deceive himself into believing that the aforementioned policy can be ignored, then I suggest most animatedly that he leave my section of the course because I will not tolerate such behaviour in my class and there seems to be a balance in the world such that those who deceive themselves oft get caught. If one has been found to cheat the minimum penalty assessed is an “F” for the semester (not the assignment but for the course). If I find that the case is egregious, then I will be forced to seek higher penalty through the college (suspension, expulsion, or the like).

What I ask of the student is no more or less than I ask of myself. So be aware that I take such matters quite seriously and shall not hesitate to act if forced to act. I am not in the business of being a ‘cheat-detective’ and am not ‘out to get’ anyone; I just expect each of you to act honourably, with integrity, and in the best tradition of Kutztown and of mankind.

It is incumbent on us as truly learned people to be unbiased when investigating a problem, fair in analysing the problem, and honest in creating a solution or in proving or disproving a claim. Hence, we cannot unfairly or unethically behave and expect our work to stand. It is inconceivable that a person could trust my analysis if I am not honest. So, one must be ethical in order to succeed. I suppose there are individuals who ‘get ahead by hook or by crook,’ but we as mathematicians should shun such persons and live in the light of truth. Remember that est facta est lux. and esse quam vidiere.