Academic Integrity and Honor Pledge

The honor pledge.

The University of Maryland has a student-based honor system, administered by the Student Honor Council. The Student Honor Council proposed and the University Senate approved the institution of an honor pledge. As of Spring 2002, students are asked to write by hand and sign on all exams and assignments (excepting those exempted by the instructor) the following pledge: (The intended meaning of "unauthorized assistance" is to cover all forms of cheating.)

Students who do not write and sign the pledge are asked to confer with the instructor. In this course, writing the pledge will be asked for only for exams. Nevertheless, honorable and noncheating behavior is expected in all instances and respects. For more details, read the University's code of academic integrity and the honor pledge.

Working together or cheating?

You are allowed and even encouraged to collaborate on homework. You can learn more - especially if you try the problems alone first - and you can build friendships. Where is the line drawn on cheating?

In this course, you are cheating on written homework if you copy the solution from someone else. You are not cheating if a classmate explains the solution to you, or if you learn the solution by studying your friend's paper. But, you must write the solution from your own understanding and memory.

Note: all the exam work is purely solo, and you can't do well in the course without succeeding on exams. It is thus not only cheating but a bad strategy to copy homework.

Students with disabilities.

If you have a documented disability, please see me in the beginning of the semester to inform me of your needs so that we can arrange and implement appropriate academic accomodations.