Collaboration and Academic Conduct in Introductory CSci Classes
"Can I have a copy of your program?" If you have taken another
computing class, you might have been asked this by another
student. You yourself might have been asked another student. If you
get a computer-related job you might be asked this by another
programmer. When it is OK to share computer code with others and when
is it forbidden? Knowing and following what is good professional
conduct is an important part of learning about computer programming.
Companies that employ computer programmers do not want programmers who
do not know or do not follow good ethical practices in their work:
programming misconduct can lead to serious consequences for companies,
including financial penalties, legal penalties, and loss of
reputation.
Sometimes computer professionals
collaborate, and sometimes they must work individually.
Similarly, it is important to understand that some work
in this class should be done collaboratively, and some should not.
Specifically, the labs are set up so that you should be working
with another student. Homework problems (unless explicitly
stated otherwise) and exams, however, are individual work.
It is important to understand this distinction.
In is particularly important to understand the rules about the
homework assignments since these are individual assignments.
You are welcome to discuss the problems in general, but must work out
your own solutions. Students understand this means you should not
copy another's problem solution and submit as your own.
However, some students do not understand that verbatim copying is not
the only type of misconduct. The following list, while not exhaustive,
contains some additional types of conduct to avoid:
- Obtaining another's solution, making changes so it appears
different, and turning it in as your own.
- Using a substantial part of another's code (rather than the entirety
of it) in your own solution.
- Having another person do part of the work for you, such as
debugging your code, or providing you with an outline of the solution.
- Working so closely with another person that you really solve the
problem collaboratively, even if you write your answers separately.
- Copying from the Internet or other external sources.
Additionally, it is important to realize that allowing others
to copy your work can also be misconduct. Specifically, on individual
assignments you should not work so closely with others that the work
they turn in is substantially your work, regardless of whether it matches
your answer verbatim or not. You should not give others copies of your
answers, even if, for example, they claim the will only use them "to
check their own answers." You should not be negligent with computer accounts,
file permissions, etc. so that others can copy your work even if
you do not explicitly give them permission.
In summary, we expect that you, as a CSci 1113 student
- know general university rules and norms on what is and is not
appropriate academic conduct;
- know specific class rules on what is and is not appropriate conduct;
- exercise good judgment and responsible behavior;
- avoid actions that are clearly academic misconduct;
- avoid actions that, while they may fall into the "gray area" of
what is or is not misconduct, nonetheless demonstrate poor judgment or
questionable behavior;
- ask the course instructor for clarifications when unsure if
something is permitted or not.
The last of these is particularly important. Part of good academic conduct
is asking when the rules are unclear or when you are uncertain about them.
