Integrity Institute

Sometimes plagiarism is accidental and unintentional; sometimes it isn't. The Integrity Institute at Cuyahoga Community College educates students about all forms and types of plagiarism, and provides strategies to avoid making those mistakes in the future.

The Integrity Institute is entering its second year, and we are adjusting our approach to make the experience more meaningful and effective for both students and faculty. The following changes will take effect in Fall 2026:

1. The Integrity Institute will be completely separated from the Conduct Process.
   The Integrity Institute will focus specifically on education and remediation, while the Conduct Process will remain a separate process for addressing violations of the Student Code of Conduct.
2. Students will have an opportunity to earn back some of the points they lost.
   Faculty who refer students to the Integrity Institute will offer them an opportunity to earn back a portion of the points lost on the assignment. This opportunity provides students with an incentive to successfully complete the Integrity Institute process and demonstrate that they understand the importance of academic integrity. If the faculty does not want to offer remediation, they can choose the Conduct Process instead.
3. Cases will be resolved within 10 days.
   Faculty can refer a student to the Integrity Institute knowing that the process will be completed in a timely manner. The 10-day timeline begins once the Integrity Institute receives a completed referral. During that time, we will contact the student, schedule a meeting with an Integrity Institute instructor, and provide the faculty member with a summary confirming that the student successfully completed the process.

When an instructor determines that plagiarism has occurred in their class, the instructor has the option of referring that student to the Integrity Institute. Over the course of one hour, the Integrity Institute educates students about plagiarism and equips them with helpful strategies and techniques to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

In addition to diminishing the negative results of being accused of plagiarism, attending The Integrity Institute leaves students feeling that they are better equipped to understand and avoid plagiarism in the future, turning a potentially devastating situation into a more positive one.

How the Referral Process Works

1. The faculty member completes an Integrity Institute Referral Form (on the Integrity Institute tile of my Tri-C space) and answers "yes" to the question "Is this an Integrity Institute referral?".
   
2. Dean of Academic Success Coordinators on the campus will contact the student about their options.
3. If the student opts into the Integrity Institute session, the student schedules an appointment.* During the session, the student and an Integrity Institute instructor will:
   1. Discuss and review the assignment or section of the assignment that was identified as plagiarized.
   2. Review the sections of the Student Conduct Code and/or class syllabus that address plagiarism and academic integrity.
   3. Review and discuss examples of plagiarized work similar to the student's originally submitted work.
   4. Apply the strategies and techniques learned in the Integrity Institute to the student's originally submitted work.
4. Once the student successfully completes each of the tasks above, the Integrity Institute faculty will provide a summary of the visit with the referring faculty member.
5. The faculty member will determine whether to allow the student to submit a revised assignment.

*If the student opts out of the Integrity Institute, the concern will be routed through the conduct process.