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.
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
- The faculty member completes an Academic Integrity Concerns form (on the Student Concerns tile of my Tri-C space) and answers “yes” to the question “Is this an Integrity Institute referral?”.
- Student Affairs confirms eligibility and contacts the student about their options.
- 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:
- Discuss and review the assignment or section of the assignment that was identified as plagiarized.
- Review the sections of the Student Conduct Code and/or class syllabus that address plagiarism and academic integrity.
- Review and discuss examples of plagiarized work similar to the student's originally submitted work.
- Apply the strategies and techniques learned in the Integrity Institute to the student's originally submitted work.
- Once the student successfully completes each of the tasks above, the Integrity Institute will follow up with the faculty member.
- 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.