If you have a question about academic integrity, go to integrity.psu.edu.

There you can find information for students, including links to:

• Academic integrity policies
• Resources, including resources about using artificial intelligence
• Guidance on responding to an academic integrity claim  
• Academic integrity information in different languages 

At Penn State, educators are required to submit an academic integrity form when they believe a student has violated academic integrity policies. Almost always, this form is online. On the form, the instructor will explain why they are submitting the academic integrity claim and what they propose as an outcome for the violation.

When an instructor submits the form, the student will receive an email notification that includes directions about how to respond. Students are given about a week to respond. If they contest (challenge) the allegations of wrongdoing or the outcome proposed by their instructor, they get an opportunity to explain why. Determinations of responsibility and consequences are determined by a neutral committee made up of faculty members and students. Remember that Penn State email is the official communication channel for Penn State business, so be sure to check that regularly.

After the academic integrity process ends, claims go on to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response for record keeping. This office will also respond by providing information, assigning an educational intervention, or by assigning a Conduct Outcome, which may include Conduct Probation, Suspension, or Expulsion.

As you can see, if a student does not agree with their instructor about the violation or the proposed outcome, it is important for them to contest (challenge). 

To determine consequences for an academic integrity violation, academic integrity committees determine if a violation is minor, moderate, or major.

• Minor violation: If an undergraduate student’s first violation is very small and clearly unintentional, the committee may require the student to redo the work for a reduced grade.
• Moderate violation: For somewhat more serious violations, the committee may determine that the student will receive a 0% on the academic work and add a reduction in the course grade.
• Major violations: When a student violates on a high-stakes assignment or exam, the committee may determine that the student fails the course and may assign a transcript notation.

Loss of opportunities

Undergraduate students who violate academic integrity policies:

• Lose the opportunity to qualify for the Dean's list for that semester
• Lose the opportunity to apply the University’s grade forgiveness policy to the course
• May lose the opportunity to convert the course to a pass/fail format 

Additional consequences for repeat offenses

• Students who violate more than one in the same class increase the likelihood of receiving a transcript notation.  
• Students who violate in more than one major course increase the likelihood that they will be removed from that major.  

The Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response (OSACR)

After the academic integrity process ends, all academic integrity violations go to OSACR for record-keeping. OSACR may assign an additional outcome. This outcome could be educational, but could also include Conduct Probation, Suspension, or Expulsion.

You can find information about the privacy, retention, and disclosure of conduct records at Understanding Conduct Records. 

This concludes the Academic Integrity training content. Use the Orientation link in the main menu to take a moment to go back and review the information before taking the assessment.  

When you feel ready, you may begin the assessment.

• You will need to earn a score of 80% or higher to receive a completion certificate for this training. Keep this for your records.
• If you have not achieved the required score, you may return to the training to review the material and then try the assessment again.