To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review the Walden Catalog Statement on Academic Integrity.

• Consider the specific meaning and implications of each of the values-honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility-as they relate to your development as a scholar-practitioner who effects social change and to your work at Walden and beyond.

• An explanation of what Walden's values regarding Academic Integrity mean to you as a developing scholar-practitioner. Then evaluate the impact of these values in terms of how you think they will affect the learning community as well as your work at Walden and beyond.

Academic Integrity: Walden University considers academic integrity to be essential for each student's intellectual development. As an institution fundamentally concerned with the free exchange of ideas, the university depends on the academic integrity of each of its members. In the spirit of this free exchange, students and instructors of Walden recognize the necessity and accept the responsibility for academic integrity. A student who enrolls at the university thereby agrees to respect and acknowledge the research and ideas of others in his or her work and to abide by those regulations governing work stipulated by the academic unit or academic program, and, in turn, the instructor. Student submissions will be routinely searched for offending material by an online originality check program.

The university also recognizes that, in an educational community, the pressure to succeed can often be intense. Students who feel overwhelmed by their academic and personal obligations may be tempted to take shortcuts that may compromise their honesty and integrity. To help students derive the full benefit of the educational opportunity provided by the university, this section defines a violation of academic integrity and gives examples of actions that are considered dishonest. The university encourages students who may have questions or concerns about the definition and forms of academic integrity violations described herein to contact their faculty mentor, course instructor, or academic advisor.

A violation of academic integrity is any action or attempted action that may result in creating an unfair academic advantage for the student or an unfair academic advantage or disadvantage for any other member or members of the academic community.
Student work is monitored for evidence of plagiarism, using an anti-plagiarism application, database, or service of Walden's choosing. Students will be required to submit their work to such a service in advance of course assignment deadlines. Students grant to Walden, Walden's faculty members, and Walden's faculty assistants a limited license to review work submitted for the purpose of comment, criticism, and grading of the work; to distribute the work to other Walden students for educational purposes; to submit the work to the anti-plagiarism application, database, or service of Walden's choosing; to make and retain copies of the work; to image the work for computerized grading; and to archive certain work in a publicly accessible collection.

• Plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined as use of intellectual material produced by another person without acknowledging its source. Plagiarism includes using the views, opinions, or insights of another without acknowledgment as well as misuse of your own scholarly work.

• Cheating. Cheating is defined as fraud, deceit, or dishonesty in an academic assignment.

• Providing False Information. Providing false information includes fabricating or altering information or data and presenting it as legitimate as well as providing false or misleading information to an instructor or any other university staff member.

• Copyright Violation. Walden recognizes and respects intellectual property rights and requires all members of the university community to use copyrighted materials in a lawful manner.

• Misrepresentation of Credentials. Any statements made and documents supplied by a student or applicant regarding past or current academic programs, degrees, or professional accomplishments must be complete and accurate.

• Theft or Damage of Property. Theft or damage of property includes, but is not limited to, obtaining a copy of an assignment or exam prior to its approved release by the faculty member.

• Alteration of University Documents. Examples of alteration of university documents include forging the signature of an instructor or university official on a document and submitting an altered transcript of grades.