What steps can I take to avoid academic misconduct?
- Reflect on your success. You have worked long and hard to be accepted into your academic program. This achievement may have even been a lifelong goal. Keep your focus on constructive actions that will continue to help you successfully obtain your career goals while also maintaining your physical and mental well-being.
- Reach out. The college and university want you to succeed so reach out if you ever feel like you are struggling or simply want advice or support! Being overwhelmed is a common experience that we understand and for which we can provide assistance. Being overwhelmed is also a potential barrier to effective course performance and well-being if you don’t take action to make healthy, ethical choices. We encourage you to make choices that support your self-care and reflect the professional values encompassed by your discipline, college, and university.
- Use Office Hours. Don’t forget to take advantage of your instructor’s office hours. If you have a conflict with the office hours, let the instructor know at the beginning of the course. They can work with you to make other arrangements when needed.
- Remind yourself that what you learn affects those you will serve. The knowledge and skills you acquire in your program will make a difference in the lives of those you will serve in the future in public health and health care. Others will be putting their trust in you and relying on your expertise as a health professional. Therefore, you need to be as prepared as possible to take on this significant responsibility and privilege.
If you do not uphold the ideals and values of academic integrity, you not only cheat yourself but you limit the ethical soundness of your decision making. Your preparedness and ethical decision making will directly impact the health and well-being of others, whether you interact with individuals or entire communities. Acting with integrity and demonstrating high ethical standards as a student will set the foundation for your ethically-based career. We expect you to rise to the challenge!
- Be informed. UF has a document called the Orange Book that includes the Student Honor Code and defines academic misconduct. Please review the Orange Book so that you clearly understand the different types of violations. If you have questions, be sure to ask your instructor. The most recent Orange Book can be found at this link: https://sccr.dso.ufl.edu/policies/student-honor-code-student-conduct-code/
- Get organized. Don’t wait until the last minute to start tasks.
- Set up a study space with all needed supplies and materials, and estimate the amount of time required for all tasks across courses.
- Set up an academic calendar the first week of the semester that includes preparation, study, and project completion time across courses. Make sure you revisit and make adjustments to this calendar based on your experience with your courses early in the semester.
- Make sure you are clear on all deadlines, including intermediate deadlines before final products are due; add intermediate deadlines to your calendar.
- Share your calendar with a classmate to help each other remain accountable for course organization and preparation.
- Create reminders on your phone for deadlines
- Use a physical planner, record important dates and deadlines, and place the planner in a readily accessible location.
- Try not to get overwhelmed by the workload – take the semester one day and one week at a time after you have organized your courses.
- Make sure you have the accommodations you are entitled to in place as early as possible in all of your courses. If you are unsure about these accommodations, contact the Disability Resource Center. Don’t wait until your academic performance slips to discover you should have used your approved accommodations.
- Understand your work
- Make sure you understand the purpose of each course assignment. Understanding the purpose will help you determine how to approach the assignment in a meaningful way. If the purpose is unclear, ask your instructor for clarification well in advance of the assignment due date.
- Review any rubrics or grading guidelines so that you understand what you are supposed to do. If these are unclear to you, ask for clarification.
- Make sure you understand what you can and can not use while completing assignments and exams. Examples of questions you want to be sure you have the answers to are:
- Is working with other students in the course allowed on specific tasks? If yes, with whom am I permitted to work?
- If working with other students in the course is allowed, what types of collaboration are permissible?
- Can I share my work with others; if yes, what can be shared?
- Can others share material with me; if yes, what can be shared?
- Can we work on the final product together or do I need to work independently to produce the final product?
- Can anyone else proofread or edit my paper or other product (e.g., spouse, parent, classmate, etc.)?
- Can I use material from the internet?
- Can I use work by others not in the course? If yes, what specific type of work is permissible (e.g., scholarly work)?
- Can I use material I am also using or have used for another course?
- Can I access other materials when I am taking an exam? If yes, what specific materials are allowed?
- What equipment/programs can I use in completing my work (e.g., calculator, computer, software, etc.)?
- How much time is allotted for each assessment?
- Do I understand what does and does not need to be cited or quoted when using others’ work?
- Do I know how to properly paraphrase others’ work?
- Am I familiar with UF resources that are permissible and that might help me with assignment completion or help me produce higher quality work? (Please refer to the resource section)
- In general, make sure you are clear on what is and is not permissible to use.
- Reinforce what you are learning by using different types of learning strategies and modalities, when relevant (e.g., highlight what you are reading, make captions for key concepts)
- Double-check what you think you know. If allowed, study and work with others so you can challenge each other on your understanding of key course concepts. If you are given any type of study guide, discuss it together if permitted by the instructor.
- Fully engage. By attending and participating in class, you have taken critical steps to enrich your learning. Full engagement requires active participation in both individual and group activities. Don’t expect others to complete your part of a group assignment. That is not only unfair and disrespectful to others but you may lose out on an opportunity to learn something unexpected. Your point of view is not the only point of view, and group participation is an incredible time to appreciate and learn from diverse discourse.
- Remove distractions. If you are taking an online course, set up a space that allows you to concentrate on the class without distractions. If your cell phone or laptop isn’t needed for the day’s class activities, set it to Do Not Disturb/Silent and put it away unless needed for an emergency.
- Be proactive. Ensuring that you take care of yourself, have good support, and have a balanced schedule of activities goes a long way towards being academically successful. If you are not sure how to be proactive in your individual situation or just want advice on how to succeed academically, come talk with us or use the other resources we have provided.