Stanford
Teaching Commons

Academic Honesty and Stanford's Honor Code

At Stanford University, the academic honesty policy is informed by the Office of Community Standards and the Honor Code. The Honor Code articulates the university’s expectations of students and faculty in establishing and maintaining the highest standards in academic work.

Three parts of the Honor Code

The first part of the Honor Code states that students “will not give or receive aid [with regard to] any work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of grading.” (“Honor Code | Office of Community Standards” n.d.) 

The second part of the Honor Code states that instructors will “[refrain] from proctoring examinations and from taking unusual and unreasonable precautions to prevent... dishonesty” and “avoid… academic procedures that create temptations to violate the Honor Code.” (n.d.)

Finally, the third part of the Honor Code states that “students and faculty will work together to establish optimal conditions for honorable academic work.” (n.d.)

Talk with students about academic integrity

In the first part of the Honor Code, students are expected to take an active role in upholding the spirit of the Honor Code. A common concern around online learning is that students are more likely to cheat in online courses than in face-to-face ones. However, research on this issue suggests that students are no more likely to behave dishonestly in an online course than they are face-to-face (Beck 2014).

Strategies that build trust, human presence, and a sense of community, are key to establishing a class culture of integrity regardless of the modality. Remind students of their responsibility and include the Honor Code in your course syllabus or Canvas content. Communicate clear expectations to your students about what you expect and what is unacceptable.

Minimize the preconditions for dishonesty

The second part of the Honor Code precludes virtual proctoring and other enforcement approaches. Instructors are instead encouraged to focus on ways to minimize “temptations to violate” the Honor Code. There are four conditions that can tempt students to be dishonest:

  1. The stakes are high
  2. The task is based on a one-time performance
  3. The student perceives the task to be beyond their ability
  4. The consequences are perceived to impact the student’s broader goals 

One common strategy to lower the stakes and the pressure of a one-time performance is to create multiple assessments rather than one big final exam or project. Additionally, instructors might allow students to retake an exam and keep their best score, or make all their exams open-book.

Instructors can also support students’ sense of self-efficacy by regularly encouraging them to connect with various learning programs on campus, such as academic skills coaching, subject matter tutors, and writing tutors. To mitigate student concerns about the consequences of poor performance, remind students of helpful policies about taking an incomplete or withdrawal. 

Work together with students

The third part of the Honor Code explicitly states that both parties must cooperate to establish optimal conditions. Trust between students and faculty is key. Communicate with your students about the Honor Code and work with them to adjust as needed your assessments, rubrics, and grading policies over time. 

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References

Beck, Victoria. 2014. “Testing a Model to Predict Online Cheating—Much Ado about Nothing.” Active Learning in Higher Education 15 (1): 65–75. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787413514646.

“Honor Code | Office of Community Standards.” n.d. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://communitystandards.stanford.edu/policies-and-guidance/honor-code.