Accepting Responsibility is a Pilot

The Bowers College of Computing and Information Science and the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education are jointly sponsoring this pilot in Spring 2024. A limited number of courses will participate in the pilot. The plan is to expand to more courses and colleges in future semesters.

Accepting Responsibility Supplements Academic Integrity

The standard Academic Integrity process remains in place and is available to all students and faculty. Accepting Responsibility is a supplemental addition that can be used if both the student and instructor opt in to it to handle small, first-time offenses. Academic Integrity remains the higher-priority process: both the student and the instructor have the right to stipulate that Academic Integrity process be used instead of the Accepting Responsibility process.

Accepting Responsibility Focuses on Educational Outcomes

When a student agrees to accept responsibility, they commit to attending a small-group workshop facilitated by a Cornell faculty member who has extensive experience with Academic Integrity. At that workshop, students examine their values, habits, and decision-making skills. They reflect on what led to their violation, and on how they can avoid future violations. They learn about themselves and about what it means to be an ethical scholar.

Accepting Responsibility Avoids Punitive Outcomes

The grade penalty imposed by an instructor can be at most a zero on the assignment (or paper, project, etc.). Overall final grade penalties, such as a mandatory F in the course, are not permitted. When students accept responsibility, the intent of the grade penalty is to acknowledge that learning was compromised on that assignment — not to further punish the student. That’s why Accepting Responsibility is usable only for small offenses.

Further, when a student accepts responsibility, the violation is recorded as a non-reportable warning. The warning will not be reported by Cornell to external entities such as future employers or educational programs. Students are given the opportunity to learn from their mistakes without having a visible violation on their record. But once a student goes through the Accepting Responsibility process, they become ineligible to repeat it in the future. That’s why Accepting Responsibility is usable only for first-time offenses.

Accepting Responsibility Minimizes Painful Procedures

Academic Integrity Primary Hearings and Appeals Board Hearings can be stressful for students and faculty alike: the outcomes are uncertain, and the stakes can be high. The Accepting Responsibility process is designed to reduce that burden and hopefully have a positive impact on mental health for everyone.