Academic Integrity Oath

Academic Integrity is valued at Northern Oklahoma College as an integral part of the learning process.  It is a measure of individual development pertinent to the goals and purposes of education.

Academic dishonesty or misconduct is not tolerated at Northern Oklahoma College.  Whether in the form of plagiarism or cheating, it is a serious matter that can result in expulsion from the institution.  Representing someone else’s ideas as one’s own or using unauthorized notes, aids, or other means to improve scores on an assignment, a project, or an exam will result in disciplinary action.

The Student Handbook further details repercussions for academic dishonesty.  It is found at the following website link:  http://northok.publishpath.com/student-handbook

While Northern instructors are expected to be fair in their grading systems and grading practices, occasionally a student may question whether or not he/she has received a proper grade in a course and may question whether there is an error in the recording, averaging, or information transfer process.  The first step is to go to the instructor personally and request that the grade be checked for error.  If there is no error in processing, the student may ask the instructor to explain how the grade was calculated and to reconsider.  The student may courteously present his/her rationale as to why he/she believes a different grade would be more fair or appropriate.  After the conference with the instructor, if a student still feels that the grade is unfair, he/she may go to the instructor’s Division Chair and present his/her views.  (Division chairs and their contact information are listed under the “Academic Divisions” link.)  The Division Chair will investigate and attempt to adjudicate the situation with an outcome satisfactory to both the student and the instructor.  If the issue cannot be satisfactorily resolved by the Division Chair, it may be referred to the Vice President for Academic Affairs (contact information listed on the main “Academic” page), who may ask the student to present his/her appeal in written form with documentation to support how the grade is inconsistent with guidelines established in the course syllabus and/or course materials.  After a review of the documentation, if the appeal is determined to have validity, the Vice President will visit with the instructor and, if needed, may call an advisory or hearing committee including professional staff and one student to consider the matter.  Upon receiving the advice and counsel of the group, the Vice President may or may not direct the Registrar to change the grade.  In either case, the Vice President will report the findings of the appeal to the student in writing.

Attendance:

Instructors may be authorized by the Office of Academic Affairs to administratively withdraw any student who does not attend a single class within the first two weeks of the semester or who does not attend at least 75% of instructional time within weeks 3-12.  Instructors may also establish a more stringent attendance policy that will preempt the minimum of 75% if it is included in the class syllabus; however, students, not instructors, are responsible for safeguarding their transcripts by dropping classes they are no longer attending or withdrawing from the college if needed.

Use of Cell Phones & Electronic Devices:

The use of cell phones, palm pilots, walkie-talkies, pagers, cameras, or other communication devices will not be permitted during in-session classes at Northern Oklahoma College.  Because of safe-campus policies and the text messaging system, cell phones may be allowed by your instructor to be set to “silent” or “vibrate” and used only for emergencies so that our emergency text alert system can be employed if needed.  (Alternately instructors may indicate that they will have a cell phone accessible for any text messaging alerts so that they can require students to have phones turned off and put away.)  In the event a student is caught using an electronic device of any nature during exams, quizzes, or other confidential circumstances, the student will receive a zero grade for that portion of the coursework.

The use of laptop computers is permissible in Northern Oklahoma College classes only upon prior approval by the specific instructor for that course.  Any use of laptop computers or any other similar learning aids that are used in a dishonest manner by the student will result in forfeiture of the privilege to use such items in class and the student will receive a zero grade for that portion of the coursework.

It will be at the discretion of NOC to determine additional consequences, which can include removal from the course and/or removal from the institution for the dishonest act or acts. (Refer to the NOC Student Handbook for additional information.)

Use of Tobacco Products:

The use of tobacco products (including, but not limited to, cigarettes, cigars, pipes, smokeless tobacco including chewing on an unlit cigar, or other tobacco products) is prohibited throughout all indoor and outdoor areas of property owned, leased, rented, maintained, or under the control of the college, including parking lots owned or under the control of the college, facilities leased by the college and in college vehicles. This policy also prohibits the use of e-cigarettes as well as herbal tobacco products, and simulated tobacco products that imitate or mimic tobacco products.

Writing Component:

Northern Oklahoma College is committed to helping students improve their writing skills. The college expects all courses to contain a writing component as part of the evaluation of student progress.  We expect students to produce written work that is focused, well developed, organized, and relatively free of grammatical, punctuation and spelling errors.

Assessment of Student Learning:

Assessment is an ongoing process aimed at understanding and improving student learning. It 

involves making the course objectives measurable and explicit.  It is our intent to systematically measure the process of student learning within each course being taught at Northern, by setting appropriate high standards for learning quality and interpreting evidence to determine how well student performance matches the course objectives and standards, then utilizing the resulting information to improve student performance.  Assessment of each student’s learning within the class will be conducted at least every two weeks or six hours of class.

The following examples are measures that will provide evidence of student learning: written and 

oral assignments and projects, unit, chapter, mid-term, and comprehensive examinations, pre- 

and post-tests, quizzes, competency based projects, observation of student behavior, internally 

and externally juried reviews, portfolios, internships, case studies, research papers, journals, 

essays, large and small group projects, one on one communications between faculty and 

students, standardized or national licensure tests, capstone projects, student satisfaction 

surveys, national standardized tests, employer surveys on the quality of program graduates, 

and others.

Identification of Student Learning Styles:

The Northern faculty believes that all students should have the opportunity to learn in an 

environment conducive to their dominant learning style.  It is our goal to provide diverse 

pedagogy within each course to address the identified learning styles for the visual, auditory, 

and kinesthetic learners.