Any material which a student submits for grading purposes is to be his or her own work. In particular, it is never appropriate to use another student's programs, not even as a general structure to which extensive editing is to be applied.
There are times when it may be permissible to discuss algorithms or methods with other students. The instructor of the course will discuss the latitude of this kind of cooperation. However, there is to be no direct use or editing of another student's written material or computer files.
A student who uses the work of another student is guilty of an infraction of this policy. A student who permits his or her work to be used by another is also guilty to an equal degree. If an instructor feels that there is convincing evidence of such a violation, the instructor is required to issue a failing grade for the course.
It is recommended that students observe certain precautions in order that their work not appear in a disputed situation. First of all, the student should never open his files to public access. Secondly, the student should never leave a terminal unattended while he or she is logged on. Finally, the student should exercise care in discarding copies of programs in the trash barrels. The safest policy is to take the old copies home for disposal. At the very least, the material to be discarded should be torn into shreds.
Any action taken with respect to an incident of cheating will be in accordance with the university policy as described in the catalog.