Code of honour for students and teachers

This code of honour, which is applied in all courses and programmes at the EECS School, consists of a general text with justifications and explanations as well as a number of rules with clarifying examples. A PDF version of our Code of honour can be found at the bottom of this page.

Background

It is in the interest of both teachers and students to maintain an atmosphere of transparency that is characterised by mutual trust and confidence. Both teachers and students contribute to the quest for knowledge in a positive academic spirit. The education is intended to instil a professional work approach, including for instance professional integrity, understanding and acceptance of responsibility. Professional integrity means that all work carried out in your name is just that. If any project includes contributions from other parties, such contributions are acknowledged. Understanding means that, as far as possible, you understand why a solution (to a written assignment or a professional task) is a good solution. Accepting responsibility means that it is your responsibility to ensure that your solution has the qualities that are to be expected.

The following code of honour was adopted in May 2018 by teachers and students of the school's first and second-cycle education council. The basic concept is taken from the Stanford University code of honour that has existed for some considerable time. The purpose is to uphold a common concept of honour. If students and teachers adhere to this code of honour, greater resources can be channelled to other purposes than supervisory and control measures.

Code of honour

The evaluation of knowledge and skills is a valuable element of education. The teacher shall always aim to keep this in mind when setting laboratory assignments, home assignments, etc., as well as traditional written examinations.

Students

Each student shall honestly declare the work that he/she has done him/herself and what he/she has not done him/herself. It is dishonest to copy texts or program code. In certain circumstances, however, it can be appropriate to quote relevant sources. The student shall then clearly indicate what is quoted and the name(s) of the author(s). At other times it can be appropriate to use a complete programme example, e.g. from the course literature. Any student doing this must openly declare it. It is wrong to acquire a previously completed solution for an assignment, but it is permissible to use some help when in difficulties. Such help must always be openly acknowledged.

Teachers

Teachers shall endeavour to set assignments that do not readily tempt students to copy. Assignments ought to be of reasonable difficulty in relation to the intended learning outcomes of the course, and assessment of the students' work shall be correspondingly accurate.

Group assignments

If students have contributed in varying degrees during group assignments, this shall be openly acknowledged. It is wrong to attempt to take advantage of other lab colleague(s), but it is justifiable to allow a more gifted or more ambitious student to receive due acknowledgement for his/her efforts. The role of the teacher is to permit all group members to demonstrate their individual efforts. Frankly declared errors ought to be met with good will.

What is examination?

All courses are assessed. There are many different examination formats in the school's courses, from the traditional written examination in an examination hall to so-called alternative examinations in the form of labs, assignments, academic papers, take-home examinations, etc. Everything contributes to the assessment of whether a student has passed a course or which grade he/she should have in an examination. Alternative examination formats are based on trust and confidence and require the acceptance of a high level of responsibility on the part of the students. A prerequisite for the alternative examination to work as an assessment of knowledge is that the students perform the assignments themselves. The student who has not performed the assignment him/herself has not acquired the intended knowledge and skills. Furthermore, the studies should not only provide knowledge, but also prepare for professional life, where high demands are placed on the employee's own know-how.

Examination rules

The aim of the code of honour is that the students should take a serious approach to their studies and consider it a matter of honour to perform their assignments independently and earnestly in order to achieve s good learning outcome.

The Swedish regulations governing universities and colleges of higher education stipulate that disciplinary measures may be taken against students using prohibited aids or in any other way attempting deception at an examination or at any other time when study performance is assessed, i.e. attempts at cheating. In accordance with the same regulations, teachers are obligated to report well founded suspicions of cheating. Such matters are dealt with by KTH's disciplinary board, of which the President is chairman.

The purpose of the rules below is to clarify what is permitted and what is forbidden in an assessment. Any breach of these rules (other than pure carelessness) is regarded as cheating.

The rules below apply to all examinations in all courses and programmes at the EECS School. Course management can provide complementary directives for individual courses. In addition to the rules stated below, KTH's ethical policy and rules apply.

Ethical policy for KTH

KTH's code of conduct for students