Cornell University will expand a program for minor, first-time academic integrity violations to all in-person courses on its Ithaca campus and at Cornell Tech this fall.
The Accepting Responsibility program allows eligible students to complete a workshop and accept a reduced assignment penalty instead of going through a formal primary hearing.
The program is intended for cases such as cheating on part of an assignment or using artificial intelligence in a way that violates a course policy. Major violations, including plagiarizing a paper or cheating on a final exam, will still result in a primary hearing.
About 360 students from 100 courses participated during a pilot that began in spring 2024, according to Cornell. Four participants later had a second violation.
More than half of the pilot cases involved AI, program director Liz Karns said. Workshop facilitators help students examine the choices that led to a violation and develop strategies for handling academic pressure and AI tools differently.
Cornell's Faculty Senate updated the Code of Academic Integrity to include the program effective Aug. 24.
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