Double-submissions may pass

‘ ‘ ‘ Students at Pitt might be allowed to submit an old paper for another class if they have… ‘ ‘ ‘ Students at Pitt might be allowed to submit an old paper for another class if they have the gall to ask their teachers beforehand. ‘ ‘ ‘ Currently the matter of double submissions is set to be reviewed by the Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Council at one of its meetings next semester, said Juan Manfredi, associate dean for undergraduate studies and chair of the council.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The council consists of faculty representatives from various departments to make policy, grading and class selection decisions. On the council, there are six elected faculty members and five students appointed by the president of Student Government Board. ‘ ‘ ‘ If the council decides there’s a need, the academic code of the School of Arts and Sciences could be revised to specify the topic of multiple submissions. Frederick Whelan, assistant dean of undergraduate studies for Arts and Sciences, said adding a new type of offense to the code does not happen often. ‘ ‘ ‘ In the meantime, the English department authored its own policy on multiple submissions. ‘ ‘ ‘ A student may submit a paper more than once as long as he receives prior permission from the instructor. If the student is submitting the same paper simultaneously in two classes, he needs permission from both instructors. If the paper is from a previous class, he needs permission from only his current instructor, said David Bartholomae, chair of Pitt’s English department. ‘ ‘ ‘ But Manfredi believes the code already mentions the subject of multiple submissions, though it might need clarification. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We will be considering a request to clarify the policy, but I’m quite satisfied that the current policy addresses the issue,’ he said. ‘I think right now the academic integrity policy clearly indicates that one cannot submit an assignment in a way that is against the wishes of an instructor.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Manfredi made reference to two parts of the code that outline student responsibilities related to ethical work. ‘ ‘ ‘ A student violates the code if he ‘refers during an academic evaluation to materials or sources, or employs devices, not authorized by the instructor,’ or ‘practices any form of deceit in an academic evaluation proceeding.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ The issue of multiple submissions came to light this past semester when two English professors were discussing a student’s paper and discovered it was the same paper, said Bartholomae. The professors wanted to punish the student who submitted the same paper, but they could not find a policy within the School of Arts and Sciences’ academic code that prohibited more than one submission of a paper. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I think a lot of faculty members thought [multiple submissions] was [a form of] cheating and were a little surprised when they looked and it wasn’t in the code,’ said Whelan. ‘There is no policy against this. As it stands right now, it’s not cheating, unless of course the teacher makes an announcement, but most teachers wouldn’t think to make an announcement about it.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ The policy relies on students’ honesty. ‘ ‘ ‘ Bartholomae, who is also an English professor, said he expects a student who submits an old paper to extend the argument or make significant revisions to it. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘There’s a way of doing this that would be cheating, and there’s a way of doing this that would be intellectually rewarding,’ he said. ‘The question is not ‘Can you write a paper on Moby Dick?’ The question is ‘What work on Moby Dick have you done in my course under my supervision?” ‘ ‘ ‘ Bartholomae said multiple submissions cases are not common, but he still felt the department needed an established rule. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It’s not as though we found a crying need for a rule or that there was widespread double submissions,’ he said. ‘We tend to prepare assignments that are quite specific to a course, so it would be odd that a paper for one course could be used for another course.” ‘ ‘ ‘ Short story writing classes and creative writing classes are more apt to encounter multiple submissions cases, said Bartholomae.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Chuck Kinder, who teaches a senior seminar in fiction writing, said he actually asks students to submit an old work to be revised for their first assignment. But he would not allow any old pieces beyond that. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It’s important to go back and visit old work,’ said Kinder. ‘[After the first assignment] I would tell [students] they can talk to me privately [about the work], but they can’t submit it for the class.’