Honor Code
Residential | Online
Residential Honor Code
Our Honor Code rests upon the entirety of Scripture, but it finds its roots particularly in the 8th and 9th commandments (Exodus 20:15-16), as those commandments are applied in the Westminster Larger Catechism, Questions 140-145.
Two specific expressions of our Honor Code are pledges on all examinations, papers, and projects at the Seminary to affirm that you have done your own work and acted in accordance with the guidelines of the assignment. These statements should be written out and signed before you turn in your work.
On your exams and tests, you should affirm that:
I pledge my honor that I have neither given nor received any assistance—verbal, written, or electronic—on this examination beyond that specifically permitted by the instructor in charge.
On your written assignments, you should also affirm that:
I understand and have not violated the Seminary’s position on plagiarism.
For further details regarding infractions of the Honor Code, please see the Student Handbook.
For more information on plagiarism, please refer to our webpage.
Students should also note that unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material, including unauthorized peer-to-peer file sharing, can subject you to civil and criminal liabilities. Westminster does not tolerate this behavior and can take disciplinary action against students who disobey these rules, as well as students who engage in illegal downloading or unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials using the school’s information technology system.
For more information, please refer to the website of the US Copyright Office.
Online Honor Code
The Honor Code is designed to establish a set of honorable standards for engaging in the online community. This set of standards is based on the residential community Honor Code, adapted for our online community.
All members of the online community are responsible to maintain all aspects of the Honor Code, both individually and as they interact with one another. Students are asked to acknowledge and pledge their commitment to the Honor Code during orientation, prior to the beginning of any coursework. By affirming the Honor Code, students are committing to the policies and procedures for the duration of their life as a student. Westminster reserves the right to dismiss any student for misconduct or offense against this code. Please review the grievance process or read below for the dismissal policy.
Commitment to integrity in course completion
The Westminster online community will operate honestly and with integrity, both in its dealings with one another and with coursework. Students are expected to complete all coursework on their own, in their own voice and with their own research. Students, by signing the Honor Code, are agreeing that any assignment is completed in line with the Seminary’s position on plagiarism and does not include any information that has been taken or copied from another resource. To plagiarize is to represent another person’s academic work as your own. If you need further clarification on plagiarism in the Westminster community, please review this explanation. By signing this, the student is agreeing to completing all coursework with integrity.
Westminster seeks to develop students in academics and character in a deeper love and understanding in the Lord. This code is designed to inspire and anchor students to the ways in which we can, as a community, support this development.
Students are held to ethical and moral behavior standards. Ethical behavior is based on the principles of scripture, dealing honestly in all things. As students interact with one another and in their communities, they are representing the seminary.
We expect students to affirm and respect the differences displayed across students, staff, and faculty in all communication and collaboration. Bias, prejudice, and disrespect have no place in our learning community.
We expect students to pause, listen, learn to ask great questions, promote others' perspectives, practice challenging our own conclusions, and promote dialogue rather than monologue in all mediums.
We expect students to maintain the highest integrity with sensitive or confidential information in every platform of the program. We have intentionally designed all tools with security in mind, but students must do their part in guarding information.
Students and those in the online community are held to all values as outlined here and in the Online Community Values statement.
Online Violations and Remediation
Westminster holds the right to dismiss any student from its online courses or program for any violation of The Honor Code and or Values statement. This right protects the goal and purpose of the seminary to encourage academic growth and character development of its students. Our dismissal policy seeks to remedy any infraction with respect, humility, stewardship, and a commitment to one another.
Violation Scale
We recognize that violations are considered on a scale between Insensitive [a violation in which the student acted unintentionally and without care which resulted in a violation] to Severe [a violation intentionally committed, with purpose to act unethically and immorally].
This scale will be used to assess the plan for remediation and/or consequence.
Violation Consequences
Consequences for any violation will take into account the scale of the initial infraction, the result of the investigation, and the number of violations committed by the student during their time as a student. The violation review team will determine and outline the remediation plan with determined consequences. The violation review team has the right to determine the consequence according to the scale of the violation and student in review.
- The first violation of the Honor Code will be categorized as either serious (willful and intentional and/or large in scope) or non-serious (unintentional and careless and/or small in scope).
- A non-serious first violation will result in failure of the assignment or test in question and possibly failure of the course.
- A serious first violation will result in failure of the course and suspension from the seminary for one semester. A second violation of any sort will result in failure of the course and either suspension for one year or expulsion.
Violation Investigation and Remediation Process
The Online Learning Team, along with key members of the WTS administration will complete the following steps when a violation is identified.
- Violation reporting
- Any member of the online community can make a report of unethical or unbecoming behavior of students.
- Community members should report in kindness by contacting support@online.wts.edu, which will be submitted to the Associate Dean of Students.
- Violation discussion
- The Dean of Students will discuss the report with the student directly. The student has the right to provide context for the violation and seek additional counsel, if desired.
- The Dean of Students will discuss the report with any other witnesses. The witness has the right to provide context of the violation and seek additional counsel.
- The Dean of Students has the right to investigate as needed in line with the Honor Code and Values statement.
- Violation assessment
- The Dean of Students will review the details of the report with any or all of the following: The Online Learning Team, Dean of Students, Academic Dean, the student’s Advisor, and/or a member of the senior administration.
- The assessment will discuss and determine the consequence of the violation, seeking to care for the student and the wider WTS community.
- Violation consequence
- The Dean of Students will outline the consequence with the student once determined.
- The student has the right to appeal the decision within 72 business hours.
Grievance Policy
The Student Success Team should be regarded as the umbrella for addressing all complaints.
For information regarding the process of filing a grievance or to file a grievance, please email support@online.wts.edu. Read here for more information on the grievance policy.