The Honor Code

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The Honor Code#

When in doubt about the interpretation of this honor code, you are responsible for seeking clarification. Lack of understanding is not a justification for violations.

Use of Sources and Generative Tools#

Unless an assignment explicitly prohibits it, you may use generative AI tools and other external sources. Any material in your work that is not your own original creation must be clearly attributed. Nothing is too small to attribute. Attributions must be specific and reproducible. This includes:

  • Citation or bibliographic information for texts, data, images, or ideas.

  • Links when available.

  • For generative AI outputs: tool name, complete prompt(s), and date/time of generation.

  • If your output resulted from a sequence of prompts, you must document the full prompt sequence and your reasoning for each step.

Original Contribution and Learning Goals#

  • Your submission must contain substantial, meaningful work that reflects your own thinking. Attribution does not replace personal contribution.

  • If the assignment specifies a required method, you must use that method. Do not use tools (including AI) to bypass steps that are themselves part of the learning objective (e.g., having a solver produce the reasoning you are meant to show).

  • You are responsible for verifying the correctness and validity of all work you submit. Errors in an external source or AI output are still your errors.

  • You must be able to explain and reproduce your submitted work without external tools. If you cannot do so, the work is not acceptable for submission.

Collaboration#

  • If collaboration is not permitted, any collaboration is a violation.

  • If collaboration is permitted, you must document:

    • Names of collaborators.

    • The nature of the collaboration (e.g., discussion only; shared reasoning steps; feedback on drafts).

Consequences#

Violations of this honor code may result in:

  • Reduced or failing credit on the assignment.

  • Academic integrity procedures at the course or institution level.

Appropriate and Inappropriate Uses of AI#

You may use AI for:

  1. Improving clarity and grammar in your writing (e.g., “Rewrite this paragraph to be clearer.”)

  2. Clarifying concepts and terminology (e.g., “What does steady-state error mean?”)

  3. Reviewing background math or programming skills (e.g., “How do I solve a system of linear equations in Python?”)

  4. Breaking down complex control topics into simpler steps (e.g., “Explain root locus in simple terms.”)

  5. Talking through your own solution to find gaps (e.g., “Here is my solution that didn’t work; what might I be misunderstanding?”)

You may NOT use AI for:

  1. Generating solutions or code for your assignments (e.g., do not paste the homework problem and ask the model to solve or implement it for you).

  2. Copying and pasting AI-generated content into your submission (e.g., do not take text, code, figures, or equations directly from the conversation and submit them as your own).

    • Just as you would not let a classmate write part of your assignment for you, you should not use AI tools to insert content directly into your work.