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 2024 by teachers and students of the school's faculty board. The foundation is taken from the code of honour developed at Nada, the Department of Numerical Analysis and Computing Science, in 2002. The current version was developed by a working group consisting of teachers and a student representative at EECS in 2024. If students and teachers adhere to the code of honour, resources can be allocated more towards activities other than monitoring and control measures.
Code of honour
During their university education, students are expected to acquire new knowledge and skills. Examination is an essential part of education, and it is important that it is conducted in an honest and fair manner. Different forms of examination are suitable for different types of knowledge and skills. Therefore, the examination methods in a course must be adapted to the learning objectives.
Students
It is the student's responsibility to find out the rules that apply to each examination component in a course, i.e., which aids are allowed to be used and which forms of collaboration are approved. It is dishonest to use someone else's work (e.g., by copying text, figures, tables, or program code) when the student is expected to carry out the work independently. It should always be clear what each student has done themselves and what they have not done themselves. In contexts where it is appropriate to use and cite relevant sources, the student should openly disclose what is quoted and who is being quoted. In other contexts, it may be appropriate to use ready-made solutions (e.g., calculation examples or examples of program code), but even in these cases, the student should openly disclose it. It is wrong to acquire a previously completed solution for an assignment, but it is right to seek help when stuck. Such help must always be openly disclosed.
Teachers
The teacher should provide clear instructions regarding which aids and forms of collaboration are permitted during examinations. The teacher should also strive to provide assignments that do not tempt plagiarism. These tasks should be reasonably challenging and demanding in relation to the course’s intended learning outcomes and scope. The assessment of students' work should be accurate and fair. A student who honestly reports shortcomings should be met with goodwill and be informed about the regulations.
Group assignments
If students have made unequal contributions to a group project, they should openly disclose this. It is wrong to try to freeload off fellow students’ efforts, but it is right to allow the student who has done the work receive the credit for their achievement. The teacher should give all group members the opportunity to demonstrate their individual contributions.
What is examination?
All courses are assessed. There are many different forms of assessment in the school's courses, besides the traditional written exam in a classroom, such as seminars, digital exams in computer labs, laboratory work, homework assignments, essays, take-home exams, group projects, and more. Anything that contributes to assessing whether a student has passed a course or what grade they should receive is considered examination. Unproctored forms of examination rely on trust and require significant responsibility from the students. A prerequisite for unproctored examinations to serve as a means of assessing knowledge is that students complete the assignments themselves. A student who does not complete the task themselves has not demonstrated that they have acquired the expected knowledge and skills. The studies should also prepare for the professional life where high demands are placed on the employee's own expertise.
Examination rules
The code of honour aims for students to take their studies seriously and take pride in completing their assignments independently and in a serious manner to achieve good learning outcomes.
According to the regulations governing the university, disciplinary measures may be taken against students who use unauthorized aids or otherwise attempt to deceive during examinations or other forms of assessment of study performance, i.e., attempt to cheat. According to the same regulation, teachers are obligated to report well-founded suspicions of attempted deception. Such cases are decided by KTH's disciplinary board, with the president as chairman.
The purpose of the following rules is to clarify what is permitted and prohibited during examination. Violations of the rules (other than minor negligence) are considered cheating.
The rules below apply to all examinations in all courses and programmes at EECS. The course coordinator may provide additional instructions for their course. In addition to these rules, KTH's ethical policy and regulations apply.
Ethical policy for KTH
Examination rules at KTH
KTH's code of conduct for students
Rights and responsibilities at the KTH student web
Rules
Rule 1: All members of a group are responsible for the group's work
Many assignments are performed in groups of two or more students. In any work in a group, cooperation within the group is of course permitted. Every member of the group must contribute to the work. All members of the group must be able to give an individual account of the entire assignment and the entire solution, unless stated otherwise in the official course syllabus or course memo.
Rule 2: In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used
If there are parts of the solution that the student has not done themselves, the student must make the examining teacher aware of this.
In many cases it is natural to use material produced by someone else. For programming tasks, it may be natural to include ready-to-use examples found in the course literature or provided by the course coordinator. This must be clearly declared, e.g. through comments in the code. When writing reports/essays, it is natural to use various types of sources, and these must be disclosed in the form of references and a bibliography (direct quotes must be explicitly specified). Anyone utilizing an idea originating from another person or generated using AI must clearly state the source of the idea. This applies even to ideas conveyed verbally, such as during discussions with other students.
When stuck on a task, one may need to ask a teacher, assistant, peer, or AI for help with troubleshooting or tips. This is often allowed, but when the help is of fundamental importance it must be clearly reported in an appropriate manner, such as through comments in the code or in a written report. Those seeking assistance in solving their task should do so with the intention of increasing their understanding, not with the intention of quickly and easily completing the task.
Discussions among peers are encouraged, but after the discussion, each individual should create their own solution. A student who, according to the assessing teacher's assessment, has made too small a contribution to the solution themselves has not performed sufficiently to be approved in the current course component.
The student should, during oral examination, be able to account for the entire task and the entire solution (including parts not completed by the student or the group), unless otherwise specified. It is therefore important to be well-prepared during the presentation.
Rule 4: Do not copy from others’ solutions
Every student must write their own solution.
Copying of text, program code, mathematical calculations, figures, etc., from other individuals' or AI tools' solutions is not allowed, even if the material is rewritten to appear different on a superficial level but the content remains the same. In some courses, systems are used to compute the similarity between different solutions to the same task. Well-founded suspicion of plagiarism is reported to the president and may become a matter for the disciplinary board.
Rule 5: Handle attendance lists correctly
At certain course activities, such as oral project presentations, mandatory attendance is required. This may be monitored through attendance lists or by other means. It is not permitted to attempt to make it appear as if a person has attended when they have not (for example, by writing not only one's own name but also a peer's name on the attendance list).
Rule 6: Provide help in the correct manner
Helping classmates who are stuck on a task is positive and educational for both the student receiving help and the one providing it – if done in the right manner.
Discussions about the problem among students are encouraged. Explaining to someone else who has not yet understood an important aspect is valuable for your own learning.
In the same way that the person seeking help with their task should do so with the aim of increasing their understanding (rule 2), the person providing help should do so with the aim of helping the recipient understand the problem (not with the intention of enabling them to quickly and easily complete the task).
Therefore, it is not permitted to deliberately act in a way that makes it easy for other students to copy your text or program code. For example, you are not allowed to publish your program code on the Internet if the same task is to be completed by other students.
Rule 7: Handle generative AI appropriately
Do not use generative AI if it diminishes your own learning.
Generative AI tools are powerful tools that, when used correctly, can help you learn more effectively. Check the task instructions to see if and how you are allowed to use generative AI. Ask your teacher if you are unsure. Disclose that you have received assistance from generative AI. Do not rely on AI-generated material being correct.