New Beginnings Academic Integrity Policy

In our experience, academic misconduct (dishonesty, cheating, plagiarism, etc.) most often occurs because students are unaware of how to properly cite sources, or because students become overwhelmed and desperate. If you are concerned about how you are doing in this course, please contact your trainer instead of considering academic misconduct. You are very capable of meeting the expectations for your training.

Please ask for help in understanding and avoiding plagiarism (passing the work or words of others off as your own work or words) or other forms of academic dishonesty. Contact your trainer about your concerns or needs for flexibility, before you do something that may end your training with us.

Each student must sign and agree to the scope of practice and code of ethics, which includes honesty and integrity. We expect our doulas to be honest and act with integrity at all times, and our students are expected to do the same.

We at New Beginnings commit to values of trust, honesty, integrity, and accountability. We will not tolerate academic dishonesty. By enrolling in any course, the student accepts the New Beginnings Academic Honesty Code and affirms the following pledge:

I will not lie, cheat, fabricate, plagiarize, or use any other dishonest means to gain unfair academic advantage.

Any violation of our policies will be taken very seriously and appropriate sanctions will be applied. This may mean your trainer requires you to rewrite, cite, and resubmit multiple assignments, or it could be as serious as terminating your training with New Beginnings.

Plagiarism or other academic dishonesty will result in being required to rewrite, cite, and resubmit assignments, and possibly the premature end of your training. Please be careful to cite all outside sources and to do your own, original work. This includes websites and online searches, including AI search results. When in doubt, cite!

AI Use:

At New Beginnings, we prefer that our students NOT use AI. However, we understand how prevalent it has become and that there are people who rely on it as a tool. If you use artificial intelligence, you are expected to follow the guidelines and points below in order for your work to meet the quality of work we have always demanded in our training programs.

As technology continues to evolve, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in academic settings has become increasingly common. Therefore, it is important to establish guidelines and expectations to ensure that the use of AI such as ChatGPT is both ethical and effective.

Guidelines:

Use AI such as ChatGPT as a tool, not a substitute: The use of AI is meant to be an aid in completing assignments, not a substitute for critical thinking or original work. Students who use AI such as ChatGPT are expected to use it to supplement their own knowledge and ideas, not to provide complete answers to assignments.

Acknowledge the use of AI in EVERY assignment you use it for: If using ChatGPT or any other AI tool, students must clearly acknowledge their use of this tool. it must be cited as an outside source and you must include a paragraph that explains what you used the AI for and what prompt(s) you used to get your results. This paragraph must be written by you, not the AI!

Ensure accuracy: AI is a powerful tool, but it is not infallible. Students are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of any information or responses generated by AI. You will likely need to refine your prompt in order to obtain a good outcome. Assume numbers and facts are wrong unless you have checked with yourself through a valid source. You will be responsible for any errors or omissions. If the text is referring to something that happened in the required reading (book, online content, or otherwise), make sure it’s correct and that the information matches the material.

Avoid plagiarism: Using AI to generate content that is identical or substantially similar to another source without proper attribution constitutes plagiarism. Students must ensure that any material generated by AI is properly cited, and that any paraphrasing is done in your own words.

Follow the assignment requirements: Students who use AI must do so in a manner that is consistent with each assignment. Assignments should be completed in a way that demonstrates an understanding of the course content and learning objectives, with ChatGPT serving as a tool to aid in that process, not as the main mechanism for completing the assignment.

Edit AI generated content: AI content is often not specific enough to meet assignment requirements. Always edit the information and examples, especially when referring to course content and reading materials. Provide specific examples that are relevant to the course content and the assignment. Make sure the examples and information in the text is accurate and matches the course materials and what the assignment asks for.

Add a human touch: Your trainers want to “hear” your voice in what you turn in. We want to “feel” the human aspect in your writing. We want to clearly see that you reviewed the course content and have applied the information from it in a humanistic manner. Doulas are not artificial or robotic. Doulas provide socioemotional support along with physical support, and we need to see your ability to take the information provided and apply it in a humane manner.

Shortcomings of AI: Artificial intelligence can provide information it has access to on the internet. It cannot “feel” for you. AI cannot think critically like you can. It cannot take information and understand a person’s feelings or state of mind in a specific situation, and it cannot determine what the best response and support measures would be for that person. Doulas need to be able to take in information, assess, and consider their client’s emotions, state of mind, and possible ways to respond to them and support them in the ways they need. Similarly, AI cannot empathize or have compassion for someone, and this is a big part of a doula’s job. You need to make sure the work you turn in reflects your ability to think critically and provide empathetic and compassionate support.

As always, our academic policies still apply. Your work must be your own and you should adhere to the policies we have outlined.

Important Points:

  • ALWAYS read, watch, or listen to the course materials yourself before working on an assignment.
  • Cite AI as a source on EVERY assignment you use it for.
  • Do NOT copy/paste AI generated content into an assignment without reading it thoroughly and fixing errors.
  • ALWAYS edit for accuracy.
  • Ensure that examples and suggestions in your text are specific to the course content and the assignment. Generic or broad examples or suggestions will not be accepted.
  • Edit the text to add your “voice”. We want to see the human aspect in the material you turn in.
  • Add your own critical thinking and compassionate understanding to the text.

When in doubt, students should reach out to their trainer for clarification.

If you need your trainer’s contact information, please contact us and we will help you.