Academic Integrity Policy
About this document: This document reflects the current operation of Code Consulting Studio and its website. CCS actively develops its services and technology, so this information may be updated when our functionality, providers, business arrangements or applicable legal requirements change.
Purpose of this policy
CCS mentoring is intended to support genuine learning, understanding and independent skill development. This policy explains the boundary between legitimate educational support and work that must remain the learner's own responsibility.
What mentoring is
Mentoring can explain concepts, demonstrate techniques, discuss possible approaches, review work created by the learner and help identify errors or areas for improvement. The aim is to help you understand how to solve problems independently.
Examples of support we can provide
- Explaining programming, software engineering, DevOps and related technical concepts
- Working through practice examples that are not being submitted as assessed work
- Helping you understand errors and debug your own code
- Reviewing learner-created work and providing feedback
- Discussing alternative approaches and design decisions
- Helping you understand assignment requirements without completing the assessed task for you
- Preparing for interviews, technical discussions or non-assessed practice
- Discussing responsible use of AI and other development tools
What mentoring is not
- Writing or completing an assessed assignment, dissertation, examination or coursework on a learner's behalf
- Producing work intended to be submitted as if it were created independently by the learner
- Completing a live examination, test or other controlled assessment
- Impersonating a learner in an academic system, assessment or communication
- Submitting academic work on another person's behalf
- Helping conceal plagiarism, contract cheating or another breach of academic integrity rules
- Helping bypass controls where the purpose is to misrepresent the authorship or originality of assessed work
Academic integrity and the law
CCS does not provide commercial contract-cheating services. In England, legislation prohibits certain commercial services that complete or arrange completion of relevant academic work for post-16 students where the statutory conditions are met. Our mentoring model is designed around teaching, explanation, review and skills development rather than producing assessed work for submission.
AI tools and assessed work
AI tools can be useful for learning, development and experimentation, but educational institutions set their own rules about when and how they may be used in assessed work. We will not help a learner use AI to disguise prohibited assistance, fabricate authorship or circumvent an institution's academic integrity requirements.
Where your institution has specific rules for AI use, those rules take priority for your assessed work. If you are unsure, we may help you interpret the technical or learning implications, but responsibility for complying with your institution's rules remains with you.
Learners under 18
Where a learner is under 18, CCS may require a parent or guardian to be involved in the enquiry and communication process before mentoring is arranged. Sessions should be organised in a way that is appropriate to the learner's age and circumstances, with safeguarding and privacy in mind.
Your responsibility
You remain responsible for ensuring that work submitted to a school, college, university, certification provider or other assessment body complies with its rules. Receiving mentoring from CCS does not replace your responsibility to follow those requirements and accurately represent your own contribution.
If a request crosses the boundary
If a request appears to involve prohibited academic assistance, we may refuse that part of the request. Where possible, we will redirect the session toward legitimate learning - for example by explaining the underlying concept, creating a separate practice example or reviewing work you have already produced yourself.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as mentoring services develop or when relevant educational practices, institutional expectations or legal requirements change.
Questions
If you are unsure whether the type of support you need is appropriate, contact CCS before a session or explain the situation in your mentoring enquiry.