Harvard Business School Online Honor Code

A Commitment of Honor, Honesty, and Stewardship.

The Harvard Business School Online Honor Code supplements the statement of Community Values and reflects the commitment participants make as members of the learning community to participate in, foster, and uphold the Harvard Business School Online Learning Model. By participating in a Harvard Business School Online course or program, you agree to:

Complete all work associated with the course and final exam with your own work and only your work.
Answer all course questions in your own words and with your own thinking.
Maintain only one Harvard Business School Online account and not let anyone else use your login and/or password.
Not engage in any activity that would dishonestly improve your results, or dishonestly improve or hurt the results of others.
Not reproduce problems or answers for quizzes, exams, or any other means of assessing participant performance.
Not post Harvard Business School Online materials outside your course or program (e.g., publish screenshots of or videos from course pages).
Act as a steward of the Honor Code and encourage others to do so as well.

If you engage in or have engaged in conduct that violates the Harvard Business School Online Community Values or fail to abide by the Harvard Business School Online Honor Code, you may be removed from a Harvard Business School Online course or program and be ineligible to earn a certificate.

Examples of Honor Code Violations

The following list highlights current situations and scenarios that are not permissible under the Honor Code; it is meant to be illustrative rather than comprehensive:

Plagiarizing, copying (or allowing another to copy), or in any way giving or receiving unpermitted aid on an exercise or examination. Participants should not share questions or responses with other participants, nor should they use any materials shared by past participants.
Unauthorized aid from other individuals or any widely available AI tools such as ChatGPT, Bing, Claude, Grammarly, or HBS Online’s AI Course Assistant in generating responses to course prompts, assignments, or simulations.
- Unacceptable aid from AI tools may consist of (but is not limited to):
  - Using AI tools to generate responses and submitting them as if they were your own.
  - Uploading proprietary course materials from HBS Online’s platform to an open-source AI tool in order to generate relevant responses.
- Acceptable aid from AI tools consists of:
  - Drafting a response in your own words and then using AI tools to check spelling and grammar before submitting.
  - Asking an AI chatbot a question and using the provided answer to inform your thinking as you write a response in your own words.
- All sources must be cited; see below for examples.
  - Citing AI output that you’ve gained insight from in crafting a response: “ChatGPT, response to “What is the history of the bond market?” OpenAI, February 8, 2023.”
  - Quoting material from a company website: Walt Disney Company, “Company Overview,” http://corporate.disney.go.com/ corporate/overview.html, accessed June 2011.
- Further guidance on proper citation formats can be found in the Harvard Business School Citation Guide.
Inappropriate use of notes, including:
- Distribution or sharing of notes
- Sharing or receiving notes or write-ups from past participants

Community Values

It Is Essential to Foster a Supportive Online Learning Environment.

At Harvard Business School Online, we believe it is essential for all participants to exemplify and uphold the HBS Community Values in order to foster a supportive online learning environment where individuals can have open discussion, reflect on their thinking, and learn from each other.
The mission of Harvard Business School is to educate leaders who make a difference in the world. Achieving this mission requires an environment of trust and mutual respect, free expression and inquiry, and a commitment to truth, excellence, and lifelong learning.
Students, program participants, faculty, staff, and alumni accept these principles when they join the HBS community. In doing so, they agree to abide by the following Community Values:

Respect for the rights, differences, and dignity of others
Honesty and integrity in dealing with all members of the community
Accountability for personal behavior

HBS can and should be a living model of these values. To this end, community members have a personal responsibility to integrate these values into every aspect of their experience at HBS.
Through our personal commitment to these values, we can create an environment in which all can achieve their full potential.

Discussion and Sharing Policy

Throughout the course, we will ask you to apply what you are learning to your own professional and personal situation. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity for reflection and will be candid about the questions and challenges you face. To foster a rich dialogue, some of the contributions you make on the course platform throughout the course will be shared with other participants in your cohort. Please use discretion in the type of information that you choose to share, keeping in mind any proprietary or confidential information that you may wish to keep private. In the event that you wish to reflect upon a situation that is sensitive in nature, please use your best judgment in disguising the exact details. Note that not all of the submissions are publicly shared; those that are private reflections will be marked as such.

As part of our service to company clients and sponsoring institutions, we offer them the ability to track progress of participating employees or students whom they sponsor for an HBS Online Program, with the participants’ consent. The information we share for this purpose varies depending on the particular HBS Online Program but may include, among other things, information you provide in the registration process, material you submit to us as part of the Program, and our evaluation of your participation in the Program, including scores, grades and the like. If you do not wish us to share this information, please discuss with your company or institution.
For each course, we offer takeaway documents that cover the main points from each module. You are also welcome to take your own notes throughout the course. Please do not copy, rip, download, or take screenshots of the course materials. These actions are a violation of our Terms of Use.
As a participant engaging with HBS Online course materials, you are also being provided this Annual Copyright Disclosure under the Higher Education Opportunity Act P2P. All participants in our programs receive this notice and no action is required. Please see the linked website for more information.

Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Harvard Business School Online participants are responsible for reviewing our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The Terms of Use and Privacy Policy are agreements between you and HBS Online. By using the HBS Online Site, you accept and agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Harvard Business School Online offers online courses, programs or other offerings in specific areas of study or on particular topics (each, a “Program”). Harvard Business School Online reserves the right to cancel, interrupt or reschedule any Program or modify its content as well as the point value or weight of any assignment, exam or other evaluation of progress that may be provided in connection with any Program.
You will not receive academic credit from Harvard Business School or Harvard University for taking a Program. Admission to the degree programs of Harvard Business School and Harvard University is separate from being accepted into and/or taking one or more Programs offered by HBS Online.
You agree that Harvard Business School Online, in its sole discretion, may terminate your use of any or all of the Services or your participation in any Program, for any reason or no reason, and that Harvard Business School Online shall not have any liability to you for any such action; provided, however, that if Harvard Business School Online terminates your participation in a Program other than for cause (including, without limitation, your failure to comply with any term of the Agreements), you will receive a pro-rata refund of any fees you paid in connection with the Program.
Disclaimer: We may make changes to the Agreements at any time, but will alert you that we are doing so by giving notice via the Services or by some other means. By registering for, accessing or using any Services after any changes have been made, you signify your agreement to the modified Agreements and all of the changes, which will be effective immediately unless we notify you of a later effective date. If the changes are not acceptable to you, you should discontinue use of the Services

Please refer to the HBS Online FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), or visit the HBS Online Support Portal for any questions, comments, or concerns about your Harvard Business School Online experience.

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