Terms and Conditions

FWSA Student Code-of-Conduct


1. This Student Code of Conduct (“Code”) sets out the standards of conduct required from all students of FWSA as well as give students general notice of academic and non-academic prohibited conduct. Besides providing a clear framework, the policies and procedures are designed to mirror expectations from our students so that they can hold themselves in a professional environment. The Code along with the T&C is binding on students.


2. The Code of Conduct should be read broadly and is not designed to define misconduct in exhaustive terms. The Code of Conduct is an overarching policy that also includes all published policies and procedures. It holds individual students and groups of students responsible for the consequences of their actions. Failure to fulfil these responsibilities may result in the withdrawal of privileges or the imposition of sanctions including but not limited to termination from the course, ban from sitting for demo days and placements etc.

3. FWSA reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify, add, replace or delete all or any part of the Code at any time without notifying the students in advance. The Code of Conduct, along with any other document as published by FWSA shall be applicable and binding in relation to the behaviour of the Students that is in-person, written, or conducted online.

4. For Students who do not abide by the terms of this Code of Conduct (including in relation to meeting the minimum attendance requirement) or who are in breach of their responsibilities as set out in this Code of Conduct, FWSA shall have the absolute right to expel such Students from the program. In such a case, depending on how far you have completed the program, the consequences as set out in the FWSA T&C shall apply. The determination by FWSA authorities/officials that the Student is in breach of the terms of this Code of Conduct shall be final and binding on the Student.

5. At FWSA, we value an educational environment that respects the values of individual students and their personal and professional development. We strive to create and maintain an environment in which individuals are treated with dignity, decency, respect and to ensure that we provide to the students the best learning experience. FWSA prohibits unlawful discrimination against and harassment of staff, instructors, and students. All policies including but not limited to the Code of Conduct may be enforceable for incidents that happen outside of FWSA that affect the FWSA community (i.e. personal social media pages, Facebook, and/or meetups or any other events as determined by FWSA).

The following criteria will be used to determine if an incident that happens outside of FWSA networks will be considered an alleged violation of the FWSA ’s policies:

When the incident was recognized by others as being carried out by an FWSA student

When the incident adversely impacted the mental, emotional, or physical health, safety, and/or security of FWSA community members (including the students, instructors and the staff of FWSA l); and/or

When the incident adversely impacted the mission and/or values of FWSA. Examples of incidents that we would look into include, but are not limited to harassment, discrimination, bullying, and threatening behaviour.

Any other criteria solely at the discretion of FWSA to determine an alleged violation.

6. If someone brings concerning behaviour to our attention, FWSA will work to determine if there is an actual or alleged violation. Upon receipt of such a report of the actual or alleged violation, we will notify the student(s) accused, Parents (if necessary) meet with them, gather information about the incident(s), and work to prevent reoccurrence. As with any alleged violation of this Code of Conduct or FWSA’s policies, if a Student is found in breach of this Code of Conduct, FWSA will take appropriate action, both to protect students involved and to continue to foster a harmonious learning environment for everyone. When deciding the appropriate action to take, FWSA will consider the severity of the incident, additional information (such as past behavioural history), and the context we may have.
Actions taken to prevent future occurrence may be educational in nature (such as a success plan) or may include actions including but not limited to suspending a Student or terminating the engagement of the Student with FWSA. Important note: we encourage critical thought, discourse, and feedback from our students, and none of the above is to discourage criticism of FWSA itself, policies, or anything else. We value your feedback and welcome it anytime via feedback@fwsa.freshworks.com We hold our student community to high standards and expect staff, instructors, and students to engage with each other in a professional manner.

7. All students are expected to know and abide by the Code of Conduct and all published policies and procedures. In addition, we may from time to time publish announcements to Students for them to abide by - for example in the #announcements channel in Slack about topics related to the Code of Conduct.

8. Attendance, Punctuality & Leave of Absence: FWSA expects each Student to actively participate in their course by attending all lectures, lab hours, having an online presence during course hours, engaging with their instructor and collaborating with other Students.

Students must follow a five-day working schedule from Monday to Friday. Classes are scheduled from 9.00 am to 7.00 pm (Mon-Fri) and must make themselves available on a need basis on Saturdays for any special classes or mentor hours when requested.
Students must have a minimum attendance of 90% during the course duration (every month) in order to be eligible to sit for demo days and placements and strictly adhere to program timings.
If a student proposes to take a leave the Student should, prior to taking such leave, inform the FWSA a day in advance, by addressing an email to discipline@fwsa.freshworks.com
Leave of 2 (two) days or more may only be taken with the prior permission of the FWSA by addressing & getting confirmation via email to discipline@fwsa.freshworks.comb
In case of missing a significant number of classes and as a result being unable to catch up with the curriculum, the student may be asked to attend the next upcoming batch by clearing the admission process again.
The Student agrees that such admission for the next batch shall be at the sole discretion of FWSA.

9. Completion of Assignments, projects and coursework: FWSA expects students to complete each and every assignment given as part of the course within the due date specified because the concepts learned in one assignment are a building block needed for future assignments. Even if a student knows a concept, repetition solidifies the foundation of their knowledge. We encourage Students to reach for stretch goals and practice on their own. Students must have at least 90% assignment submission rates (within due dates), if the completion rates are below 90% disciplinary action will be taken i.e., granting of warning to the Student, suspension of the stipend to Student, the expulsion of the Student from the program as mentioned in FWSA T&C clause-4.

10. Integrity: FWSA expects students to maintain high standards of academic integrity. Breaches of academic integrity include, but are not limited to inappropriate collaboration, cheating, sharing solution code, plagiarism, copyright infringement, and inaccurate citations. Asking for help and researching online is a key part of learning; however, Students cannot use the code that has been written by someone else.

11. Inappropriate Collaboration - Collaboration on assignments is prohibited unless explicitly permitted by your instructor. The goal of FWSA and your experience here is to learn the material to master. While we welcome both self-reliance and peer engagement, if a Student is caught inappropriately collaborating, a member of the Curriculum team / Operation team will evaluate the situation. Based on findings, the Student may face disciplinary action, up to being suspended or rusticated from FWSA.

12. Cheating - Cheating can be a tricky subject in the world of collaboration and open source. For our purposes, we define cheating as:
Using someone else’s code and passing it off as your own (even if you understand it);
Giving your solution code to a classmate to copy from;
Copying from classmates, instructors’ solution code, unless otherwise advised. Although you can google, read articles and documentation, and review code snippets and examples for help, you should be able to put all these assistance tools aside and write code from scratch - if you cannot do this, you do not understand the concept and you need to spend more time on it.
If a student is caught cheating, a member of the curriculum team / Student Operation team will evaluate the situation. Based on findings, the Student may face disciplinary action, up to being suspended or rusticated from FWSA. Determination by the instructors or through online proctoring that the Student has cheated will be binding on the Student.

13. Sharing Code Solutions: FWSA projects and curriculum are the property of FWSA, any unauthorized sharing of project solution code within or outside of the FWSA community may result in dismissal from the program. FWSA owns all code for FWSA assigned projects, including any code written by a Student for projects outside of the core FWSA curriculum until the completion of the two-year program, and any code written during the term of the Program but published after the completion of the Program.

14. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty that includes the wrongful appropriation of another's work, thoughts, ideas, or expression. If a student is caught plagiarizing, which can include copying code from instructors, other Students, outside sources, or generally submitting work that is not their own, a member of FWSA will evaluate the situation. Based on findings, the Student may face disciplinary action, up to being withdrawn from FWSA.

Both the code receiver (copier) and code giver (enabler) will be subjected to a code of conduct under unfair means, cheating, forgery, impersonation.
Upon expulsion, we may update the GitHub, against your profile the student was asked to leave in lieu of the Code of Conduct.

15. Respect and Professionalism - FWSA is fortunate to have Students, instructors, and staff from extremely diverse backgrounds. Contribute to creating a positive experience for everyone by being respectful in communication (sarcasm translates poorly via text and online chat). Students are expected to do their part to make FWSA a welcoming place to learn by encouraging their fellow Students, offering support, and listening to others. FWSA does not tolerate
discriminatory, harassing, or insulting remarks to other students, instructors, staff, or anyone else, online or in-person; please see the Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment policy below.

FWSA is a professional environment. It is expected that Students act accordingly. Punctuality, timeliness, accountability, and open communication are crucial not only for a Student's success at FWSA but also in their careers afterwards. The professional expectations FWSA requires of its Students are the same a Student's future employers will expect of them. Professionalism should be a theme that runs through a Student's work and interactions at FWSA. This includes communication via Slack, Zoom, the content of a Student's work, and naming conventions. A good rule of thumb is: if a Student wouldn’t do or say it in front of an employer or colleagues at their job, they shouldn't do it here at FWSA. Additionally, professionalism includes protecting the intellectual property of FWSA or the company. That means Students respect copyright and ownership of others' materials and those of FWSA itself.
Violations of the Code of Conduct may result in a warning, suspension or withdrawal from the program (whole or part thereof). If a student is removed due to code of conduct violations, they cannot be readmitted to the program. If a student is suspended or rusticated from the program (whole or part thereof) for Code of Conduct related violations, applicable provisions of the FWSA T&C will be enforceable. If a student thinks there is something that is preventing them from being successful, they
should communicate with their instructor or IA’s, or reach out directly to feedback@fwsa.freshworks.com.

16. Ask for help If a student feels lost or is stuck on an assignment, it’s their responsibility to reach out to their instructor for help. Others can only provide support if Students let them know. Students may not always be given the answer, but they will be provided with the tools to come up with the answer on their own. Students should use the following order in asking for help on technical problems/challenges and coursework:

First attempt to solve the problem. Do not ask for immediate help, this will hamper your problem-solving ability.
Reach out using the program’s Slack help channel.
Reach out to the instructor for help if still not resolved.

17. Disciplinary Measures that may be imposed under the Code include but are not limited to:

Written/Email/Slack warning, reprimand, suspension, during which the Student shall be required to fulfil certain conditions & demonstrate good behaviour.
Students may be required to issue an apology letter.
A student may lose certain privileges including but not limited to removal from Slack or other such tools/ not being allowed to sit for demo day and placement services.
Depending on the severity of the breach, the Student may be expelled from the course and the applicable provisions of the FWSA T&C will be enforceable.
Violation pursuant to the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 will be applicable to and binding on the Student.

All powers relating to discipline and disciplinary action in relation to the students of FWSA shall vest with the Head of the FWSA Program. The Head of the FWSA Program may delegate all or any of his powers as he/she deems fit, to such other officers as he/she may nominate on that behalf.