Student Policy

Student Code of Conduct

Academy of Applied Technology LLC d/b/a Applied Technology Academy · Florida CIE License No. 7734

01 Purpose and scope

This Code sets the standards of conduct every student agrees to as a condition of enrollment at Academy of Applied Technology LLC d/b/a Applied Technology Academy (ATA). It exists to protect free inquiry, honest assessment, and the security of the systems and skills we teach.

The Code applies to every ATA student in every delivery format: in-person classrooms, live virtual classes, self-paced courses, labs, cyber range environments, certification exams, and ATA communication channels such as email, chat, and learning platforms. It applies from enrollment through course completion, and to conduct outside class that directly affects ATA students, staff, systems, or exams.

Students enrolled through an employer or government agency remain subject to that organization's own rules as well; where both apply, the stricter rule governs.

02 Free inquiry and expression

Students may question instructors, challenge conclusions, and argue technical and policy positions on their merits. Cybersecurity depends on adversarial and critical thinking, and ATA expects students to test every assumption, including ours.

ATA applies this Code without regard to the viewpoint of the student involved. No student will be disciplined for the content of a lawful opinion. Discipline addresses conduct — harassment, threats, disruption, dishonesty, or misuse of systems — never disagreement.

03 Expected conduct

ATA students are training to protect the nation's networks and missions. We expect them to act like the professionals they are becoming:

• Treat instructors, staff, and classmates with courtesy and professional respect.
• Arrive prepared and on time, and participate actively.
• Do their own work and represent their skills honestly.
• Use ATA labs, ranges, and accounts only for authorized course activities.
• Protect course materials, credentials, and any sensitive information shared in class.
• Follow instructor directions on safety, lab use, and exam procedures.

04 Prohibited conduct

The following are violations of this Code:

1. Harassment and threats. Harassment, intimidation, bullying, or threats of violence toward any person, in person or online, including harassment based on a characteristic protected by law.
2. Disruption. Conduct that substantially disrupts instruction, labs, range exercises, exams, or ATA operations, including repeated interruptions after an instructor's warning.
3. Academic dishonesty. Any violation of Section 5.
4. Unauthorized system activity. Any violation of Section 6.
5. Misuse of materials. Copying, recording, sharing, or reselling course materials, lab content, or exam content without written permission.
6. Credential misuse. Sharing ATA, lab, or exam login credentials, or letting another person attend or test in your place.
7. Falsification. Providing false information on an application, enrollment agreement, prerequisite claim, eligibility or citizenship verification, or attendance record.
8. Impairment. Attending class, labs, or exams under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs.
9. Weapons. Possessing weapons on ATA premises or at an ATA-hosted training site, except as authorized by law and by the host facility.
10. Unlawful conduct. Any violation of federal, state, or local law in connection with ATA activities.

05 Academic integrity and AI use

An ATA credential means the student can do the work. Students must not:

• Submit work, lab results, or flags that are not their own.
• Obtain, share, or use exam questions or answers (“brain dumps”) for any certification exam.
• Use unauthorized notes, devices, people, or AI tools during an assessment.
• Violate the proctoring rules of Pearson VUE, Pearson OnVUE, or any other certifying body.

AI tools. Each course states when AI tools are permitted. In AI and AI security courses, students use, evaluate, and attack AI systems as directed. Outside those exercises, submitting AI-generated work as one's own is an integrity violation. Generative AI is prohibited during proctored certification exams.

Certification exam misconduct is also reported to and handled by the certifying body under its own rules, which may include revoked results or a testing ban.

06 Lab, cyber range, and ethical hacking rules

ATA teaches offensive techniques so students can defend against them. Those skills carry legal and ethical obligations, and students must follow them strictly:

• Authorized targets only. Attack, scan, or exploit only the systems an instructor designates within ATA labs and cyber ranges. Never target ATA's production systems, other students' systems, or any outside network.
• Stay in scope. Do not attempt to escape lab or range isolation, pivot to unauthorized networks, or disable monitoring.
• No use outside class. Do not use tools, exploits, or techniques learned at ATA against any system without the owner's written authorization. Unauthorized access is a federal crime under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and under Florida law.
• No malware release. Do not copy malware samples, payloads, or exploit code out of the lab environment.
• Protect controlled content. Course materials subject to export controls (EAR or ITAR) or marked for restricted distribution may not be shared with anyone outside the course.
• Report problems. Report any accidental out-of-scope activity, vulnerability, or exposure to the instructor immediately. Prompt good-faith reporting is a mitigating factor.

07 Attendance and virtual classroom conduct

ATA courses are shorter and intensive, so missed time is hard to recover. Students are expected to attend every session and to notify the instructor or ATA operations before any absence. Attendance requirements for completion are stated in each course outline and enrollment agreement; WIOA-funded students must also meet any attendance reporting their CareerSource board requires.

In live virtual classes, students must:

• Log in under their own name and be present for the full session.
• Keep their camera on when the instructor requires it for participation or assessment.
• Mute when not speaking and keep chat professional and on topic.
• Not record, screenshot, or rebroadcast sessions without the instructor's permission.

08 Reporting, review, and sanctions

Anyone may report a suspected violation to the instructor or to ATA operations at operations@appliedtechac.com. ATA does not tolerate retaliation against anyone who reports in good faith.

ATA handles reports as follows:

1. Immediate action. An instructor may remove a student from a session, lab, or range when needed to stop harassment, a threat, disruption, or unauthorized system activity. Removal is reported to the conduct officer the same day.
2. Notice. The conduct officer gives the student written notice of the alleged violation within 3 business days of the report.
3. Response. The student may respond in writing or in a meeting within 3 business days of notice.
4. Decision. The conduct officer decides, based on the facts, and gives the student a written decision and any sanction within 5 business days of the response.

Sanctions fit the seriousness of the violation and the student's record:

Where a student is enrolled through an employer, government agency, or CareerSource Florida, ATA notifies the sponsor of any removal or dismissal. Refunds after removal or dismissal follow ATA's published refund policy in the Student Application.

09 Appeals and grievances

Appeals. A student may appeal a removal or dismissal in writing to ATA's Chief Executive Officer within 5 business days of the decision. The CEO reviews the record and any new information and issues a final written decision within 10 business days. Sanctions stay in effect during an appeal.

Grievances. A student with any other complaint about ATA should first raise it with the instructor or ATA operations at operations@appliedtechac.com. If it is not resolved, the student may submit a written grievance to the CEO, who will respond in writing within 10 business days.