First OMSCS Course (GIOS), Worried I Might Have Violated Academic Integrity Rules
CS6200 GIOS is my first OMSCS course, and I'm worried I might have accidentally violated an exam rule during the midterm.
After completing Honorlock verification and putting my phone away, I reached the exam instructions page. Since I hadn't clicked "Next" to view the first question, I genuinely thought the exam hadn't started. I didn't realize the timer was already running. At that point, I panicked because I wasn't sure whether a 360-degree room scan was required, and I remembered someone mentioning in our course Slack that they had performed one.
Thinking the exam hadn't started, I made the mistake of picking up my phone to check that Slack thread. I saw newer replies clarifying that a room scan wasn't required, so I immediately put my phone away and proceeded with the exam.
To be clear, I never viewed any exam questions while using my phone. I was still on the instructions page the entire time, which I hope the Honorlock recordings can verify. The next day, I voluntarily submitted a private Piazza post explaining everything to the instructors and encouraged them to review my Honorlock webcam and screen recordings. I haven't received a response yet.
I understand that I shouldn't have touched my phone after Honorlock instructed me to put it away. Ironically, I might have broken a rule while worrying about following another.
I've been quite stressed about this, especially after reading other OMSCS academic integrity posts. I genuinely enjoy studying CS, and the possibility of facing serious consequences over this mistake during my very first course is upsetting.
Has anyone experienced something similar? How seriously might OMSCS treat this situation? Should I simply wait for the instructors to respond?