Teaching
Academic Integrity
It is the policy of Wright State University to uphold and
support standards of personal honesty and integrity for all
students consistent with the goals of
a community of scholars and students seeking knowledge and truth. Furthermore,
it is the policy of the university to enforce these standards through fair
and objective procedures governing instances of alleged dishonesty,
cheating, and
other academic misconduct.
Academic Integrity Policy and Process
Approved by Faculty Senate 5/01/00
Approved by General Faculty 5/09/00
The judicial process for violations
of academic integrity is activated whenever an undergraduate
or graduate student is accused of violating Section X, Category
4 A/B of the Code of Student Conduct pertaining to academic
integrity. Students who are participating in a professional
practice program may be held accountable to additional standards
and should refer to all relevant policies and procedures pertaining
to their particular school or college. Any member of the community
may report an alleged violation. A violation may be reported
to the instructor of the course in which the alleged act occurred,
the Chair or Dean (or equivalent academic administrator) of
the college/school with which the course is affiliated, or
a member of the staff of the Office of Judicial Affairs. An
individual who suspects a student of cheating may at any time
contact the Office of Judicial Affairs at 775-4240 to receive
assistance with any aspect of the academic integrity process.
All reports must be in written form to be adjudicated.
A student accused
of a violation of academic dishonesty is not permitted to drop or withdraw
from the course giving rise to the charge of academic dishonesty
unless the matter is resolved in the student's favor. Once notified by the
professor,
the office of Judicial Affairs is responsible for notifying the Registrar
that there is an alleged violation being considered. If the
alleged violation cannot
be resolved prior to the date upon which final grades must be reported to
the registrar, the instructor of the class, with the advice
and counsel of the
department chair or equivalent will assign a grade of "N".
In the
event that a student is exonerated as a result of an academic integrity investigation,
the student may choose to either complete the course, with the
opportunity to make up any work missed, or withdraw from the course without
any notation of the course on the student's academic transcript.
When a student
is suspected of committing an act of academic dishonesty the
instructor must utilize the procedures listed below.
- Faculty-Student Conference
Procedures
The faculty member will document the alleged violation utilizing an Academic
Integrity Violation Form (Appendix A). The faculty member will then send
the student an Academic Integrity Conference Notification Form (Appendix
B) to
notify the student of the allegations and the need for a meeting to discuss
the incident.
The faculty member or the student may request that the department chair (or
equivalent) be present. A copy of the Academic Integrity Violation Form should
be included
with the Notification Form. If the student chooses to not schedule or attend
the meeting with the faculty member, the faculty member, in the student's
absence, shall make a decision as to whether the student is responsible or
not for the
violation using all available information. Furthermore, upon receipt of the
documentation, the Office of Judicial Affairs will bill a $25.00 non-compliance
fee to the student's
Bursar account and he/she will be referred to the Academic Integrity Hearing
Panel (AIHP) for consideration of further sanctioning.
If, as a result of the
meeting with the student, the faculty member believes that no violation took
place, the faculty member will dismiss the case and
the issue will be considered resolved. Both judicial forms regarding the
incident should be destroyed. However, if after discussing
the incident with the student,
the faculty member still believes that "more likely than not" a violation
did occur, the faculty member determines whether the student should receive
a zero for the assignment, examination, paper or project, or a grade of "F" for
the course. If the student and faculty member agree that both a violation took
place and the sanction imposed is appropriate, the faculty member will complete
the Academic Integrity Resolution Form (Appendix C) documenting the mutually
agreed-upon outcome. The student will then be asked to sign the Resolution
Form indicating that the information on the form is an accurate reflection
of the
decision(s) made during the meeting. A completed copy of the Resolution Form
will be provided to the student. Additionally, the faculty member should retain
his or her copy and forward all remaining copies of all forms to the Office
of Judicial Affairs.
If, after reviewing all of the information the faculty
member believes that the seriousness of the incident warrants additional
action beyond a grade sanction,
the Resolution Form should be filled indicating that the case will be referred
to the AIHP for further sanctioning. Furthermore, any student who has previously
been found responsible for committing an act of academic dishonesty according
to the records maintained within the Office of Judicial Affairs will also
be referred to the AIHP for further sanctioning.
In the event that the student
denies the charge(s) and/or does not accept the
faculty member's sanction during the initial meeting with the faculty member,
the faculty member will inform the student that the case will be forwarded
to the AIHP for adjudication. The faculty member will then complete the Academic
Integrity Resolution Form indicating a referral to the AIHP, have the student
sign the form, and provide the student with his/her copy. All remaining documentation
is then sent to the Office of Judicial Affairs. The Office of Judicial Affairs
is responsible for the scheduling of the hearing. - Academic Integrity Hearing
Panel (AIHP)
The AIHP consists of five panel members consisting of three
faculty members,
one of whom serves as the chair, and two students. Faculty panel members
are nominated by the Executive Committee of Faculty Senate
and approved by the
Faculty Senate membership. The Office of Judicial Affairs is responsible
for the selection
of the student representatives.
The AIHP hearing is an opportunity for the
student and faculty member to present views, call witnesses,
and present documents and other evidence.
The student
accused of violating the academic integrity policy is required to represent
him/herself at the hearing. An advisor of the student's choice may accompany
him/her to the
hearing, but is not permitted to address the panel. The university may
be represented by the instructor of the course giving rise to the alleged
incident,
by the
Chair of the department offering the course, or by the Dean or designee
of the college
or school with which the course is affiliated. An advisor who is not
permitted to address the panel may also accompany the university's representative.
The
AIHP will consider the documents, testimony, or other evidence presented
to it by the student charged and the faculty representative.
Based upon the
standard of a preponderance of the evidence ("more likely than not"),
the AIHP will render a decision. The AIHP will confer in private to determine
whether
the student committed an act of academic dishonesty and, if so, the proper
sanction(s). If the AIHP finds in favor of the student, the grade of "N" previously
assigned to the student's record shall be expunged. The AIHP will refer the
matter back to the faculty member who gave rise to the charge with the instruction
to
re-evaluate the student's work based on its merits.
If the AIHP finds against
the student, it may impose any of the sanctions set forth in the Code in
addition to the letter grade sanction that was issued by
the faculty member. The student's cumulative disciplinary history will be
taken into account during the sanctioning phase of the process.
The AIHP shall mail
to the student written notice of its decision and the student's appellate
rights within three business days of the hearing date. The
student may appeal the
decision of the AIHP to the University Appeals Board in writing, within five
business
days from the date of the decision letter. All appeals should be delivered
to the Office of Judicial Affairs.
Also see Faculty's Guide to Academic Integrity
at http://www.wright.edu/students/judicial/integrity.html |
