Academic Honesty

Policy name: Academic Dishonesty	Overseen by: Vice President Instruction	Effective Date: June 2004	Related Policies: Curriculum Development and Approval,Student Appeals
Category: Education	Approved by: Education Council	Review Date: September 2009	Replaces: E04.01.12

Purpose

Policy Statement

Definitions of Terms

Encouraging Academic Honesty

Evidence of Academic Dishonesty

Procedure for Responding to an Act of Academic Dishonesty

Consequences of an Act of Academic Dishonesty

Purpose

Douglas College, in common with other educational institutions, expects integrity, ethical conduct and intellectual and academic honesty of its students. This policy outlines the procedure for addressing academic dishonesty, defines relevant terms, and identifies consequences of such dishonesty for the student.

Policy Statement

Academic dishonesty is not tolerated of students at Douglas College and will be treated as a serious offense. Academic dishonesty includes plagiarism, giving or receiving aid in an examination or where otherwise prohibited, or any other deceptive act in connection with work submitted to meet course or graduation requirements.

Definition of Terms

Plagiarism: The formal presentation or submission of others' work, research, words, ideas, illustrations, or diagrams as one's own without explicit citation or credit.

Cheating: The use or provision of unauthorized aids, assistance, or materials during examinations, in the preparation of assignments, or in the completion of practical work (in clinical, practicum, or lab settings). This includes, but is not limited to,

• copying others' work in an examination;
• communicating work to others during an examination;
• submitting one's own work for more than one course without instructor permission; or
• resubmitting work, in whole or in part, for which credit has already been granted.

Student file: A student's file comprises both a temporary paper file and a permanent electronic file. The temporary paper file contains admission documents and correspondence with the Registrar's Office. This part of the student file is retained while the student is registered at Douglas College and for five years after the student leaves the College. The permanent electronic file is a record of all course work for which the student has registered, the status of the courses, and the grades and credits received. This is the file from which the student's transcript is prepared.

Encouraging Academic Honesty

The instructor will clearly define expectations associated with academic honesty and will refer students to the policy entitled Academic Dishonesty.

The expectation of academic honesty does not imply that students must work, study and learn in isolation. Students are encouraged, both in and out of class, to work, study and learn together and to incorporate into their own exploration and analysis the work of others as found in books, journal articles, electronic media, interviews, private conversations and the like. Seeking out knowledge and integrating it with one's own work is integral to learning. Quotations, references and citations to the work of others, as well as acknowledgment of collaboration and citing of collaborators, ensure that all research is appropriately credited.

The instructor will evaluate each piece of work in the context of the course and the instructions given to students. These instructions might include, but are not limited to, specification of a particular style guide to document information derived from primary or secondary sources, guidelines for using peer evaluators and tutors, citation of group work, and guidelines surrounding the use of the Internet.

Evidence of academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to,

• student admission of plagiarism;
• instructor discovery of plagiarism;
• student admission of cheating; or
• instructor, invigilator, or student observation of cheating.

Note: Discovery of a breach of academic honesty after a grade or credential has been awarded will be dealt with according to the procedure outlined below, and may result in the repeal of a grade or credential.

Procedure for Responding to an Act of Academic Dishonesty

1. The instructor will approach the student, hear the student's account, and discuss the incident in relation to the Academic Dishonesty policy. A resolution may be achieved at this point.
2. If, after the assessment of the incident with the student, the instructor remains concerned about or confirms a deliberate act of dishonesty, or believes the breach of academic honesty warrants further action, she or he will document and report the incident to the Dean/Director (or Designate).
3. The Dean/Director (or Designate) will review the written documentation and will notify or meet with the student. The student may elect to bring an advocate to this or to subsequent meetings related to the alleged act of academic dishonesty. (See the Student Appeals policy, Appendix A, for a list of possible advocates.)
4. The Dean/Director (or Designate) will contact the Registrar to determine whether a previous act of dishonesty is documented in the student's temporary paper file.
5. In consultation with the instructor, the Dean/Director (or Designate) will review the allegation of dishonesty and the outcome of her/his meeting with the student, and where an act of academic dishonesty is confirmed, s/he will determine the consequences for the student.
6. The Dean/Director (or Designate) will document the confirmed incident, the process of resolution, and the consequences. One copy of this documentation will be forwarded to the Registrar for placement in the student's temporary paper file for a time period specified by the Dean/Director (or Designate). A second copy will be sent to the student. (Note: If this is the first formally documented offense, the student will be informed that the consequence of a second confirmed offense will be permanent expulsion from the College.)
7. When it is a second confirmed offense, the Dean/Director (or Designate) will formally notify in writing to the student that she/he is permanently expelled from the college.
8. Students who wish to appeal the decision of a first or second confirmed act of academic dishonesty reached under this policy may do so in accordance with the Student Appeals policy.
   

Consequences of an Act of Academic Dishonesty

The consequences of a confirmed act of academic dishonesty may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• rewriting of the assignment;
• completion of another assignment;
• a zero percent grade assigned to the relevant evaluation component;
• a failing grade on the course as a whole;
• suspension from the program and/or College; and/or
• permanent expulsion from the College.

This policy was last corrected June, 2004.