VIII--Associate Diploma Regulations and Procedures

Academic Misconduct

Academic misconduct is behaviour that erodes the basis of mutual trust on which scholarly exchanges commonly rest, undermines the University's exercise of its responsibility to evaluate students' academic achievements, or restricts the University's ability to accomplish its learning objectives.

The University takes a serious view of academic misconduct and will severely penalize students, faculty and staff who are found guilty of offenses associated with academic dishonesty, misrepresentation of personal performance, restrictions of equal opportunities for access to scholarly resources, and damage to the integrity of scholarly exchanges. The Senate of the University has adopted a number of policies that govern such offenses, including: the Student Academic Misconduct Policy, the Research Misconduct Policy, and the Students Rights and Responsibilities Regulations. These policies will be strictly enforced.

Academic misconduct is broadly understood to mean offenses against the academic integrity of the learning environment. This would include, but is not limited to, the following examples:

1. Academic Dishonesty
   1. Copying from or using prohibited material including, but not limited to documentary, electronic equipment or other aids not approved by the instructor, in an assignment or examination.
   2. Copying another person's answer(s) to an examination question.
   3. Improper academic practices - this includes the falsification, fabrication or misrepresentation of material, including research results, that is part of academic evaluation, the learning process, or scholarly exchange. This offence would include the reference to resources that are known to not exist or the listing of others who have not contributed to the work.
   4. Plagiarism - in the broadest sense of misrepresenting the work of others as one's own. Plagiarism specifically can be understood as: the act of copying, reproducing or paraphrasing significant portions of someone else's published or unpublished material, and representing these as one's own thinking by not acknowledging the appropriate source or by the failure to use appropriate quotation marks. These materials include: literary compositions and phrasing, performance compositions, chemical compounds, art works, laboratory reports, research results, calculations and the results of calculations, diagrams, constructions, and computer reports or software. Students have the responsibility to learn and use the conventions of documentation, and, if in any doubt, are encouraged to consult with the instructor of the course, the academic supervisor, or the department chair/director for clarification. Instructors have the responsibility of advising students in writing of any significant individual interpretations of plagiarism or of any aspects concerning paraphrasing limits or referencing formats unique to the instruction, the discipline, or the course material.

2. Misrepresentation of Personal Performance
   1. Submitting false or fraudulent or purchased assignments, research, or credentials; or the falsifying or withholding of records, transcripts, or other academic documents.
   2. Impersonation - involves having someone impersonate oneself, either in person or electronically, in class, in an examination, or in connection with any type of course assignment or material or availing oneself of the results of such impersonation. Both the impersonator and the individual impersonated (if aware of the impersonation) are subject to a penalty. In this context, plagiarism is simply another form of impersonation that misrepresents personal performance.
   3. Submitting a false medical or compassionate certificate, or presenting other such documentation under false pretences.
   4. Improperly obtaining, through theft, bribery, collusion or otherwise, access to privileged information, or examination paper or set of questions.
   5. Submitting the same course work, research, or assignment for credit on more than one occasion in two or more courses without the prior written permission of the instructors in all of the courses involved.
   6. The above provisions are institutional requirements that apply to all graduate and undergraduate degree or diploma courses, and to the presentation of all work, including graduate theses submitted for academic evaluation and undergraduate degree or diploma or graduate credit. In addition to these provisions, an instructor may require that other constraints apply in the context of a particular course. Such constraints may include, but are not necessarily restricted to, for example, a ban on the use of writing or editorial services, or the use of a research survey service. In such cases, it is the responsibility of the instructor in charge of the course to inform the students of these additional constraints in writing on the course outline, and it is the responsibility of the student in the course to abide by these constraints.

3. Damage to the Integrity of Scholarly Exchanges
   1. Altering, destroying, hiding, or generally restricting the access to academic materials intended for general use.
   2. The unauthorized removal, destruction, or theft of library and other university academic resources.
   3. Inappropriate distribution of restricted material.
   4. Obstructing the academic activities of others. This involves interfering with the scholarly activities of another or altering or falsifying the work of others, in order to harass or gain unfair academic advantage. This includes, but is not limited to, interfering or tampering with experimental data, with a human or animal subject, with a written or other creation (example, a painting, sculpture, film), with a chemical used for research, or with any other object of study.
   5. Aiding or abetting academic misconduct. Knowingly aiding or abetting anyone in committing any form of academic misconduct is itself academic misconduct. This may include, but is not limited to, offering for sale essays or other assignments with the intention that these works be subsequently submitted for assessment.

      Note: Many of these offenses could also be viewed as a violation of the Research Misconduct Policy, or the Student rights and Responsibilities regulation. Students may also, therefore, be subject to procedures and penalties outlined in these policies.

Penalties

If a student is found guilty of academic misconduct, one or more of the following penalties may be assessed:

1. Requirement for submission of a new piece of work; partial or total loss of marks on the exam/assignment; partial or total loss of marks for the course in which the offence occurred;
2. An official warning that the penalty for a subsequent offence will be suspension from the University for a period of up to two years or expulsion;
3. Suspension from the University for a period of either one or two years. A student who wishes to be considered for readmission after this period must make an application that will be judged on the basis of eligibility to continue;
4. A recommendation for expulsion from the University. A student who has been expelled from the University of Guelph is not eligible for readmission to the University for at least five years. A student who wishes to be considered for readmission must petition the President to have the expulsion status removed. The President will form a hearing committee to review the case for lifting the admission restriction. If the committee decides to remove the expulsion status, the student who wishes to be considered for readmission must then make an application that will be judged on the basis of eligibility to continue. If the committee decides to leave the expulsion status in place, the student must wait at least another two years before submitting a new petition.
5. A recommendation for revocation/rescinding of a degree or diploma. A person who is found guilty of academic misconduct after having been approved for graduation, or after having a degree or diploma conferred, may have the degree or diploma rescinded or revoked.

   Note: The guidelines that deans consider when determining the appropriate penalty are available on request from any dean.

Procedures

Detection and Documentation

1. Examinations

   The responsibility for preventing and detecting academic misconduct in an examination lies with the invigilators, although they may make use of reports from others to assist them in detection.

   In cases of suspected impersonation, the chief invigilator shall require the student concerned to remain after the examination until the student is satisfactorily identified.

   In other cases of suspected academic misconduct, the chief invigilator shall allow the student to complete the examination, but may take action by either:

   • requesting that the student complete the examination in another location or setting when it is deemed that such action will cause the least disruption to those taking the examination; or
   • confiscating the suspect material and requesting that the student make contact with the instructor once the examination period is over.

   In any case, the chief invigilator shall give a full report, together with any confiscated material, to the instructor-in-charge of the course if the instructor is not the chief invigilator. In instances of open learning courses, the material will be submitted to the Director of Open Learning. This documentation is used in consultation with the chair/director when preparing a formal complaint.

2. Term assignments, including research and thesis work.

   The responsibility for detecting academic misconduct on term assignments, etc., lies with the person responsible for evaluation and discussion of the student's work (marker), although that person may make use of reports from others to assist in detection.

   Where academic misconduct is suspected, the marker:

   • shall retain possession of suspect material; and
   • may seek to interview the student to allay suspicion or to confirm it.

   In any case, the marker shall give a full report in writing together with any confiscated material to the instructor-in-charge of the course, or to the advisor of the student's work, if the instructor/advisor is not the marker. This documentation is used in consultation with the chair/director when preparing a formal complaint.

3. Cases outside the domain of examinations or assignments.

   The responsibility for detecting academic misconduct in the context of an academic environment that is not part of the formal examination or assignment process must rest with the entire university community. Where academic misconduct is suspected, but where it is unclear whether it is directly related to a specific course, or where the specific course is unknown, those with knowledge of an offence should attempt to contact either the chair of the student's department, the student's program counsellor, or the student's college dean. If the suspected offence appears to be related to a specific course, then the instructor of the course should be contacted.

Response to Academic Misconduct

Record of Academic Misconduct

Undergraduate Program Services, or the Dean of Graduate Studies, shall place in the student's file a record of all academic misconduct for which the student is penalized. This record shall be expunged from the student's file upon graduation, or completion of a certificate or diploma for open learners. Students who do not graduate from the University of Guelph or another university may submit an appeal to the Senate Committee on Student Petitions to have the record expunged no sooner than 5 years after the date of last registration. Students who have graduated at another accredited university may submit verification of graduation to the Undergraduate Program Services, Office of Registrarial Services and have their record expunged. The record for expulsion is permanent, unless removed by petition to the President.

Access to the record of academic misconduct will be limited to those involved in processing appeals and those involved in processing additional complaints against the student. It is normally assumed that the penalties for repeat offenders will be more severe than those assigned for first offenses.

1997-98 Associate Diploma VIII--Associate Diploma Regulations and Procedures Academic Regulations