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Faculty Resources

According to the Integrity Code, faculty may not penalize a student for an alleged violation. Faculty are responsible for reporting a violation to the AIC administrator within 10 business days of recognizing the violation. For pedagogical purposes, a faculty member may choose to educate a student about the Code, citation, or proper acknowledgement of sources, allowing the student to re-submit work with this in mind, but a faculty member may not exact punishment on a student for an alleged code violation.

What to Do if You Think a Student Has Violated the Code

Section III: Adjudication of Academic Integrity Offenses

1. Faculty Jurisdiction

When convinced that a possible violation was an honest mistake rather than purposeful dishonesty, a faculty member may use the occasion to educate the student about acceptable standards for academic work. In such cases, the faculty member could, for example, require the student to rewrite or correct the original assignment, or to submit a substitute assignment. A faculty member may not, however, fail or level other grading penalties against the student for the assignment or for the course, but must send the case to the dean when seeking these sanctions. Referring the case to the dean's office ensures that the student receives due process for potential disciplinary action and allows the university to check for repeat offenses. In all cases, the faculty member is encouraged to consult with the AIC Administrator, who can provide guidance on the Code and can help evaluate and locate evidence of a possible violation.

2. Administrative Jurisdiction

In all other circumstances, when the faculty member believes that a case may be due to purposeful dishonesty, the following procedures will be observed:

a. Faculty members reporting an allegation of dishonesty to the AIC Administrator should do so normally within 10 business days from the date of discovery of the alleged dishonesty, supported by appropriate documentation.

b. At their discretion, faculty members may discuss the alleged misconduct with the student before the case is adjudicated. Faculty members, however, may not submit grades for the work in question or for the course until the case has been adjudicated. If the semester grades must be submitted before the adjudication process is complete, the faculty member should consult with the AIC Administrator about the proper grade notation.

  • Please feel at liberty to contact the AIC administrator for feedback; seeking advice will not automatically result in a charge being filed
  • Send an email to the AIC administrator with an explanation, details, and evidence of the suspected violation

How to File a Violation:

Send an email to AIC Administrator for CAS with an explanation, details, and evidence of the suspected violation.

When to File a Violation:

Section III.B: The Adjudication Process

a. Faculty members reporting an allegation of dishonesty to the AIC Administrator should do so normally within 10 business days from the date of discovery of the alleged dishonesty, supported by appropriate documentation.

Details about the Process

Section III.B: The Adjudication Process

b. At their discretion, faculty members may discuss the alleged misconduct with the student before the case is adjudicated. Faculty members, however, may not submit grades for the work in question or for the course until the case has been adjudicated. If the semester grades must be submitted before the adjudication process is complete, the faculty member should consult with the AIC Administrator about the proper grade notation.

c. After consulting with the faculty member, the AIC Administrator will promptly notify the student of the charge in writing and will arrange to discuss the charge with the student at a preliminary meeting. The AIC Administrator also will report the complaint to the chair of the department in which the alleged violation occurred. If the student is a member of another teaching unit, the AIC Administrator also will report the complaint to the student's dean.

  • During the process, a student will have the opportunity to respond to the charge, and you may be contacted for further information.
  • The student will be advised to continue attending class and submitting work for the class until the case is resolved.
  • You will be notified about the outcome of the case, and given instructions about submitting a grade for the student, if relevant.

Detecting AIC Violations

Possible Clues in Papers and Essays

  • the paper submitted doesn't quite meet the needs of or respond to the specific assignment
  • other work from the student is different in voice or tone
  • differently colored text or formatted text (it could be copied and pasted from a website)
  • quotes appear without attribution or citation
  • the references are too old or out of date for the needs of the assignment

Possible Clues in Exams

  • multiple students with the same answers, verbatim
  • frequent trips to the restroom
  • use of cell phones
  • reports from other students

Resources

  • "The Google method": Identify passages that seem uncharacteristic of the student's writing voice or tone. Enter a 6-10 word sentence or phrase into the Google search bar.
  • Using our library tools: The library's SearchBox feature can be used to search for phrases or sentences. Enclose a phrase or sentence in quotes for most effective searching.
  • Checking abstracts: Use the citation in the reference page, if available, or use Google or SearchBox to find the source of the material. Examine the abstract of that source.
  • Consider some examples: hypothetical vignettes from Lehigh University or examples of violations from Indiana University.

Academic Integrity Code within CAS

The College of Arts and Sciences is committed to upholding the University's value of academic integrity. The Academic Integrity Code helps to establish a community of scholars in conversation, which means responsibly attributing the words and ideas of others, and taking ownership of and initiative to produce original work.

In the College, Academic Integrity Code violations are handled by a designee of the Dean; ultimately, the Dean makes all final decisions about AIC cases. The AIC administrator begins the adjudication process, organizes panels of faculty to review certain cases, and makes recommendations to the Dean. The administrator also works with faculty and students to educate about and uphold the values of the Code, aiming to create an environment that fosters dialogue and, above all, sponsors learning.