Academic Regulations and Procedures

            UMass Dartmouth Student Academic Integrity Policy for Undergraduates

Approved 2/14/19

 

1. Policy Statement
2. Purpose

 

Academic freedom is a fundamental right in any institution of higher learning. Honesty and integrity are necessary preconditions of this freedom. Academic integrity requires that all academic work be wholly the product of an identified individual or individuals. Joint efforts are legitimate only when the assistance of others is explicitly acknowledged and deemed appropriate by the instructor of the course. Ethical conduct is the obligation of every member of the University community, and breaches of academic integrity constitute serious offenses.

 

A high standard of academic integrity promotes the pursuit of truth, learning, as well as a respect for the intellectual accomplishments of others. These are values that are fundamental to the mission of this University. Such values are undermined by academic dishonesty.

Cultivating and practicing honesty lays a foundation for lifelong integrity.  All UMass Dartmouth students are expected to maintain high standards of academic integrity and scholarly practice. The University does not tolerate academic dishonesty, whether as a result of a failure to understand required academic and scholarly procedure, careless error, or as an act of intentional dishonesty.

Failure to uphold the principles of academic integrity threatens both the reputation of the University and the value of the degrees awarded to students.

In keeping with the above stated values, a student found responsible of academic dishonesty is subject to disciplinary action which may include dismissal from the University. The procedure for responding to incidents of academic dishonesty may be found in Section V of this document.  You may also refer to the Student Handbook for information about the Student Conduct Process.

Maintenance of the standards of academic integrity and the successful administration of this policy depend on the mutual cooperation of faculty and students.

Faculty commitment is essential for successful application of the procedures defined by this Academic Integrity Policy. Faculty members promote academic integrity by making clear on their syllabi their expectations concerning homework assignments; collaborative student efforts; research papers; examinations; use of computers, other technology, and online material; and the like. Faculty are encouraged to discuss academic integrity in their courses and to provide a link to, or copy of the Academic Integrity Policy to students.   Efforts should be made to detect and to prevent cheating and plagiarism in all academic assignments. If faculty members have evidence of academic dishonesty, they are expected to report such evidence promptly.

Students must assume responsibility for maintaining honesty in all work submitted for credit and in any other work designated by the instructor of the course. Students are also expected to report incidents of academic dishonesty to the instructor or academic department chair.

 
The policy and procedures outlined in this Academic Integrity Policy apply to all students, faculty, and other instructional staff participating in academic classes, programs, and research projects offered by UMass Dartmouth.

 

The intent of this policy is to make clear the standards of academic integrity at UMass Dartmouth.

 

1. Definitions
2. Violation of Research or Professional Ethics:

The various ways in which academic integrity may be violated are described below. The comments and examples within each section provide explanations and illustrative material, but do not necessarily exhaust the scope of these violations.

A. Cheating
Cheating is the use of unacknowledged materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise. The use of computers, tablets, books, notes, calculators, telephones, Apple Watch or similar device, and conversation with others is restricted or forbidden in certain academic exercises. Their use in these cases constitutes cheating. Similarly, students must not request others (including commercial term paper companies) to conduct research or prepare any work for them, take an exam/quiz for them, nor may they submit identical work or portions thereof for credit or honors more than once without prior approval of the instructor.

B. Fabrication
Fabrication is the falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise. Falsified information may not be used in any laboratory experiment or other academic exercise without authorization from the instructor. It is improper, for example, to analyze one sample in an experiment and covertly invent data based on that single experiment for several more required analyses. The student must also acknowledge reliance upon the actual source from which cited information was obtained. A writer should not, for example, reproduce a quotation from a book review or other secondary source and indicate that the quotation was obtained from the book itself.

C. Facilitating Academic Dishonesty
Students who knowingly or negligently allow their work to be used by other students or who otherwise aid others in academic dishonesty are violating academic integrity. Student may not take an exam or quiz for another or in any way impersonate another student in an academic endeavor.  Such students are as responsible for intellectual dishonesty as the student who receives the material even though they may not themselves benefit academically from that dishonesty. It is recommended that students never provide either electronic or hard copies of their work to others.

D. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic exercise. To avoid plagiarism, every direct quotation must be identified by quotation marks or by appropriate indentation and must be properly cited in the text or in a footnote. Acknowledgment is required when material from another source stored in print, electronic or other medium is paraphrased or summarized in whole or in part in one's own words. To acknowledge a paraphrase properly, one might state: "to paraphrase Plato's comment..." and conclude with a footnote identifying the exact reference. A footnote acknowledging only a directly quoted statement does not suffice to notify the reader of any preceding or succeeding paraphrased material. Information which is common knowledge such as names of leaders of prominent nations, basic scientific laws, etc., need not be footnoted; however, all facts or information obtained in reading or research that are not common knowledge among students in the course must be acknowledged.  Faculty members may use a variety of means to detect plagiarism including online programs to verify the originality of work.

In addition to materials specifically cited in the text, only materials that contribute to one's general understanding of the subject may be acknowledged in the bibliography. Plagiarism can, in some cases, be a subtle issue. Any questions about what constitutes plagiarism should be discussed with the faculty member.

E. Denying others access to information or material/Willful damage
It is a violation of academic integrity to deny others access to scholarly resources, or to deliberately impede the progress of another student or scholar. Examples of offenses of this type include: giving other students false or misleading information; making library material unavailable to others by stealing or defacing books or journals, or by deliberately misplacing or destroying reserve materials; or altering computer files that belong to another.  It is also a violation to damage another person’s academic work or property.

Violations in this category include both violations of the code of ethics specific to a particular profession and violations of more generally applicable ethical requirements for the acquisition, analysis, and reporting of research data and the preparation and submission of scholarly work for publication. Some examples are:

 

• Violating a canon of the ethical or professional code of the profession for which a student is preparing.
• Using unethical or improper means of acquiring, analyzing, or reporting data in a senior thesis project, a master’s or doctoral research project, grant-funded research, or research submitted for publication.
• Misuse of grant or institutional funds.
• Violating professional ethics in performing one’s duties as a Teaching Assistant or Graduate Assistant.

 

1. Violations Involving Potentially Criminal Activity:
2. Stealing an examination from a faculty member’s or University office or from electronic files.
3. Selling or distributing a stolen examination.
4. Forging a change-of-grade form.
5. Falsifying a University transcript.

Violations in this category include theft, fraud, forgery, or distribution of ill-gotten materials committed as part of an act of academic dishonesty. Some examples are:

 

1. 
   Proprietary/Confidential Information
   Related to academic integrity is the unauthorized use without written permission of proprietary and/or confidential information in any school assignment.
   
   I. Human and Animal Subjects
   Research involving human beings requires review and approval of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the Protection of Human Subjects and informed written consent. Research involving the use of animals requires review and approval by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).  
2. Procedures

 

 

UMass Dartmouth follows consistent procedures for all violations of the Student Code of Conduct which includes Academic Integrity.   These procedures are outlined in the Student Conduct Policies and Procedures and are described below.

 

Reporting Alleged Violations

Any violation of academic honesty is a serious offense and is therefore subject to an appropriate penalty. Faculty may address instances of student academic dishonesty under their authority to evaluate and assign grades, even if the consequences exceed those written below. They may also refer the incident for further action, utilizing University student conduct procedures that can document possible repeat offenders and adjust consequences accordingly.  Prior to submitting, the faculty member may consult with the Office of Student Conduct and Dispute Resolution to review the incident and to discuss how best to proceed.

 

Those who decide to refer instances of academic dishonesty for further action can do so through Student Conduct process, initiating action by completing a report found at:

 

MyUMassDðQuick LaunchðMore Campus SystemsÞReport Academic Integrity Violationor at:

http://www.umassd.edu/studentaffairs/departments/studentconductanddisputeresolution/

Student Conduct Process for Academic Integrity Violations

Notification of Alleged Violation

A student shall be notified, via email to the student’s UMass Dartmouth email address in a Conduct Conference Notification that the student is alleged to have violated the Code of Conduct.  This notice will be sent by a Conduct Conference Facilitator who will likely be the Director of Student Conduct and Dispute Resolution or designee, generally within 72 hours of the incident or complaint.  The notification shall include a request that the student attend a Conduct Conference, to be held no sooner than three (3) consecutive business days following date of the original notice, unless he requests it to be at an earlier date. The Conduct Conference generally occurs within two weeks of the incident.  The Conduct Conference is scheduled with the student’s class schedule in mind.

NOTE:  Once a student has been notified of an alleged violation, he or she may not drop or withdraw from the course until the student conduct process is complete.

Conduct Conference Procedures

At the Conduct Conference, the student has the opportunity to discuss the incident, review any reports regarding the matter, and review his or her options for resolution of the complaint.  A student’s failure to attend the Conduct Conference, without prior notice to the Conduct Conference Facilitator or a legitimate medical or other emergency, may result in a decision being made regarding the alleged violations in the student’s absence.

If the student wishes to take responsibility for the alleged violation(s), the student is able to resolve the incident with the Conduct Conference Facilitator.  The Conduct Conference Facilitator may present a recommendation for resolution based exclusively on the student’s statement at the Conduct Conference and the written report.  If the student accepts the recommendations including the sanctions decided with the Conduct Conference Facilitator, the outcome is an agreement and may not be appealed. If the student does not take responsibility for the violation(s), the matter would be forwarded to an investigator for a full investigation. 

Investigation Guidelines and Procedures

When a matter is not or cannot be resolved in the Conduct Conference, a trained investigator is assigned by the Director of Student Conduct and Dispute Resolution or designee.  The investigator will make all reasonable attempts to gather all relevant information to determine whether or not the Code of Conduct was violated using the More Likely Than Not standard.   The investigator will review all written materials and will interview both the student who is alleged to have violated the Code of Conduct and the reporting party.  The investigator may also, at his discretion, interview anyone alleged to have been harmed, as well as any witnesses to the incident.  The accused student and the reporting party may submit questions to the investigator to be asked of others who may be interviewed.  The investigator will use discretion as to whether the suggested questions will be asked. The investigator will also review the student’s prior student conduct history. Where possible this investigation will be completed within 2 weeks after being assigned to the investigator.

Once the investigation is completed, the investigator will write a report of the findings including 1) a summary of the facts 2) a finding of responsible or not responsible for each alleged violation with a rationale using the More Likely Than Not standard; 3) recommendations for sanctions where applicable.  The report will be completed within 5 business days of the completion of the investigation and will be sent to the accused student.

Upon receipt of the investigator’s findings, the accused student, may within 5 business days submit a written response to the investigator’s report to be included in the review of the findings by the Administrative Review Panel. 

The investigator’s report and any written responses will be reviewed within 5 business days by an Administrative Review Panel consisting of 1 faculty/staff and 2 students who are trained to review student conduct findings.  The Administrative Review Panel may:

• Accept and affirm the findings of the investigator
• Accept and affirm the findings of the investigator but alter the recommended sanctions
• Alter the findings and/or recommended sanctions of the investigator
• Reject the findings of the investigator
• Return the matter to same investigator with recommendations
• Return the matter to be investigated by a different investigator

Following the review of the findings by the Administrative Review Panel, the accused student will be sent a decision letter within 3 business days by the Director of Student Conduct and Dispute Resolution or designee.  The accused student may accept the decision or submit an appeal if she feels that she can meet grounds for appeal as outlined in the appeal process.  If an appeal is submitted, sanctions imposed by the Administrative Review Panel may be in effect during the appeal process. Please contact the Office of Student Conduct and Dispute Resolution with questions about sanctions during appeal.  Note:  If an Interim Suspension from the University or Interim Removal from Residence was imposed either prior to and/or during the student conduct process, that interim status will remain in effect until the appeal is decided.

Appeal

Appeal Officers:  When considering matters on appeal, the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs or designee, is the final appeal level within the UMass Dartmouth student conduct process.

Jurisdiction:  Appeal Officers shall have jurisdiction in the following areas:

• Appeal of conduct-related decisions of the Administrative Review Panel
• Appeal of cases involving the violation or interpretation of the Student Government Constitution or the policies or actions of the Student Government Association, Graduate Student Senate, or Residence Hall Council. The University Appeals Officer shall judge the constitutionality of any action taken by the above-named organizations, their executive agencies, or by members thereof.
• Appeal of cases involving constitutional conflict within any campus organization, or between major governing groups, or between campus organizations and governing groups.
• Appeal of cases involving the constitutionality of any action taken by a student organization or governing group.

Procedural Compliance:  Any investigator or administrative review panel member found by the University Appeal Officer to be consistently violating the provisions of this document may be subject to review of its student conduct authority and/or assumption of its jurisdiction by a request of the University Appeal Officer.

Procedures:  An accused student found responsible by an Administrative Review Panel may submit an appeal, in writing, via the link provided in the Decision Letter or by a letter sent to the Office of Student Conduct and Dispute Resolution. The written appeal must state the grounds upon which the appeal is based.  Students are not able to appeal a decision if they fall into one of the following categories:  1) failed to participate in the investigation and has been issued a decision in absentia; 2) accepted responsibility and reached an agreement at his/her Conduct Conference; or 3) was issued a warning as a sanction.

Possible grounds for appeal are allegations that: (1) the basic tenets of due process provided by this document were omitted, ignored, or violated or (2) new evidence exists that is relevant and that was unobtainable or unknowable at the time of the original decision.

The appeal must be written by the accused student, the reporting party, and/or anyone victimized in the incident.  Exception: A student may choose to have his attorney draft the letter of appeal only in cases where there are pending felony charges.

The appeal must be received in Office of Student Conduct and Dispute Resolution, or designated location, no later than five (5) consecutive business days following receipt of the original decision or it is deemed invalid and the appeal will not be considered.

With the exception that the appeal must cite appropriate grounds for appeal enumerated above in order to be valid, there is no prescribed format for the appeal. The appealing party has the responsibility to make the petition sufficiently lucid and detailed so as to allow the Appeal Officer to understand the nature of the petition. If the Appeal Officer determines that a petition is improperly drafted or that it is insufficiently detailed, the Appeal Officer shall inform the petitioner and he shall have the right to submit an amended appeal within three (3) consecutive business days following said notification.  If the appeal is not resubmitted in the specified time given, the appeal will not be considered.

The Appeal Officer shall grant a meeting upon receipt of a petition of appeal whenever it is determined that the petition raises substantive issues relative to the grounds for appeal enumerated above.

NOTE:  If an appeal is submitted, sanctions imposed by the Administrative Review Panel may be in effect during the appeal process. Please contact the Office of Student Conduct and Dispute Resolution with questions about sanctions during appeal. 

If an Interim Suspension from the University or Interim Removal from Residence was imposed either prior to and/or during the student conduct process, that interim status will remain in effect until the appeal is decided. A student party to a disciplinary action who has initiated an appeal to an Appeal Officer and who subsequently withdraws in good standing from the University while the appeal is pending, may continue the appeal process if he or she so choose.

The appeal meeting is to be strictly limited to a review of the record of the original proceeding.  New evidence (i.e. evidence which was not presented during the Investigation/Administrative Review) may be considered only if it is relevant and only if it was unobtainable or unknowable at the time of the Investigation/Administrative Review.

The decision of the Appeal Officer may include the following: 1) Affirm and uphold the decision of the Administrative Review Panel. 2) Reject and overturn the decision of the Administrative Review Panel. 3) The accused may be found not responsible any of the original violation(s). 4) The accused may be found responsible of the original violation(s) and any of the full range of available items under the Sanction section of this document may be applied. 5) The matter may be returned to the Administrative Review Panel with instructions.

Standard of Evidence

Regardless of at what stage in the student conduct process the matter is resolved, in determining whether a violation of the Code of Conduct has occurred, the standard of More Likely Than Not is applied.  This standard may also be referred to as the Preponderance of the Evidence.

Right to an Advisor

A student, party to a matter of student conduct, may elect to be accompanied at all formal proceedings by an advisor of his choice. The advisor must be a member of the faculty, staff or student body of the University except that legal counsel may accompany a student, at the student’s discretion, when a criminal charge arising from the matter is pending or is considered likely. Any student who elects to be accompanied by an attorney in matters involving criminal charges or the likelihood of such charges, is required to give advance notice of at least 48 hours to the Director for Student Conduct and Dispute Resolution. Absence of a pending criminal charge or the bona fide likelihood thereof, the advisor must be drawn from within the University community.

The role of the advisor in all cases, whether or not the advisor is a member of the University community or legal counsel, is limited to advising the student during the student conduct proceeding. The advisor may not speak on behalf of the student, or examine or cross examine witnesses, or address the student conduct entity publicly during formal student conduct proceedings.

If a student would like to have an advisor accompany them at their formal proceeding, but does not have someone in mind, the Director for Student Conduct and Dispute Resolution may be contacted to provide the name and contact information of volunteer advisors.  Advisors are students, faculty, and staff who are well versed and trained in student conduct proceedings.  Volunteer advisors have the right to refuse to aid any student, should she feel there is a conflict of interest.

The University is a community that values teaching and learning and promotes the educational value of all of its internal processes, including the student conduct process. As the student in the classroom is expected to present his own work, free from plagiarism, so the student engaged in a student conduct proceeding is expected to carry on his own dialogue within a student conduct proceeding, presenting his ideas and thoughts.

During a Student Conduct proceeding, if it becomes apparent that a student, in presenting testimony or responding to questions, is merely repeating the thoughts or ideas of the advisor verbatim, the student conduct entity will inform the student of its preference that the student present her personal thoughts in her own words. If the practice continues, the student conduct entity shall use its discretion in determining the validity of or the amount of weight to be given to the testimony of the student.

Types of Violations and Consequences
Violations at UMass Dartmouth are classified into four levels according to the nature of the infraction. For each level of violation a corresponding outcome of sanctions is recommended. Faculty, Academic Department Chairs, Deans/Associate Deans/Assistant Deans, staff in the Office of Student Conduct and Dispute Resolution, or others involved in resolving incidents are not bound by these illustrations, which are intended as general guidelines for the academic community.

 

Since adherence to a code of conduct can be seen as a function of socialization into the group whose norms are reflected in such a code, culpability may be assessed differentially for those with more and less experience as members of the academic community; thus, violations of academic integrity by graduate and law students as well as those engaged in Senior Capstone Projects, Senior Design Projects, Independent Study, or Internships are subject to more severe penalties than violations by first semester first year students. Examples are cited below for each level of violation. These examples, too, are illustrations and should not be considered all-inclusive.

 

Factors considered in determining consequences include the nature and importance of the academic exercise; the degree of premeditation or planning of the violation; the extent of dishonesty or malicious intent; the academic experience of the student; whether the violation is a first-time or repeat offense.

Level One Infraction

Examples of Infraction:

Plagiarism: The student represents the work of another as his own in a limited academic exercise (less than 10 % of the overall grade), or in a limited or minor portion (1-2 instances) of a larger exercise, and the faculty member believes this is not an accidental act by the student. 
Cheating:  Attempting to cheat

Facilitating Academic Dishonesty:  Sharing your copy, or that of someone else, of a minor assignment either electronically or in hard copy with another student; allowing a student to cheat from you on an in-class assignment

Consequences:
Faculty Action:  Redo the work for a lower grade, or a grade of zero for the assignment

 

Student Conduct Process Outcome:  Letter of Warning to the student as well as a record of the incident in the Office of Student Conduct and Dispute Resolution; educational sanction related to the violation; Letter of Apology to Instructor

 

Level Two Infraction

 

Examples of Infraction:

A finding of responsible for a previous Level One Infraction through the Student Conduct Process

 

Plagiarism:    The student represents the work of another as her own in any academic exercise for a significant portion of the assignment (25-50%)
Cheating:       Working with another student on a laboratory or other homework assignment when such work is prohibited.

Facilitating Academic Dishonesty:  Sharing or selling your copy or that of someone else of a significant assignment or exam either electronically or in hard copy with another student; Allowing a student to cheat from you during an in-class or take-home exam.

 

Consequences:

Faculty Action:  A grade of zero for the assignment and an F for the course

 

Student Conduct Process Outcome:  Disciplinary Probation for not less than 1 year and not more than 2 years; educational sanction related to the violation; letter of apology to Instructor

Disciplinary Probation is defined as a conditional continuance of registration at the University. It is a period when actions of the student are subject to particular scrutiny and when code of conduct violations will cause student conduct entities to consider current violations within the context of and with prejudice based on past violations. Previous violations shall not be considered in the determination of responsible for any new violation, but shall be considered in determining a sanction after responsibility has been established. Further misconduct during each probationary period may result in Suspension or Dismissal. At the discretion of the student conduct entity imposing probation, a student on Disciplinary Probation may lose the right to represent the University as an official delegate, representative including in a Study Abroad program, athlete, or as a holder of office or committee chair in University student groups of any kind. Probation shall be imposed for time periods similar to that for Suspension. Probation may be imposed together with lesser sanctions as may be deemed appropriate.

NOTE:  A disciplinary hold preventing withdrawal from the course will be placed in COIN while the student conduct case is in process.  If the case is in process at the time at which a faculty member must enter a grade, a grade of 0 will be given for the assignment, a grade of F will be entered and if appropriate, a change of grade may be submitted when the student conduct process is complete.

 

Level Three Infraction

 

Examples of Infraction:

A finding of responsible for a previous Level Two Infraction through the Student Conduct Process

 

Plagiarism:    The student represents the work of another in its entirety (whether purchased or obtained by other means) as his own in any academic work

Cheating:       Copying from another student on exams; using prohibited materials/technology such as calculators or notes during exams; and/or collaborating before an exam to develop methods of exchanging information during an exam.

Facilitating Academic Dishonesty:  Providing another student with your copies of those of someone else, either electronic or in hard copy, of the majority of assignments and exams

 

Consequences:

Faculty Action:  A grade of F for the course.

 

Student Conduct Process Outcome:  Deferred Suspension from the University for not less than 1 year and not more than 2 years; educational sanction related to the violation; Letter of apology to Instructor; meeting with the Dean or designee of the student’s college.  In the case of upper level undergraduates who have accrued 60 credits or more, graduate, and law school students, a meeting with the student’s academic advisor and department chair is also required.

Deferred Suspension shall be imposed for time periods similar to that for suspension. During this period a student found responsible of a violation by the student code of conduct proceeding may be subject to immediate from the University. A student under the sanction of Deferred Suspension shall not represent the University as an official delegate, representative including participation in a Study Abroad program, athlete, or as a holder of office or committee chair in University groups of any kind.

*In cases of discipline arising from extraordinary or emergency conditions, the Chancellor or his/her designee may invoke the action of interim suspension of a student or group of students who act, or refuse to act, if the result of said conduct is to interfere with the rights of others and is non-peaceful or is disruptive or said conduct constitutes a clear and present danger to the health, safety, or property of others.

NOTE:  A disciplinary hold preventing withdrawal from the course will be placed in COIN while the student conduct case is in process.  If the case is in process at the time at which a faculty member must enter a grade, a grade of 0 will be given for the assignment, a grade of F will be entered into COIN and if appropriate, a change of grade may be submitted when the student conduct process is complete.

 

Level Four Infraction

 

Examples of Infraction:

A finding of responsible for a previous Level III Infraction through the Student Conduct Process

 

Plagiarism:    The student represents the work of another in its entirety (whether purchased or obtained by other means) as his own in more than one assignment of academic work; a Level 3 violation by a student who already has committed one or more Level 3 infractions.
Cheating:       Infractions of academic honesty in ways similar to criminal activity such as forging a grade form, stealing an examination from a professor or from a university office, or buying an examination.

Facilitating Academic Dishonesty:  Selling your copies or that of another student of the majority of assignments in a course with multiple students in a particular course.

 

Consequences:

Faculty Action:  A grade of F for the course.

 

Student Conduct Process Outcome:  Suspension from the University for not less than 1 year and not more than 2 years or a permanent Dismissal from the University.  If a Suspension from the University is imposed, a meeting with the Dean or designee of the student’s college prior to approval for return is required.

Suspension from the University is defined as a sanction that prohibits the student from registering for classes or from attending the University while the suspension is in effect. Suspension shall remain in effect for a specified period of time, not to exceed two calendar years from the time of a decision by a student conduct entity. At the end of the specified period and after all sanctions have been completed the student may apply for re-enrollment using the Readmission Application found at http://www.umassd.edu/registrar/forms/.  There is a readmission fee.  It is important to note that readmission to the University does not guarantee that a student will be readmitted to the major of his/her choice.  Those decisions are made by the academic department chair.

University Dismissal is defined as a permanent separation from the University. It is the most severe penalty that can be assessed by the University. The student is not eligible for readmission.

 

NOTE:  A disciplinary hold preventing withdrawal from the course will be placed in COIN while the student conduct case is in process.  If the case is in process at the time at which a faculty member must enter a grade, a grade of 0 will be given for the assignment, a grade of F will be entered into COIN and if appropriate, a change of grade may be submitted when the student conduct process is complete.

Appropriate Evidence

Faculty who apply penalties for academic dishonesty and/or refer the matter to the Student Conduct and Dispute Resolution Office, should maintain copies of documents or other evidence that led to the alleged violation of academic dishonesty and have this material available for inspection if required in an investigation, administrative review, and/or appeal. Examples: material printed from the internet (or derived from other sources) that is substantially the same as work submitted by the student or written work in which the voice, usage, diction, and/or sentence structure are significantly different from the rest of the student’s work (especially an observed writing sample). Records should also be kept of contacts with the student regarding the matter.

 

Additional Consequences/Student Records:

Students committing acts of academic dishonesty not only face university discipline but run a serious risk of harming their future educational and employment opportunities. Some academic programs such as Nursing and Law require that the Dean attest to a student’s character and fitness.  Having been found responsible for academic dishonesty may jeopardize the Dean’s willingness to do so.  .  Therefore the Academic Dean and Department Chair will be informed of the outcome of the student conduct process in cases of Academic integrity.

 

Prospective employers and other educational institutions frequently use recommendation forms that ask for judgment and comment on an individual's moral or ethical behavior as well as student disciplinary record from institutions they have attended. This may affect those seeking to transfer to another institution and/or those applying to graduate programs as well as medical, dental, or law school.

 

In all cases in which a grade of "F" is assigned for disciplinary reasons, the "F" will remain on the student's transcript, even if the course is retaken and a passing grade is achieved.

 

Student Conduct Records

The Division of Student Affairs shall maintain the following records pertaining to each disciplinary case:

• The original complaint.
• All documents, correspondence, forms, statements, etc., pertaining to the matter.
• A record of the decision including any finding, sanction, and any action recommended or taken.

All case records and materials pertaining to a student conduct proceeding shall be kept secure away from public view. Except where confidentiality is further restricted by law, access to such case records or materials shall be limited to the accused student, and Administrative Officers of the University having direct involvement with the case. Access to student conduct case records by anyone other than those expressly named shall be by written authorization of the student in whose name the file is kept. Case records shall be destroyed 7 (seven) years after the date of the last incident for which the student was found responsible, but not before the student graduates from the University.   In cases involving University Dismissal, University Suspension or permanent University Trespass the notice will become a permanent record.

 

1. Responsibility –Academic Affairs
2. Attachments – Faculty and Student Classroom Agreement
3. Approval and Effective Date: February 14, 2019

 

UMass Dartmouth Student Academic Integrity Policy For Graduate Students

I Academic Integrity

All UMass Dartmouth students are expected to maintain high standards of academic integrity and scholarly practice. The University does not tolerate academic dishonesty of any variety, whether as a result of a failure to understand required academic and scholarly procedure or as an act of intentional dishonesty.

A student found responsible of academic dishonesty is subject to severe disciplinary action which may include dismissal from the University. The procedure for responding to incidents of academic dishonesty may be found in Section III of this document.  You may also refer to the Student Handbook for information about the Student Conduct Process.

A high standard of academic integrity promotes the pursuit of truth and learning and respect for the intellectual accomplishments of others. These are values that are fundamental to the mission of this University. Such values are undermined by academic dishonesty.

Academic freedom is a fundamental right in any institution of higher learning. Honesty and integrity are necessary preconditions of this freedom. Academic integrity requires that all academic work be wholly the product of an identified individual or individuals. Joint efforts are legitimate only when the assistance of others is explicitly acknowledged and deemed appropriate by the instructor of the course. Ethical conduct is the obligation of every member of the University community, and breaches of academic integrity constitute serious offenses.

Maintenance of the standards of academic integrity and the successful administration of this policy depend on the mutual cooperation of faculty and students.

Faculty cooperation is essential for successful application of the procedures defined by this Academic Integrity Policy. Faculty members promote academic integrity by making clear on their syllabi their expectations concerning homework assignments, collaborative student efforts, research papers, examinations, computer-based infractions, and the like. Efforts should be made to detect and to prevent cheating and plagiarism in all academic assignments. If faculty members have evidence of academic dishonesty, they are expected to report such evidence promptly.

Students must assume responsibility for maintaining honesty in all work submitted for credit and in any other work designated by the instructor of the course. Students are also expected to report incidents of academic dishonesty to the instructor or dean of the instructional unit.

The intent of this policy is to make clear the standards of academic integrity at UMass Dartmouth.

 

II Violations of Academic Integrity

The various ways in which academic integrity can be violated are discussed below. The comments and examples within each section provide explanations and illustrative material, but do not necessarily exhaust the scope of these violations.

A. Cheating
Cheating is the use of unacknowledged materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise. The use of books, notes, calculators, phones and conversation with others is restricted or forbidden in certain academic exercises. Their use in these cases constitutes cheating. Similarly, students must not request others (including commercial term paper companies) to conduct research or prepare any work for them, nor may they submit identical work or portions thereof for credit or honors more than once without prior approval of the instructor.

B. Fabrication
Fabrication is the falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise. "Invented" information may not be used in any laboratory experiment or other academic exercise without authorization from the instructor. It is improper, for example, to analyze one sample in an experiment and covertly "invent" data based on that single experiment for several more required analyses. The student must also acknowledge reliance upon the actual source from which cited information was obtained. A writer should not, for example, reproduce a quotation from a book review or other secondary source and indicate that the quotation was obtained from the book itself.

C. Facilitating Academic Dishonesty
Students who knowingly or negligently allow their work to be used by other students or who otherwise aid others in academic dishonesty are violating academic integrity. Such students are as guilty of intellectual dishonesty as the student who receives the material even though they may not themselves benefit academically from that dishonesty.

D. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic exercise. To avoid plagiarism, every direct quotation must be identified by quotation marks or by appropriate indentation and must be properly cited in the text or in a footnote. Acknowledgment is required when material from another source stored in print, electronic or other medium is paraphrased or summarized in whole or in part in one's own words. To acknowledge a paraphrase properly, one might state: "to paraphrase Plato's comment..." and conclude with a footnote identifying the exact reference. A footnote acknowledging only a directly quoted statement does not suffice to notify the reader of any preceding or succeeding paraphrased material. Information which is common knowledge such as names of leaders of prominent nations, basic scientific laws, etc., need not be footnoted; however, all facts or information obtained in reading or research that are not common knowledge among students in the course must be acknowledged.

In addition to materials specifically cited in the text, only materials that contribute to one's general understanding of the subject may be acknowledged in the bibliography. Plagiarism can, in some cases, be a subtle issue. Any questions about what constitutes plagiarism should be discussed with the faculty member.

E. Denying others access to information or material
It is a violation of academic integrity to deny others access to scholarly resources, or to deliberately impede the progress of another student or scholar. Examples of offenses of this type include: giving other students false or misleading information; making library material unavailable to others by stealing or defacing books or journals, or by deliberately misplacing or destroying reserve materials; or altering computer files that belong to another.

F. Proprietary/Confidential Information
Related to academic integrity is the unauthorized use without written permission of proprietary and/or confidential information in any school assignment.

G. Human and Animal Subjects
Research involving human beings requires review and approval of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the Protection of Human Subjects and informed written consent. Research involving the use of animals requires review and approval by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).  

III Academic Integrity Infractions and Consequences

Any violation of academic honesty is a serious offense and is therefore subject to an appropriate penalty. Faculty may address instances of student academic dishonesty in their classes under their authority to evaluate and assign grades, even if the consequences exceed those written below. They may also refer the incident for further action, utilizing university procedures that can document repeat offenders and adjust consequences accordingly. Those who refer instances of academic dishonesty for further action can do so through Student Conduct process, initiating action by completing a report found at www.umassd.edu/studentaffairs/studentconductanddisputeresolution/ or at MyUMassDðQuick LaunchðUniversity ResourcesðCampus SystemsðReport Academic IntegrityViolation

Violations at UMass Dartmouth are classified into three levels according to the nature of the infraction. For each level of violation a corresponding set of sanctions is recommended. Faculty, Deans, staff in the Office of Student Conduct and Dispute Resolution, or others involved in adjudicating incidents are not bound by these illustrations, which are intended as general guidelines for the academic community. Since adherence to a code of conduct can be seen as a function of socialization into the group whose norms are reflected in such a code, culpability may be assessed differentially for those with more and less experience as members of the academic community; thus, violations of academic integrity by graduate students will presumably be penalized more severely than violations by first semester first year students. Examples are cited below for each level of violation. These examples, too, are illustrations and should not be considered all-inclusive.

Level One Infraction

Infraction:

Plagiarism:    The student represents the work of another as his/her own in a limited academic exercise, or in a limited or minor portion (1-2 instances) of a larger exercise, and the faculty member believes this is not an accidental act by the student.
Cheating:       Working with another student on a laboratory or other homework assignment when such work is prohibited.

 
Consequences:

• 
  Letter to student in lieu of formal process* and the faculty member’s choice of the following consequences:
  •    redo the work to be graded without prejudice
  •    redo the work with a lowered grade for the work
  •    failing grade for the work
  
  *student may request formal process
• Letter to student in lieu of formal process* and the faculty member’s choice of the following additional consequences:
  •    redo the work while still receiving a failing grade for the work
  •    failing grade for course
  
   *student may request a formal process

Level Two Infraction

Infraction:

Plagiarism:    The student represents the work of another as his/her own in any academic exercise for a major portion (consistently throughout the assignment, > 50%); a Level 1 violation by a student who already has committed one or more Level 1 infractions.
Cheating:       Copying on exams; using prohibited materials such as calculators or notes during exams; and/or collaborating before an exam to develop methods of exchanging information during an exam.

Consequences:

Level Three Infraction

Infraction:

Plagiarism:    The student represents the work of another in its entirety (whether purchased or obtained by other means) as his/her own in any academic work; a Level 2 violation by a student who already has committed one or more Level 2 infractions.
Cheating:       Infractions of academic honesty in ways similar to criminal activity such as forging a grade form, stealing an examination from a professor or from a university office, or buying an examination.

Consequences:

• Referral for Student Conduct Process, with recommendation for a minimum of a one semester suspension up to and including dismissal from the university.

Appropriate Evidence

Faculty who apply penalties for academic dishonesty, or refer the matter to the Student Conduct and Dispute Resolution Office, should maintain copies of documents or other evidence that led to the charge of academic dishonesty and have this material available for inspection if required in an appeal. Examples: material printed from the internet (or derived from other sources) that is substantially the same as work submitted by the student or written work in which the voice, usage, diction, and/or sentence structure are significantly different from the rest of the student’s work (especially an observed writing sample). Records should also be kept of contacts with the student regarding the matter.

Process of Adjudication

1.     Level 1 and Level 2 offenses may be handled between the student and the faculty member, utilizing the Incident Report Form. The student has the option to avoid a formal Investigation/Administrative Review. Faculty or staff members empowered to conduct the student conduct process shall be designated by the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs or designee.

2.    Level 3 offenses will include the generation of an Incident Report, but students are encouraged to use the full Student Conduct process, since the recommendation for a level 3 offense is a minimum of a one semester suspension.

3.    Actions at any Level may be appealed.

IV Additional Consequences of Violating the Academic Integrity Policy

Students committing acts of academic dishonesty not only face university discipline but run a serious risk of harming their future educational and employment opportunities. Prospective employers and other educational institutions frequently use recommendation forms that ask for judgment and comment on an individual's moral or ethical behavior. In all cases in which a grade of "F" is assigned for disciplinary reasons, moreover, the "F" will remain on the student's transcript, even if the course is retaken and a passing grade is achieved.

* This policy is substantively derived from the “Policy on Academic Integrity for Undergraduate and Graduate Students” of Rutgers University, available online through the Teaching Excellence Center of Rutgers University (http:/teachx.rutgers.edu).

 

 

 

 

 

 

---