Academic Honesty Policy

OVERVIEW

Academic honesty is a fundamental part of learning and teaching and a core value of the University of Adelaide. The University takes the view that all academic dishonesty is unacceptable and this policy aims to uphold the standards of ethics and integrity embodied in the Student Charter and expected of all students.

The University aims to produce graduates with strong ethical foundations capable of applying the principles of academic honesty at University and beyond in their professional and personal lives. The University intends to teach students the principles of academic honesty and provide the skills and resources required for successful learning. Academic dishonesty undermines the University's core values and the learning experience.

This policy sets out the principles on which the University's approach to academic dishonesty is based and the commitment and responsibility required of both the University and its students to foster a culture of honesty and integrity in order to provide the best possible environment for learning and teaching.

Key principles:

a) Assessment is an aid to learning and involves obligations on the part of students to make it effective.

b) Academic honesty is an essential component of teaching, learning and research and is fundamental to the very nature of universities.

c) Academic writing is evidence-based, and the ideas and work of others must be acknowledged and not claimed or presented as one's own, either deliberately or unintentionally.

SCOPE

This policy applies to all students enrolled in a course at the University. It applies to students previously enrolled, not currently enrolled and students on any form of leave from their program where the event forming the basis of the allegation occurred while they were enrolled or is directly related to their enrolment. It does not apply to students enrolled at other institutions even if the teaching and/or marking is provided by the University.

DEFINITIONS

Assessment task includes any work submitted for assessment including an examination, assignment or other task.

Electronic devices include, but are not limited to, laptop, tablet or handheld computers or readers, calculators, diaries, organisers, portable data storage devices (e.g. disks or memory sticks), mp3 and portable media players, voice recorders, cameras, camera pens, eBook readers, mobile phones and electronic dictionaries.

Examination includes formal examinations, informal examinations and tests.

Examination supervisor is a person designated to supervise students sitting examinations.

Responsible Officer means the Head of the School coordinating the course (or their delegate), or where the course is not convened within a school, the academic manager of the Course Coordinator (or delegate).

Work includes but is not limited to words, data, music, computer code, algorithms or computer code data, calculations, artistic and architectural works, film, video, digital or electronic media designs or ideas, interpretations, computer software, designs, sounds, images, photographs in print or electronic media.

Other definitions are as contained in the University's Glossary of Terms.

1. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Academic dishonesty means seeking to obtain, or, whether intentionally or not, obtaining an unfair academic advantage or assisting another student to do so, and includes but is not limited to:

a) Plagiarism, where students present work for assessment, publication or otherwise that is not their own, without appropriate attribution or reference to the original source. Plagiarism can include:

i. paraphrasing or copying published and unpublished work without a reference;

ii. adopting the ideas or concepts of others, including the structure of an existing analysis without due acknowledgement by way of reference to the original work or source.

b) Collusion, where students present work as independent work when it has in fact been produced in whole or in part with others (including persons external to the University) unless prior permission for joint or collaborative work has been given by the Course Coordinator, as specified in the Course Outline. Collusion can include:

i. a student inappropriately assisting with or accepting assistance with the production of an assessment task;

ii. submitting work which is the same or substantially similar as another student's work for the same assessment task.

c) Cheating, where a student acts in such a way as to seek to gain unfair advantage or assist another student to do so. Cheating can include:

i. submitting falsified, copied or improperly obtained data relating to results of laboratory work, clinical placements, practicums, field trips or other work as if they were genuine; submitting an assessment task with the intention of deceiving or misleading the assessor about the student's contribution to the work;

ii. submitting an assessment task written or answered for the student by another person or which the student has copied from another person;

iii. submitting the same or a substantially similar piece of work for assessment in two different courses (except in accordance with approved study and assessment schemes);

iv. a student falsely indicating that they have been present at an activity where attendance is required;

v. completing an assessment task outside the conditions specified for that task.

d) Cheating in Examinations means engaging in dishonest practice or breaching the rules regarding examinations, which can include:

i. communicating in any way during an examination with any person who is not an examination supervisor inside or outside the examination venue;

ii. giving or accepting assistance from any person who is not an examination supervisor whilst in the examination venue;

iii. reading, copying from or otherwise using another student's work in an examination or knowingly allowing a student to do so;

iv. possessing, referring to or having access to any material or device containing information directly or indirectly related to the subject matter under examination, other than that explicitly approved by the Course Coordinator;

v. acquiring, or attempting to acquire, possess or distribute examination materials or information without approval;

vi. permitting another person to attend an examination on a student's behalf or attending an examination on behalf of another student;

vii. breaches of the attached Examination & Assessment Guidelines.

e) Other dishonest acts including but not limited to:

i. altering or falsifying any document or record for the purposes of gaining academic advantage;

ii. offering or giving money or any item or service to a University staff member or any other person to gain academic advantage for the student or another person;

iii. deliberate attempts to deceive about assessment lodgement times or word counts;

iv. inventing references.

2. IDENTIFYING & REPORTING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

a) As part of the University's procedures for identifying academic dishonesty, work submitted by students for assessment may be subject to testing using text or code comparative software.

b) Students are required to give permission on each submission for their work to be submitted to and retained by the University's plagiarism detection software. The University may refuse to accept any work where the student has not consented to the work being subject to testing using text or code comparison software.

c) Any person may report an allegation of academic dishonesty in writing to the relevant Course Coordinator.

d) Where plagiarism is suspected staff should employ reasonable means to clarify whether the work does contain plagiarism including, but not limited to, the use of plagiarism detection software, web search engines, comparison with other assignments and consultation with colleagues.

e) Where academic dishonesty is suspected staff will collate evidence of the breach and complete a Suspected Academic Dishonesty Incident Form.

f) If a suspected breach occurs during an examination, the examination supervisor will provide the student with an Alleged Breach Notice and complete an Examination Incident Report.

3. PRELIMINARY REVIEW

a) All completed forms and notices will be sent to the Course Coordinator who will conduct a preliminary review to ensure that there is evidence to support the allegation of academic dishonesty.

b) Upon making a positive determination:

i. the allegation will be referred to the Responsible Officer;

ii. the Responsible Officer will notify the student in writing to their University email account (the Notification Letter) within 5 business days of notification of the allegation that an allegation of academic dishonesty has been made against them and will provide details of the alleged breach including the name of the person who made the allegation and the evidence provided;

iii. The Responsible Officer will investigate whether the student has previously breached this policy by establishing whether the student has a record in either the Faculty Academic Dishonesty Register or Central University Academic Dishonesty Register.

c) If there is no case to answer the assessment task will be marked in the usual way.

d) In the event that the Course Coordinator made the allegation the Course Coordinator will complete the required documentation and forward it to the Responsible Officer who will conduct the preliminary review.

4. FORMAL INQUIRY

a) The student will be invited to respond to the allegations at a formal inquiry which will take place within 5-20 business days of the Notification Letter (unless it falls between successive academic teaching periods in which case it will be held as soon as practicable).

b) Students may respond to the allegations in writing or in person (including by video conference or other multimedia if off-campus) or both. Students must notify the University in accordance with the instructions contained in the Notification Letter how they intend to respond to the allegation.

c) Students who wish to respond to the allegations in person are entitled to be accompanied by a support person who may be an Education & Welfare Officer. The support person may not act as a legal representative.

d) In the event that a student does not respond to the allegations in person or in writing the formal inquiry will proceed in their absence.

e) The formal inquiry will be held by the Responsible Officer or, if the student has previously breached this policy and the breach has been recorded in the Central Academic Dishonesty Register, by the Academic Dishonesty Review Committee.

f) The Academic Dishonesty Review Committee will comprise the Responsible Officer, the Course Coordinator, an academic staff member from the same or cognate discipline and an executive officer.

g) The members of the formal inquiry will be entitled to speak to the person who made the allegation and any other person who it considers might help it reach a decision.

h) The formal inquiry members will apply the balance of probabilities test in determining whether academic dishonesty has taken place, and will:

i. apply an open, impartial and unprejudiced mind to their duties;

ii. base findings and recommendations solely on relevant considerations;

iii. maintain confidentiality about all matters before them;

iv. not be involved in a case or have any involvement in the finding and recommendation of a case before them if they have a personal relationship with the student or direct or indirect financial or personal interest in that case, or who otherwise has a conflict of interest in the case, even if they do not believe that their interest would affect their duties.

i) Students will be notified of the outcome of the formal inquiry in writing to their University email account within 5 business days of the formal inquiry.

5. PENALTIES

a) Where the formal inquiry concludes that the academic dishonesty was the result of a genuine misunderstanding of the policy, the student will receive a written warning that future breaches will not be treated as a genuine misunderstanding and the warning will be recorded in the Faculty Academic Dishonesty Register. The following penalties may be imposed:

i. a deduction of up to 10% of the maximum obtainable mark or grade, as applicable (if the assessment task has been marked); or

ii. a mark or re-mark of the assessment task as it stands, taking into account the academic dishonesty; or

iii. the student may be required to re-write the assessment task or sit a replacement examination; and

iv. the student may be referred to counselling on academic honesty by academic staff and be directed to appropriate education resources to improve their academic skills.

b) The first breach occurs when the formal inquiry concludes that there has been no genuine misunderstanding of the requirements of this policy. When making a determination of the penalty to impose for a first breach of this policy, the formal inquiry may take into account the severity of the breach, the extent of the academic advantage obtained and any extenuating circumstances submitted on behalf of the student. A record will be placed in the Central University Academic Dishonesty Register and the penalties that may be imposed at the discretion of the formal inquiry are:

i. a reduction of up to 100% of the available mark; or

ii. the student may be required to re-submit the assessment task or re-sit the examination and the formal inquiry may specify a maximum obtainable mark.

c) The penalty for a second breach is a mark of zero for the assessment task, a Fail Grade for the course and a further record in the Central University Academic Dishonesty Register.

d) The penalty for any subsequent breach is a mark of zero for the assessment task, an overall Fail Grade for the course and a further record in the Central University Academic Dishonesty Register. At the discretion of the formal inquiry and in all instances when a student has 4 or more records on the Central University Academic Dishonesty Register, the case will be referred to the Student Misconduct Tribunal for further action in accordance with the Student Misconduct Rules, which may result in a penalty of suspension or expulsion from the University and/or a fine.

e) Where the student's breach is of a kind that prejudices the interests of other students or the integrity of the assessment scheme itself, the case may, at the discretion of the formal inquiry be referred to the Student Misconduct Tribunal for action in accordance with the Student Misconduct Rules regardless of whether or not the student has previously breached this policy. This may result in a penalty of suspension or expulsion from the University and/or a fine, in addition to any penalty imposed by the formal inquiry.

6. RECORDING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

a) Records placed on the Faculty Academic Dishonesty Register will be destroyed 3 years after graduation or 5 years after the student was last enrolled at the University, whichever is the later. Records are maintained by the faculty's Executive Dean (or delegate). A student's records may only be disclosed to the Responsible Officer when a new allegation of academic dishonesty has been made against the student.

b) Records placed on the Central University Academic Dishonesty Register will be retained for 10 years after the entry was made, or 3 years after the student graduates or 5 years after the student was last enrolled at the University, whichever is the latest, after which time they will be destroyed. Records are maintained by the Student Policy and Appeals Office and the General Manager of Student Services and Administration, and may only be disclosed to the Responsible Officer when a new allegation of academic dishonesty has been made against the student..

c) Students may have access to their records placed on either register by contacting the Student Policy and Appeals Office.

7. CONFIDENTIALITY

a) All investigations of academic dishonesty will remain confidential and all information provided in relation to the allegation will remain confidential and only used for the purpose for which it was provided unless:

i. the student gives their express consent;

ii. the information gives the University reasonable grounds for concern about the security of people or property;

iii. procedural fairness requires the information to be shared;

iv. access to the information is required by law.

8. APPEALS

a) Students have a right to appeal against a finding of academic dishonesty or a penalty received within 20 business days of being notified of the outcome of the formal inquiry in accordance with the University's Student Grievance Resolution Process.

Please use the following URL instead of linking to individual documents:
https://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/230