Approved by: Academic Affairs
History:
Related Policies:
Related Forms, Procedures and References:
For Questions Contact: Office of Academic Affairs | 414.382.6121
Definitions Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct refers to any act(s) in which: a) a student seeks to claim credit for work conducted or authored by another individual as their own without approval or appropriate citation; b) a student fabricates or falsifies data or information or academic records of any kind; c) a student falsely represents their performance on academic work; and/or d) assists other students with any of these acts. Alverno College, through its courses and policies, will work to help students understand academic misconduct and the potential implications for engaging in any such acts. However, it is the responsibility of the student to know and understand these definitions and potential consequences as it pertains to academic misconduct in all of their courses.
Academic Misconduct Process
The Academic Misconduct process at Alverno is structured as an educational process, building in wherever possible elements of restorative justice (focusing on a repair of harm) so as to align the disciplinary process with the Mission and Values of the institution. A faculty member who believes a student has committed academic misconduct should consider ways in which a student can be educated and informed about the harm committed, and ought to consider ways wherever appropriate in which the student can be involved in creating a restorative approach to harm done through the misconduct. This restorative, educational approach may also carry additional sanctions as determined appropriate. These sanctions may include: a) verbal and/or written reprimand; b) failure of an assignment; and/or c) failure of a course. In extreme or repeated cases, sanctions may result in a student being removed from a program of study and/or dismissed from the College.
If a faculty member believes a student may have engaged in academic misconduct, the faculty member must first discuss the matter with the student. The faculty member should provide the student with a copy of the academic misconduct and appeals process as part of this discussion. After the alleged misconduct has been discussed with the student, if the instructor concludes that misconduct occurred, the instructor may impose an appropriate sanction that might include: a letter of reprimand that will be copied to the student’s academic file; a repeat or replacement assignment; and/or an unsatisfactory designation for, and removal from, the course. The faculty member must inform the student in writing of the decision and sanction, reminding the student of their rights and the appeal process. Any or all sanctions applied can be appealed by the student. Students can initiate the appeal process by contacting the Office of Academic Affairs. Sanctions must be appealed in writing to the Office of Academic Affairs within ten (10) working days of the student’s notification, after which time the sanction will become final.
If, after discussing the incident with the student, the instructor considers the academic misconduct particularly egregious, or if the offense constitutes the second time in which the student has engaged in academic misconduct, additional sanction(s) may be sought that include removal from the student’s program of study and/or dismissal from the College. In such cases, the faculty member and/or program director will inform the Dean of the School in which the program of study resides, and the Dean will appoint an Investigative Officer (IO) from the faculty. The IO is responsible for reviewing all relevant information pertaining to the allegation, and meeting with the student to discuss the findings and recommended sanction. If, after that meeting, a student accepts responsibility for the misconduct and the sanction imposed, the IO will impose appropriate sanction(s). The student will be notified of the sanctions in writing within ten (10) working days of the final determination. The written notification will also be sent to the faculty member who discovered the misconduct, the director of the program of study in which the student is enrolled, the Dean of Students, the Dean of the School in which the student’s program is housed, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. If the student does not accept responsibility for the misconduct, or does not accept the proposed sanction, the student may appeal the decision in writing to the Office of Academic Affairs. Please see “Academic Misconduct Appeal Process.”
If a student is found to be in violation of a third act of academic misconduct during their academic career at Alverno College, it will result in automatic dismissal from the College.
All records of disciplinary actions are maintained as part of a student’s academic record by the Dean of Students, or by an appropriately designated Student Affairs Officer.
Academic Misconduct Appeal Process
A student who believes they have been wrongfully charged with academic misconduct, or believes that an imposed sanction has been misapplied, has the right to appeal academic misconduct decisions. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic advisors, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean of Students, or an appropriately designated Student Affairs Officer to discuss any questions they might have about the appeal process.
Reapplication Following Academic Suspension or Dismissal
If a student is dismissed from the College and/or a program of study, the student may apply for readmission into the College and/or program of study after a one year suspension. Reapplication does not guarantee readmission. Reapplication decisions will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine the appropriateness of readmission, and should focus on, among any other relevant consideration, whether a student has demonstrated necessary learning about their actions and has a plan of action to avoid future academic misconduct.
Definitions Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct refers to any act(s) in which: a) a student seeks to claim credit for work conducted or authored by another individual as their own without approval or appropriate citation; b) a student fabricates or falsifies data or information or academic records of any kind; c) a student falsely represents her performance on academic work; and/or d) assists other students with any of these acts. Alverno College, through its courses and policies, will work to help students understand academic misconduct and the potential implications for engaging in any such acts. However, it is the responsibility of the student to know and understand these definitions and potential consequences as it pertains to academic misconduct in all of their courses.
Academic Misconduct Process
Graduate programs have a clearly defined academic misconduct appeals process in their graduate program handbooks. These processes provide any necessary, specific requirements related to academic misconduct and the graduate program of study. These might include definitions, defined process for consideration and appeal within their program. It is the responsibility of each student to know and understand what constitutes academic misconduct within their program of study, and to avoid any conduct that would be in violation of these expectations and standards. In the absence of an explicit policy, the graduate program will follow the stated academic misconduct process of the college found within the Alverno College Student Handbook: Academic Misconduct Process.
POLICY:
Alverno College nursing students are exposed to a variety of learning strategies. In some courses, faculty require students to complete assignments and/or assessments in collaborative small group work sessions; in others, students are required to complete assignments and/or assessments independently. Each approach offers unique opportunities for student learning and both can be stimulating and rewarding. All students are expected to assume personal responsibility for the completion and submission of coursework in accordance with faculty instruction and sound academic principles. This means that as a matter of personal and professional integrity, the student stands behind their coursework completed as a contributing member of a team when collaborative work is required; likewise, the student stands behind their coursework completed as the individual who thought it through and carried it out when independent work is required.
It is expected that JMSNHP students consistently demonstrate personal and professional integrity in all academic endeavors and nursing practice, including, but not limited to, the honest completion of course assignments, assessments, and required forms as well as the honest accounting of practicum experiences and hours, and the honest documentation of client health information in the medical health record. In contrast, academic misconduct is rooted in fraudulence. Some examples of academic misconduct include cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation, fabrication, and falsification. In all its forms, the academic misconduct of a student constitutes a serious breach in personal and professional integrity. Any student engaged in academic misconduct of any type is in jeopardy of being dismissed from their program of study, the JMSNHP, and the College.
Cheating. Cheating is dishonest behavior. Examples of cheating include: taking credit for all or part of an assignment that was completed by someone else; copying the answers of another person in the completion of a quiz, assignment, or learning assessment; accessing or using unauthorized resources or concealed information in the completion of an assignment, quiz, or assessment; providing unauthorized information about an assignment, quiz, or assessment to a peer; submitting the same assignment (e.g., a written paper) in more than one course without obtaining explicit prior permission to do so from all course faculty involved; and completing an online assessment in a manner or environment other than that prescribed by the course faculty (e.g., accessing and completing an online assessment off campus when faculty have directed it is to be completed on campus). Students may not have notes, a cellular phone, or any other mechanism on their person during an assessment that could be used to access unauthorized information to cheat or assist other students in cheating on an assessment.
Plagiarism. It is expected that JMSNHP students consistently attribute knowledge to its primary source in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the most current edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA). Plagiarism is the use of intellectual material without acknowledging its source. Whether deliberate or not, direct word-for-word transcribed plagiarism and mosaic plagiarism (substituting synonyms for another author’s words while maintaining the same general sentence structure and meaning) constitute academic misconduct. Self-plagiarism (submitting previously completed coursework [all or part] as new scholarship in a subsequent course) also constitutes academic misconduct. All forms of plagiarism enacted by a student warrant dismissal from their program of study, the JMSNHP, and the College.
Misrepresentation, Fabrication, and Falsification. Claiming ideas/work that is essentially someone else’s constitutes misrepresentation. Failure to identify oneself honestly in any personal or professional situation also constitutes misrepresentation. Representing fabricated or altered information as legitimate constitutes falsification. Like cheating and plagiarism, misrepresentation, fabrication, and falsification are legitimate bases for dismissal from all nursing programs, the JMSNHP, and the College. Some examples of academic misconduct by misrepresentation, fabrication, and falsification include:
The academic misconduct process at Alverno is structured as an educational process, building in wherever possible, elements of restorative justice (focusing on a repair of harm) so as to align the disciplinary process with the Mission and Values of the institution. A faculty member who believes a student has committed academic misconduct should consider ways in which a student can be educated and informed about the harm committed, and ought to consider ways wherever appropriate in which the student can be involved in creating a restorative approach to harm done through the misconduct. This restorative, educational approach may also carry additional sanctions as determined appropriate. These sanctions may include a verbal and/or written reprimand, failure of an assignment and/or failure of a course. In particularly egregious or second acts of academic misconduct, sanctions may result in a student being removed from their program of study and/or dismissed from the College. A student’s violation of a third act of academic misconduct during their academic career at Alverno College, results in automatic dismissal from the College.
All records of disciplinary actions resulting from academic misconduct are maintained as part of a student’s academic record by the Dean of Students, or by an appropriately designated Officer of the Department of Student Development and Success.
PROCEDURE:
First Level of Appeal: If the student does not accept GNAAs decision or is not satisfied that that due process was fully or properly applied, they have a right to appeal. In that case, the student submits a letter of appeal to the Dean of the JMSNHP within 10 working days of receiving GNAA’s decision.
Upon receipt of the student’s letter of appeal, the Dean launches an investigation, and within 5 working days, offers the student an opportunity to present their perspective in writing or via a 1:1 meeting. The Dean also meets with the course faculty, and GNAA as appropriate. The Dean carefully considers the findings of their investigation and renders a decision, which is communicated to the student, in writing, within 10 working days of that decision. The Dean is also responsible for notifying the course faculty, UGNAA or GNAA Chair (as appropriate), Chair of Undergraduate or Graduate Nursing (as appropriate), Chair of the Graduate Council (if appropriate), Dean of Students, and the Office of the Registrar.
Second Level of Appeal: If the student does not accept the Dean’s determination or is not satisfied that due process was fully or properly applied, they have the right to appeal. In that case, the student submits a letter of appeal to the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA). The second and final level of appeal is not intended to reconsider the substance of the case. Instead, third level of appeal is designed to ensure that fairness and due process has been properly applied, and that the established process has been properly followed. The appeal letter from the student to the VPAA should directly and explicitly address where the student believes there has been a violation of due process or where there has been an act of either an arbitrary or capricious nature that has resulted in a wrongful decision. The VPAA may follow-up with the student, course faculty, UGNAA or GNAA Chair (as appropriate), Chair of Undergraduate or Graduate Nursing (as appropriate), and/or the Dean.
If the VPAA determines that the appeal lacks sufficient warrant or justification based on the available evidence, the VPAA will notify the student in writing of their decision within 10 working days of that decision. The VPAA is also responsible for notifying the course faculty, UGNAA or GNAA Chair (as appropriate), Chair of Undergraduate or Graduate Nursing (as appropriate), Chair of the Graduate Council (if appropriate), Dean of Students, and the Office of the Registrar.
If the VPAA determines that due process has not been properly afforded to a student for any reason, the unsatisfactory progress code may be overturned. Prior to overturning any decision made by the Dean of JMSNHP, the VPAA must consult with the Dean of the JMSNHP, Chair of UGNAA or GNAA as appropriate, or UGNAA or GNAA as appropriate to discuss where there is a perceived problem and the appropriate recourse to remedy the issue. All decisions made by the VPAA are final.
Plagiarism and Misrepresentation of Authorship
Throughout the MS in Community Psychology program, students are exposed to a variety of learning styles. In some classes faculty require students to complete assignments in small group work sessions, while in other cases they may require students to complete work on an independent and individual basis. Both experiences can be stimulating and rewarding. However, when submitting work for courses, students must remember their personal responsibility to complete work in accordance with the instruction of teacher and sound academic principles. This means standing behind work as a contributing member of a team when collaborative work is required. It also means standing behind work as the individual who thought it through and carried it out when independent work is required.
When students are required to consult with professionals outside the College or undertake research in the library to gather information necessary for the completion of an assignment, they must reference resources used. Whenever referring to secondary sources, whether for direct quotation or paraphrasing, students must supply clear documentation within generally accepted academic standards. When using another‘s thoughts in the exact words or with some words changed around, the source must be referenced.
Work required to be completed independently does not meet the above requirements if it is more the work of someone else than that of the person who claims it. To claim work that is essentially someone else‘s constitutes misrepresentation. Failure to document sources of information constitutes plagiarism. When such cases come to the attention of faculty, a department or division faculty committee will review the situation and make a recommendation to the department or division regarding the necessity of disciplinary action. After the committee reviews the situation, they may recommend that the student receive an unsatisfactory in the course for which the work was required, an assignment of a new equivalent assignment, and dismissal from the College or other disciplinary action.
GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE—Avoid Plagiarism
Learning the appropriate academic procedures for citing sources will not only help you in writing your papers within the academic setting, it will also help you to be accurate about the sources of ideas in writing and speaking within your work setting. Giving others credit for their ideas is a basic writing guideline. Such practice keeps you honest, by allowing you to reflect on the ideas of another and to add or integrate your own thoughts with the deliberate support of other authors. Citing sources correctly also helps your reader to follow your own thinking and to understand the evidence that supports your thoughts. You too may find that being able to find a reference based on how someone else talked about them in an article or paper is a very helpful process.
The same guidelines apply to giving a speech, poster-project, or other form of presentation. PowerPoint, slides, posters and other visual materials need to be properly referenced, and your thinking needs to be distinguished from the thoughts and ideas of others.
Plagiarism is, in essence, the taking of someone else‘s thoughts and words and representing them as your own. It is seen as an offense to both the original author of those thoughts and words as well as an offense to your reader, who potentially could confuse the thoughts of the original author with those of someone representing those thoughts as their own.
If you use someone else‘s words, you must use the proper quotation format. For short quotations, that means quotation marks and a reference with page number. For longer quotations, that means a hanging indent, and a reference with page number. Be sure to consult your APA manual 6 th Edition. (Remember when you paraphrase, you give the author‘s name and date of the publication. When you quote, you must also include the quotation marks and the page number where you found the quote.)
If you have a question about the format of a specific citation, first consult your APA Manual, 7th Edition. If after considerable effort in trying to resolve your question you are still in need of assistance, bring your question to your instructor or advisor, along with your specific work with the APA Manual and show them exactly where your confusion lies. They will help you address your specific concern. In the end however, you will be held responsible for representing yourself and others in an appropriate manner.
Tell It Like It Is—Avoid Misrepresentation
When students work with other author‘s ideas, it is imperative these ideas are accurately referenced. If, for example, an author is presenting several alternatives to a particular dilemma, it is important for students to indicate the range of alternatives the author offers, rather than simply picking the one students like the best and presenting it as if it were the author‘s only idea. To single out a sentence or paragraph that suits students' own purposes but does not represent the author‘s train of thought is considered misrepresentation.
Talk Your Own Talk—Avoid Plagiarizing Another Student‘s Work
A student may be dismissed from the program if they use the work of another student as their own. This includes using papers that have been published on the internet, written by a student in this or another college or university, or written by a former student.
Be Discreet About Repeat—Avoid Self-Plagiarism
Self-plagiarism is the practice of using a paper that is written in one class to complete the requirements for a different class or project. Students who are planning to use a part of a paper that is already written in another class should consult the instructor to see if the part of the paper is suitable material for the class presently taking. If students do not obtain appropriate permission for building on work from another class, or if they submit a duplicate paper from another class to meet an assessment requirement, they may fail the project, the assessment and jeopardize standing in the program.
Walk The Walk In Order To Talk the Talk—Maintain Responsibility for Your Work within Groups
Students are expected to be appropriately responsible for their work within a group project setting. This includes attending mutually agreed-upon group meetings, completing mutually-agreed upon assignments and carrying their weight in the writing of a group paper or the implementation of a group presentation. Students who fail to maintain group member responsibilities may fail the group project assignment and dismissed from the class.
Resources Consulted: