General Statement of Policy
Academic integrity is highly valued at St. Cloud Technical & Community College and throughout higher education. Maintaining academic integrity is the responsibility of every member of the college community: faculty, staff, administrators and students. The objective of this policy and procedure is to ensure that the highest level of respect for intellectual achievement is maintained at every level of college life and across all modes of learning, whether in class, online, at home, or during collaboration with other students, faculty or staff. Respect for intellectual achievement is upheld through the principles of honesty, fairness and due process established in this policy and procedure.
Definitions
Academic Integrity: The production and submission of work as the honest representation of the individual’s own intellectual effort.
Examples of maintaining academic integrity consist of the creation of the student’s own class assignments, proper citation of sources of information, truthful recording of lab results, utilizing only those tools and materials permitted by the instructor, and respecting and not interfering with the work of other students.
Academic Integrity Violation: a breach or infraction of this policy.
The following actions are considered violations:
- Cheating
- The use of unauthorized assistance when taking course quizzes or exams.
- Unauthorized assistance may consist of the use of textbooks or notes; getting assistance from or providing assistance to others; using artificial intelligence, search engines, a calculator, or any other tool or resources not permitted by the instructor.
- Plagiarism
- The use of another person’s work through summary, paraphrase or direct quote without proper acknowledgement.
- The purchase or solicitation of academic work.
- The use of a paper you have/had written for another class without permission from your current instructor(s).
- Fabrication
- Creating fake results in an experiment, paper or clinical report. Otherwise, “making up” something that is presented as true, factual, or real.
- Collusion
- A formal or informal agreement by two or more individuals to commit an act of academic dishonesty.
A student who assists another student in the act of academic dishonesty is equally subject to discipline.
Faculty are responsible for articulating what is considered academic dishonesty in their syllabi. Faculty are required to include the Academic Affairs & Standards Council approved Academic Integrity Statement in their syllabi. The statement can be found on the College’s syllabus template.
S3.28.1 Academic Integrity Procedure
Sanctions and Appeals for Academic Integrity Violations
The goal of the Academic Integrity Procedure is to ensure a fair and timely resolution to allegations of academic dishonesty. Sanctions for academic integrity violations will follow procedures outlined in S3.26.1: Student Code of Conduct Procedure.
When an instructor identifies an academic integrity concern, they will consult with the student and communicate the nature of the allegation of the Academic Integrity Policy violation to the student. If the instructor determines a violation is likely to have occurred, they submit the Academic Integrity Incident Report and enact the consequences outlined in the course syllabus. Student conduct will record this incident. Students will be informed of the allegation and provided with information to appeal. In addition, the following actions will be taken:
On a first violation, the consultation between the student and faculty member is the primary educational mechanism. The Student Conduct Office will issue a written warning to the student, pending any appeal. The communication will include information about resources to support the student in avoiding an incident in the future such as the Library and Mary Stangler Center for Academic Success.
On a second violation, the Student Conduct Office will place a hold on the student’s account. The student will be required to complete a training that, at a minimum, addresses the observed behavior(s) but may also address other forms of academic dishonesty.
If reports are received after a second violation is upheld, the student will be required to meet with the Student Conduct Office. The staff will recommend a sanction according to Policy S3.26 Student Code of Conduct and create a development plan with the student to address the observed behaviors.
The Student Conduct Office may recommend sanctions according to Policy S3.26 Student Code of Conduct on first or second violations if their severity warrants it. In such cases, the process for a third or subsequent violation will be followed.
Appeals
Students may submit an appeal for an academic integrity violation. To ensure timely resolutions, appeals should be submitted within two weeks of the student being notified of an allegation. Appeals received later than that will still be considered. Students should continue to complete coursework while an appeal is being considered.
The appeal process will be the same regardless of the number of prior violations. When a student files an appeal, they will meet with the Student Conduct Office to discuss the circumstances. The Student Conduct Office will review the information provided, follow up with the faculty who filed the report as needed, and determine what action will be taken. When a first or second violation is upheld, the outcome is that described above. On a third violation, a sanction will be determined according to S3.26 Student Code of Conduct. If the student disagrees with the outcome, they may request a hearing to review the matter. The hearing committee will consist of the Student Conduct Officer as a facilitator, two faculty, and an administrator. The hearing committee will review the allegations in a meeting with the student. The two faculty and the administrator will vote to approve or deny the appeal. If the appeal is denied, the committee will recommend a sanction according to S3.26 Student Code of Conduct.
Approved appeals at any stage will result in the violation being noted as reported but not upheld and will not count toward the number of violations.
Faculty have broad authority to grade student work, and grading actions and disciplinary actions are separate matters. Faculty exercise their judgement to evaluate student performance and to make determinations about the quality of student work. When an academic integrity appeal is approved, the faculty member will be informed. Faculty are encouraged to consider how the outcome of an approved appeal informs their ability to evaluate the student’s work. If the faculty member upholds the original penalty and the student disagrees with the final grade issued in the course, the student may file a grade appeal according to Policy S3.21 Assigning and Changing Grades Policy.