Faculty/Staff Information Resources : Student Conduct : IUPUI

IUPUI Guidelines for Dealing with Student Academic Misconduct

Introduction

IUPUI exists to promote the intellectual and ethical growth of students. As an institution with these high goals, IUPUI must foster the best possible environment for teaching and learning, one that is based upon mutual respect and upon clear expectations of one another within the community of teachers and learners. This Guide is designed to state these expectations explicitly and to outline procedures for dealing with failures to meet high standards of academic conduct.

Expectations of Faculty

The faculty member should:

Maintain a clear connection between the advance description and the conduct and content of each course presented.
Clearly state the course goals in materials handed out at the first class meeting.
Clearly inform students in writing at the beginning of the course of the testing and grading system to be used. These systems should intellectually justifiable and consistent with the rules and regulations of the academic division.
Plan and use class time with an awareness of its value for every student.
Announce class attendance policy at the first class meeting and meet class regularly.
Clearly stat the level of collaboration that is allowed on every class assignment.
Be available to discuss course content or grading with students throughout a course.
Write examinations consistent with course goals and content presented in class or within clearly assigned readings.
Maintain security of all examinations before, during and after it has been given.
Protect honest students by monitoring the examination process.
Post a key only after all students have completed the examination.
Assign final grades consistent with the student's academic performance according to the guidelines established when the course began.
Maintain and demand a professional tone in dealing with students in or out of class.

Expectations of Students

Students must participate in the learning process in a serious and conscientious manner and respect the rights of other members of the learning community.
Students are responsible for class attendance and completion of assignments on time.
Students should be prepared for and participate in classroom activities. In that context, students have the right to raise issues relevant to classroom discussion, to offer reasonable doubts about data presented, and to express alternative opinions to those being discussed without concern for academic penalty.
Students must read all course materials, including the syllabus and description of the grading and testing systems to be used in the course.
Students must refrain from all academic misconduct and avoid situations giving the appearance of misconduct.
Students will report to the instructor any observed academic misconduct.

What is Academic Misconduct?

The Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct lists six categories of academic misconduct. The activities are defined and discussed below.

Cheating is when a student uses or attempts to use unauthorized materials, student aids, or information in any academic exercise. Some examples of cheating are:

Using an aid on an "in-class" or "take-home" examination when these aids have not been authorized by the course instructor.
Having another person take an examination or quiz in place of the student.
Stealing examinations or otherwise gaining unauthorized prior access to the examination content.
Submitting research or papers prepared by others as the student's own original work.
Using the work of a group as the student's individual work.
Using assistance in a laboratory, on a computer terminal, or for field work when this assistance has not been authorized by the course instructor.
Using substantial parts of the same academic work for credit or honors more than once without the permission of the instructor.
Attempting to gain a re-grading of a returned examination the student has altered after consulting a posted key or after discussion of the answers with others.

Fabrication is when a student falsifies or invents information or data in an academic assignment. Some examples include:

Allowing another student to copy answers on examinations.
Writing a paper for another student.

Facilitating academic dishonesty is when a student aids or attempts to aid another student in committing academic misconduct. Examples of such activities might be:

Allowing another student to copy answers on examinations.
Writing a paper for another student.

Interference is when a student prevents another student's work from being completed or evaluated properly. Examples might include:

Stealing or changing another student's work before it is evaluated.
Destroying another student's work.
Stealing or defacing shared necessary resources to deprive others of their use.
Offering bribes or favors to affect a grade or an evaluation of academic work.
Making threats to affect a grade or an evaluation of academic work.

Plagiarism is when a student uses ideas, words or statements of another person without giving credit to that person. Examples could include:

Presenting the ideas, opinions or theories of others as your own.
Using another person's exact words without proper citation.
Using facts, statistics, tables, or figures from existing sources without proper citation.

Violation of course rules is when a student fails to abide by the rules stated in the curse syllabus when those rules are related to course content or to enhancement of the learning process in the course. Examples of common violations include:

Working with a group when a project is intended to be for each individual.
Using unauthorized materials for examinations or projects.

As a Faculty Member, what do I do if I discover Academic Misconduct?

Read the referral form included with this Guide and consult the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct to clarify your options.
Fill out the sections of the Faculty Disposition form describing the incident.
Confront the student whom you suspect of academic misconduct, the consequences to the student, and the process by which the student may appeal.
Complete and sign the Faculty Disposition.
Give the student an opportunity to read the referral form and to sign it.
Send the referral form, signed by all parties, to the appropriate Dean of Students.

As a student, what do I do if I am accused of Academic Misconduct?

Remain calm and listen carefully to the description of the incident or ask to read the description from the referral form.
Clearly and calmly describe the incident from your point of view.
Ask what penalties the faculty member plans to assign.
Ask when the completed referral form will be available to you for signature.
Consult the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct to clarify your options.
Decide, either alone or with the advice of a trusted confidant, whether you will accept the decision of the faculty member or whether you wish to appeal.
If you decide to appeal, ask when the referral form will be sent to the Dean of Students Office and make sure you know which office has responsibility for your referral. Undergraduates are referred to Tralicia Lewis (274-4431) and graduate students are referred to Sherry Queener (274-4023).

IUPUI Guidelines for Dealing with Disruptive Student Conduct

Introduction

IUPUI is an intellectual community dedicated to creating an environment in which individuals can succeed. Each person is important. When one of our members is prevented from doing his or her best, the entire community is diminished. As an institution of higher learning, we must foster the best possible environment for doing our work as educators, learners, and supporters of the educational process. Therefore we are committed to the following: a) providing appropriate protection for freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, b) enhancing the opportunities for students to attain their educational objectives, c) creating and maintaining an intellectual and educational atmosphere throughout the University, and d) protecting the health, safety, welfare, property, and human rights of all members of the University and the property of the University itself.

University Conduct Policies

All students are expected to be in compliance with the IUPUI Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct. These procedures serve only as clarification of that portion defining disruptive conduct.

Expectations

IUPUI strives to maintain a spirit of civility in a community in which diversity is welcomed. Every student, staff, and faculty member plays a significant role in promoting an environment that is conducive to academic excellence by fostering a climate of civility and mutual respect. In all circumstances it is expected that everyone will act with respect for one another. Difference of opinion and dissent are ordinarily thought of as disagreement or debate. They are not "disruptive conduct" as long as they do not infringe upon the rights of others or interfere with the teaching/learning process in an academic setting. As a community which values the uniqueness of people, behavior which is thought of as "different" or "unusual," is not "disruptive behavior" unless it infringes upon the rights of others or seriously interferes with the teaching/learning process in an academic setting. The IUPUI instructional program is based on the premise that students enrolled at IUPUI are entitled to receive instruction free from interference by other students. When students are admitted to IUPUI, they accept the responsibility to conform to all IUPUI rules and regulations. Students are expected to comply by conducting themselves in an orderly and cooperative manner.

The following procedures will assist faculty and staff in the event they face misconduct problems in any university setting.

Guidelines

These procedures are intended to promote academic excellence in an atmosphere of freedom and to protect the collective commitment to mutual respect in the university community. In applying these procedures, a common sense approach is recommended and, above all, the safety of everyone involved should be of the utmost concern. When disruptive conduct occurs, the primary objective is to address the immediate problem and restore order to the classroom, office, or other academic setting. Faculty, staff, and other university officials have latitude to take appropriate action as they deem necessary to maintain a positive learning environment, including asking the disruptive student to leave the classroom.

Definitions

Academic Setting is defined as:
A classroom, office, laboratory, library, or field experience site where instruction, advising, or service occurs.

Disruptive conduct is defined as:

posing a significant threat of danger and/or physical harm to oneself or to other members of the university community.
unreasonably interfering with the rights of other students, staff, and/or faculty of the University, or interfering with the exercise of any activity or function of the University.

Examples of Disruptive Conduct
The following behaviors are among those considered to be personal misconduct as defined in the IUPUI Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct. This list is not intended to be all inclusive.
1. Behavior which is disorderly, lewd or indecent, or a breach of the peace, or the aiding, abetting, or procuring another person to breach the peace on University premises, at functions sponsored by the University, or in which the University participates.
2. Behavior which results in the destruction of property is the intentional or reckless damaging, destroying, defacing of, or tampering with university property or the property of any person or business on campus.
3. Behavior that unreasonably infringes upon, or impedes the teaching or learning process, intentionally and unreasonably interferes with normal classroom procedure or presentations of the instructor or student(s) and/or interferes with research, administration or other university or university-authorized activity.
4. Failure to comply with directions of authorized University officials, students serving in a staff capacity, police or any other law enforcement officers in the performance of their duties.
5. Failure to identify oneself when requested to do so by authorized University officials, students serving in a staff capacity, police or any other law enforcement officers in the performance of their duties.
6. Intentionally inflicting harm upon any person by any reckless, but not accidental action from which harm could reasonably be expected to result to any person or by causing a person to fear that the offender may cause harm.
7. Obstruction of the free flow of pedestrian or vehicular traffic on University premises or at Universitysupervised or sponsored functions.
8. Physical abuse, threats of harm, coercion and/or other conduct which threatens or endangers the health or safety of any person or causes a person to believe that the offender may cause harm.
9. Possession of dangerous weapons: "Possession of firearms or other weapons on university property contrary to law; possession or display of any firearm on university property frequented by the public, except in the course of an authorized activity; possession of weapons in residence halls on university property in violation of residence hall rules; and intentional possession on university property of a dangerous article or substance as a potential weapon " (excerpted from the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, P. 30, #13).
Procedures for Responding to Disruptive Conduct
1. What should university personnel do in the event they encounter disruptive conduct?
  1. Remain calm. Determine whether to speak with the student immediately or wait until after class or the conclusion of the activity. If you do speak to the student immediately, ask the student to refrain from the conduct in concrete terms (e.g., "please lower your voice" or "please sit in your chair").
  2. In the event of repetitive disruptive conduct, talk with the student in a more private setting; ask the student to explain the reasons for his/her conduct. Do not engage the student in a debate. If the conduct is serious, or you feel uncomfortable meeting alone, it is recommended that you have an observer (e.g., the Student Advocate) with you when this meeting occurs.
  3. Talk with the student in a professional and courteous manner about the situation that is creating the disruption. Attempt to reach resolution in concrete terms that will restore a positive learning environment.
  4. Indicate that if there is recurrence of the conduct, you will enlist the aid of others to stop the conduct and that the conduct may be subject to disciplinary proceedings of the university.
  5. If the student does not comply or if the student is violent or threatening, ask the student to leave the classroom or academic setting. If the student refuses, tell someone in the immediate vicinity to call for assistance from the Campus Police. Ask if someone has a cellular phone to use or direct them to use the emergency telephone located in all elevators. You may also consider removing yourself and others from the situation. Campus Police, 274-7911.
2. Documentation of the incident
  It is extremely important, early in the process, to document the incident and discuss the situation with your unit head or your school's dean of students. If this is a repeated or serious incident, report it to the unit head and to the IUPUI Dean of Students. (Sample reporting form is attached) Policy Passed by IUPUI Faculty Council on February 4, 1999.