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| Policy ____ [''Number from Table of Contents''] | | Policy 205 |
| == Introduction == | | == Introduction == |
| Appalachian State University’s Academic Integrity Code is designed to create an atmosphere of trust, respect, fairness, honesty, and responsibility. The Academic Integrity Code outlines “user-friendly” procedures and mechanisms for resolving alleged violations of academic
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| integrity. The Academic Integrity Code is the result of cooperation among Appalachian’s faculty, students, and administrators, and promotes a campus dialogue about academic integrity. All members of the Appalachian State University community are responsible for promoting an ethical learning environment.
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| == Scope == | | == Scope == |
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| == Definitions == | | == Definitions == |
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| === Definition phrase or word ===
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| : Definition summary
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| == Policy and Procedure Statements == | | == Policy and Procedure Statements == |
| === The Academic Integrity Code === | | === The Academic Integrity Code === |
| Students attending Appalachian State University agree to abide by the following Code:
| | :[https://academicintegrity.appstate.edu/ Academic Integrity] |
| #Students will not lie, cheat, or steal to gain academic advantage.
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| #Students will oppose every instance of academic dishonesty.
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| Students shall agree to abide by the Academic Integrity Code when submitting the admission
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| application.
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| === The Honor Pledge ===
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| The Honor Pledge is a cornerstone of the Appalachian State University’s Academic Integrity
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| Code and serves as a reminder of the University’s commitment to academic integrity. No
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| Appalachian student shall unfairly further their own academic performance.
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| Students attending Appalachian State University pledge:
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| '''''I pledge on my honor that I have not violated the Appalachian State University Academic
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| Integrity Code.'''''
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| === Academic Integrity Code Violations ===
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| Violations of the Academic Integrity Code will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Faculty
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| should address incidents as possible Academic Integrity Code violations only when, in their
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| professional judgment, such violations were intentional on the part of the student. The following
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| is a list of violations of the Academic Integrity Code. This list is not exhaustive;
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| however, its terms are broad enough to encompass most potential Code violations.
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| #Lying. False academic information in any form, regardless of communication
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| method (e.g. including email or other electronic communication).
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| #Cheating. The use of fraud or deceit to gain an advantage in academic endeavors,
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| regardless of delivery methods (e.g. face-to-face, online, or via distance
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| education). Examples of cheating include but are not limited to fraud, deception,
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| impermissible communication of information, copying, falsifying data,
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| unauthorized use or possession of study aids, memoranda, books, data, or other
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| information, for the purpose of unfairly manipulating academic materials.
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| #Plagiarism. Presenting the words or ideas of another as one’s own work or ideas.
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| All directly quoted material must be properly cited. Plagiarism includes but is
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| not limited to borrowing, downloading, cutting and pasting, and paraphrasing
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| without acknowledgement, including from online sources, or allowing a person’s
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| academic work to be submitted as another’s work.
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| #Unauthorized Assistance. Giving or receiving assistance not specifi cally permitted
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| by an instructor. (Examples: see under cheating)
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| #Stealing of Academic Materials. The act of taking academic materials, without
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| an instructor’s or student’s consent, for the purpose of gaining an advantage
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| over other students. This includes but is not limited to stealing or attempted
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| stealing of notes, papers, books, library materials, tests, answer keys, computer
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| programs, or any electronic devices.
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| #Multiple Submission without an Instructor’s Consent. Submitting the same
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| work more than once without permission from all faculty involved.
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| #Assisting Code Violations. Helping another student violate the Code. Examples
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| of assisting code violations include but are not limited to allowing another student
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| to copy work, provide answers to questions appearing on assignments, quizzes,
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| or exams, unauthorized collaboration, and taking an exam for another student.
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| === Roles of the University Community ===
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| ==== Faculty ====
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| Faculty members are responsible for educating students about academic integrity by
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| placing a statement about the Academic Integrity Code on class syllabi. Further, faculty
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| members are encouraged to limit opportunities for dishonest behavior. Several strategies
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| for reducing Academic Integrity Code violations are listed below. Faculty members may:
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| #Lead discussions about academic integrity during class.
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| #Create multiple versions of quizzes and exams.
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| #Proctor quizzes and exams.
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| #Provide a space for students to reaffi rm the Academic Integrity Honor Pledge
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| (abbreviation: HP) on assignments, quizzes, and exams.
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| #Contact the Offi ce of Student Conduct in all appropriate cases of academic
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| dishonesty.
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| #Include a statement about the Code of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity
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| Code (with Offi ce of Student Conduct website address) on syllabi.
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| #Use current events to illustrate and discuss integrity issues.
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| ==== Students ====
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| Students are responsible for completing their own work on assignments, quizzes, and
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| tests and for discouraging their peers from violating the Academic Integrity Code. When
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| instructed to do so by a faculty member, students are required to include the Academic
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| Integrity Honor Pledge (or an abbreviated form of it) on assignments, quizzes, and exams.
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| Further, students may:
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| #Report all incidents of academic dishonesty to the Offi ce of Student Conduct.
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| #Inform the appropriate persons when witnessing academic dishonesty.
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| #Participate in discussions about academic integrity.
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| #Challenge their peers to uphold academic honesty.
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| ==== Administration ====
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| Appalachian State University’s administration provides support for the Academic Integrity
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| Code through the activities described in Section VI.
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| === Administration of the Code ===
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| ==== Violations ====
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| Alleged Academic Integrity Code violations must be reported to the Offi ce of Student
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| Conduct if the faculty member proposes that a sanction, as defi ned in Section VIII, be
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| imposed on the student. The Director of Student Conduct or his or her designee will
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| explain all available options to the faculty member and student involved in the alleged
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| violation. Cases in which the faculty member proposes to take no action beyond requiring
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| the student to repeat the assignment may be resolved informally between the faculty
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| member and the student without being brought before the Offi ce of Student Conduct or
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| the Academic Integrity Board (AIB). In such cases, however, the faculty member must
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| utilize the form entitled “Proposed Requirement That You Repeat Assignment; Notifi cation
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| of Due Process Rights.” This requires the student to affi rm in writing that he/she is
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| aware of his/her option to refer the issue to Student Conduct but chooses the opportunity
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| to repeat the assignment instead. The faculty member should provide one copy of this
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| written statement to the student and retain the original in the faculty member’s fi les.
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| A student that has an alleged violation of the Academic Integrity Code is prohibited from
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| withdrawing from the course. Should a student withdraw from the class prior to the accusation
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| and/or resolution, the mark of "w" will be considered temporary pending the
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| fi nal resolution of the case. If a student is found responsible for an Academic Integrity
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| violation and receives a lower or failing grade in a course for violating the Academic
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| Integrity Code that course cannot be retroactively dropped.
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| #Resolution by Consent Without Resort to Academic Integrity Code Formal
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| Processes
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| Academic Integrity Code violations may be resolved by consent between
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| the student and the faculty member without resort to the formal processes
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| of the Academic Integrity Code, pursuant to this Section VI.A.1., or such
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| violations must be reported to the Offi ce of Student Conduct as provided
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| in Section VI.A.2, below. If the faculty member proposes to resolve the
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| violation by consent by imposing one of the sanctions specifi ed in Section
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| VIII.A., the faculty member must do so utilizing the form entitled
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| “Notifi cation of Proposed Imposition of Sanction for Academic Integrity
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| Violation; Notifi cation of Due Process Rights (Notifi cation).” A faculty
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| member may not impose sanctions to resolve a violation by consent pursuant
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| to this Section VI.A.1 without utilizing the Notifi cation form. If the
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| student decides to resolve the violation pursuant to this Section VI.A.1,
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| the student must sign the form, and the faculty member must make a
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| copy of the form for the student and retain the original for at least fi ve
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| years. A copy is also to be transmitted to the Offi ce of Student Conduct
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| and kept on fi le there for at least fi ve years.
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| #Reporting Violations
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| Academic Integrity Code violations not resolved by consent pursuant to
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| this Section VI.A.1., must be reported to the Offi ce of Student Conduct if
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| the faculty member proposes that one or more sanctions (as described in
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| Section VIII) be imposed. The Director of Student Conduct will explain
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| all available options to the faculty member and student involved in the
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| alleged violation.
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| B. Review Offi cer
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| The Director of Student Conduct serves as the review offi cer or, as may be necessary,
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| appoints a member of the AIB to act in this capacity. An AIB member serving as a review
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| offi cer in a given case may not vote in a hearing on it. The responsibilities of the
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| review offi cer include:
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| • Investigating all reported incidents of academic dishonesty.
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| • Advising the parties involved in hearings.
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| • Handling all outside correspondence.
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| • Conducting and reporting on all faculty/student resolution processes.
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| • Preparing written statements for the hearing process.
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| • Forwarding all appeals to the Provost or his or her designee for a decision.
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| C. Faculty/Student Resolution Process
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| All fi rst time offenses may be handled in the faculty/student resolution process. Written
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| notice of the resolution process must be mailed to the faculty member and the student
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| involved at least seven (7) business days in advance of a resolution process meeting.
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| The review offi cer facilitates and records the meeting’s outcome. The faculty member
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| and the accused student must agree upon one of the sanctions to decide the case in this
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| phase or determine that there was not an intentional violation of the Academic Integrity
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| Code. If agreement is reached, the faculty member, student, and hearing offi cer sign a
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| standard form stating the terms of the resolution. A copy of the resolution form is retained
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| in the Offi ce of Student Conduct until the student leaves the University. If the faculty
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| member and student do not agree upon a resolution, the case is referred to the AIB for a
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| hearing. All decisions agreed to in the resolution phase are fi nal and cannot be appealed.
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| Either the faculty member or student may waive their right to the resolution process. If a
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| faculty member or student does not wish to participate in the resolution process, the case
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| is referred to the AIB for a hearing. Faculty members may re-enter the process during
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| the hearing as a complainant or witness.
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| D. Hearings
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| Proceedings under the Academic Integrity Code shall be consistent with the provisions
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| of the AIB by-laws. First offenses may be resolved between the student and the faculty
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| member; a record is then maintained in the Offi ce of Student Conduct. All second offenses
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| are decided through an AIB hearing. The Chairperson of the AIB presides over
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| the hearing. Seven AIB members constitute a quorum. The AIB’s fi nal decision is made
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| by a majority vote. The rules governing AIB hearings include:
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| • Notifi cation of the hearing date and the specifi c charges of academic dishonesty,
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| including an outline of the information to be introduced, are mailed to the accused
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| student at least fi ve (5) academic days, including fi nal examination days,
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| in advance.
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| • The burden of proof is on the faculty member and/or student bringing forth
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| the charges. The Offi ce of Student Conduct provides administrative support
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| for faculty and students bringing forth charges of academic dishonesty. The
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| Offi ce of Student Conduct also provides information about the process for the
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| accused student.
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| • Formal rules of evidence are not applicable. The AIB Chairperson must give
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| attention to the rules of confi dentiality and privilege.
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| • Students and faculty are allowed one (1) advisor. Advisors may speak to the
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| student or faculty member, but may not speak for the student or faculty member.
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| • The accused student and the Academic Integrity Board are permitted to question
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| the complainant and all witnesses.
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| • AIB hearings and deliberations are closed to the public.
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| • All hearings are recorded and may be transcribed when necessary. Recordings
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| of hearings remain the exclusive property of the University. Students must
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| review recordings in the presence of Student Conduct personnel.
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| • Witnesses are excluded from the hearing during the testimony of other witnesses.
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| All witnesses are excluded from AIB deliberations.
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| • The AIB fi nds in-violation or not in-violation of the Academic Integrity Code
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| on the basis of the preponderance of evidence.
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| • If the AIB fi nds the student in-violation, the Offi ce of Student Conduct retains
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| a record of the fi nding and sanction for a minimum of fi ve (5) years.
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| VII. Academic Integrity Board (AIB)
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| A. Composition
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| Appalachian State University’s Academic Integrity Board consists of twelve (12) members.
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| Six (6) faculty members and six (6) students are appointed to the Board. Faculty AIB
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| members are nominated by the Committee on Committees of the Faculty Senate from a
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| list of volunteers willing to serve, and approved by a vote of the Faculty Senate. Faculty
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| members serve three-year staggered terms and may be nominated for consecutive terms.
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| Student AIB members are selected by the Conduct Personnel Committee (see Section 3.06
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| of the Code of Student Conduct). Student AIB members serve two-year staggered terms.
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| B. Committees
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| The AIB contains two (2) standing committees: (1) the faculty committee and (2) the
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| student committee.
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| 1. Faculty Committee
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| The Faculty Committee is composed of the AIB’s six (6) faculty members and
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| one (1) student member. This committee is charged with:
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| • Providing their peers with guidelines for promoting and enforcing academic
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| integrity.
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| • Educating faculty about academic integrity issues.
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| • Conducting academic integrity workshops for faculty.
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| • Observing faculty reactions to the operation of the Code and to the academic
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| environment of Appalachian State University.
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| 2. Student Committee
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| The Student Committee is composed of the AIB’s six (6) student members and
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| one (1) faculty member. The committee shall:
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| • Promote academic integrity among their peers through a series of seminars,
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| workshops, and classes.
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| • Educate students about the seriousness of academic integrity.
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| • Observe student reactions toward the operation of the Code and Appalachian
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| State University’s academic environment.
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| C. Academic Integrity Board Chairperson
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| AIB members select a Chair and Vice Chair yearly in the Spring semester. The Chair
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| may vote only in the case of a tie. A student Chair must be a junior or senior and have a
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| minimum GPA of 2.5 at the time of election. The Chair’s duties include:
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| • Presiding over all meetings and hearings of the full AIB.
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| • Acting as spokesperson for the AIB.
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| • Working closely with the Offi ce of Student Conduct throughout the Code’s
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| operation.
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| In the event of the Chair’s absence or inability to perform these duties, the Vice Chair
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| assumes the above duties.
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| VIII. Sanctions
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| Under the Academic Integrity Code, there are three (3) times when sanctions may be imposed:
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| (1) by consent of the student pursuant to Section VI.A.1.; (2) during the faculty/student
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| resolution process; and (3) during an AIB hearing’s sanction phase.
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| A. Faculty/Student Resolution Process Sanctions
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| All offenses may be discussed between the faculty member and the accused student,
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| unless the faculty member or student waives the right to the resolution process. Every
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| violation presents faculty members the opportunity to educate students about academic
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| integrity. The faculty member and the student may agree upon one (1) or more of the
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| following sanctions:
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| • A reduced grade on the assignment.
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| • A reduced grade for the course.
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| • A grade of F on the assignment.
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| • A grade of F for the course.
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| • Faculty members may require a student found in-violation of the Academic
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| Integrity Code to attend a workshop on academic integrity.
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| Members of the AIB conduct all workshops. The AIB reserves the right to impose another
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| sanction on students who do not attend the mandatory workshop.
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| B. Academic Integrity Board (AIB) Hearing Sanctions
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| First time offenses are referred to the Offi ce of Student Conduct and all second offenses
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| are subject to an AIB hearing. The AIB may recommend one (1) or more of the following
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| sanctions when a student is found in-violation:
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| • Referring the decision about sanction to the faculty member limited to the
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| resolution process listed in VIII.A.
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| • Probation.
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| • Disciplinary suspension.
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| • Expulsion.
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| • Special programs.
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| Students found in-violation of the Academic Integrity Code must attend a workshop on
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| academic integrity (refer to VIII.A.).
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| The AIB considers all relevant factors when recommending sanctions: e.g., seriousness,
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| previous student record.
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| IX. Appeals
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| Students found in violation of the Academic Integrity Code may submit a written appeal to
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| the Provost or his or her designee within fi ve (5) business days after notifi cation of their having
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| been so found. Grounds for an appeal include signifi cant new evidence and procedural
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| error. The Provost or his or her designee reserves the right to accept or reject any appeal.
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| X. Amendments to Academic Integrity Code and Academic Integrity Board By-Laws
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| Proposed amendments to the Academic Integrity Code and AIB By-Laws are recommendations
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| to the Chancellor. The Academic Integrity Board may make recommendations for
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| such changes to the Chancellor.
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| Resolution forms can be downloaded from www.studentconduct.appstate.edu.
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| == Additional References == | | == Additional References == |
| | :[http://studentconduct.appstate.edu Code of Student Conduct] |
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| == Authority == | | == Authority == |
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| == Effective Date == | | == Original Effective Date == |
| | :Adopted May 21, 2001 |
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| == Revision Dates == | | == Revision Dates == |
| | :For revision history, contact the Office of Student Conduct. |
| | [[Category:Contents]] |
| | [[Category:Academic Affairs]] |
