F88-10 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY; CHEATING, PLAGIARISM, SANCTIONS

Legislative History:

Amends (replaces) F87-4, a very similar version passed November 9, 1987.

At its meeting of November 21, 1988, the Academic Senate approved the following Policy Recommendation presented by Peter Buzanski for the Financial and Student Affairs Committee.

ACTION BY THE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT:

"Approved and accepted as University Policy, effective immediately." Signed Gail Fullerton, December 5, 1988.

Academic dishonesty defrauds all those who depend upon the integrity of the University, its courses, and its degrees. In a broader sense the public is defrauded if faculty knowingly or unwittingly allow dishonest acts to be rewarded academically. Faculty should make every reasonable effort to foster honest academic conduct. Specifically, examinations should be appropriately proctored or monitored to prevent students from copying or exchanging information, and examinations and answers to examination questions should be secured in such a way that students cannot have prior access to them. If the faculty member believes that there is evidence of academic dishonesty on the part of a student, it is the faculty member's responsibility to take action against the student in accordance with this policy. Students at San José State University have the right to know what constitutes academic dishonesty in each course in which they are enrolled. Faculty members should apprise their classes of the ethical standards required in their courses and the permissible procedures in class work and examinations. If feasible, this information should be presented in the course outline (green sheet), and/or on examination questionnaires. Any deviation from this policy on Academic Dishonesty should be included in course outlines. Students also should be informed of the consequences of violation of ethical standards, their rights of appeal, and the procedures to be followed in the appeal.

1.0 DEFINITIONS OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:

1.1 CHEATING:

At SJSU, cheating is the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for academic work through the use of any dishonest, deceptive, or fraudulent means. Cheating at SJSU includes but is not limited to:

1.1.1 Copying, in part or in whole, from another's test or other evaluation instrument;

1.1.2 Submitting work previously presented in another course, if contrary to the rules of either course;

1.1.3 Using or consulting during an examination sources or materials not authorized by the instructor;

1.1.4 Altering or interfering with grading or grading instructions;

1.1.5 Sitting for an examination by a surrogate, or as a surrogate;

1.1.6 Any other act committed by a student in the course of his or her academic work which defrauds or misrepresents, including aiding or abetting in any of the actions defined above.

1.2 PLAGIARISM:

At SJSU plagiarism is the act of representing the work of another as one's own (without giving appropriate credit) regardless of how that work was obtained, and submitting it to fulfill academic requirements. Plagiarism at SJSU includes but is not limited to:

1.2.1 The act of incorporating the ideas, words, sentences, paragraphs, or parts thereof, or the specific substance of another's work, without giving appropriate credit, and representing the product as one's own work; and

1.2.2 Representing another's artistic/scholarly works such as musical compositions, computer programs, photographs, paintings, drawings, sculptures or similar works as one's own.

2.0 STUDENT EVALUATING AND REPORTING:

When a faculty member responsible for a course has reason to believe, and has evidence to substantiate, that the behavior of a student or students falls within one or both of the above sets of definitions, it is a faculty responsibility to take the following steps:

2.1 Arrange an office conference with the student and at that time advise the student of the allegations and make him or her aware of the supporting evidence and the probable consequences. Any classroom confrontation should be as discreet as possible. If, as a result of this meeting, the instructor believes that the student's response is insufficient to offset the charge of academic dishonesty to the extent that he or she may be excused, the instructor will inform the student of the sanctions to be assessed or recommended in accordance with section 3.0 following.

All notes and discussions between the student and the faculty member will be kept confidential except as may be relevant in subsequent disciplinary proceedings or any subsequent legal actions. Faculty members should not discuss specific charges of cheating, plagiarism, or any other violations involving specific individuals in the classroom before other members of the class.

2.2 Report the infraction and the action taken to the Judicial Affairs Officer in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs on the Academic Dishonesty Report Form to enable the University to detect repeat offenders.

2.3 When a student fails to attend a scheduled conference to discuss the alleged dishonesty, or when the apparent dishonesty is detected only near the end of the semester and the instructor makes a good-faith effort to contact the student but is unable to do so, the instructor may impose the recommended penalty and make the report called for in section 2.2 without a conference. In either case, the student's right to appeal is preserved.

3.0 SANCTIONS:

There shall be two major classifications of sanctions that may be imposed for violations of this policy: Academic and Administrative. Academic sanctions will be defined as those actions related to the coursework and grades which are the province of the instructor. Administrative sanctions are concerned with a student's status on campus and are acted on by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. The imposition of one variety of sanction will not preclude the additional imposition of the other.

3.1 ACADEMIC SANCTIONS:

Faculty are responsible for determining the type of academic sanction to be applied to students involved in incidents of cheating or plagiarism. Usually a form of "grade modification" will be employed. Before sanctions can be employed the faculty member must have verified the instances of academic dishonesty by personal observation and/or documentation. In all cases the violation should be reported to the Vice President for Student Affairs on the Academic Dishonesty Report Form. A student may be:

3.1.1 Reprimanded orally. A student may also be referred for counseling but cannot be required to seek counseling.

3.1.2 Failed in the evaluation instrument (paper or exam).

3.1.3 Reduced in course grade.

3.1.4 Failed in the course.

3.1.5 Referred for administrative sanctions. A faculty member may choose to refer a student to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs for disciplinary action in lieu of any academic sanction or in addition to the academic action the faculty member has taken.

3.1.6 FACULTY DISCRETION:

Cases involving the careless or inept handling of quoted material but which fall short of the definitions of the acts of cheating and/or plagiarism as defined in Items 1.1 and 1.2 of this policy may be dealt with at the discretion of the faculty member concerned. Item 1.1.6 is also sufficiently undefined to require faculty interpretation.

3.1.7 RECOMMENDED ACADEMIC SANCTIONS:

For violations of sections 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, or 1.2.1 of this policy the recommended sanction shall be 3.1.2, failure in the evaluation instrument or 3.1.4, failure in the course.

For violations of sections 1.1.4 and 1.1.5 it is recommended that the student be referred to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs for administrative sanctions in accord with 3.1.5.

For violations of section 1.2.2 of this policy the recommended sanction shall be 3.1.4, failure in the course.

3.2 ADMINISTRATIVE SANCTIONS:

As stipulated in the California Code of Regulations, Section 41301, cheating or plagiarism in connection with an academic program at a campus may warrant expulsion, suspension, probation or a lesser sanction. Administrative action involving academic dishonesty at SJSU is the responsibility of the Judicial Affairs Officer in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.

The Judicial Affairs Officer will respond to:

1) referrals from the faculty;

2) flagrant violations of academic standards; and

3) repeat violations as brought to attention by the faculty or through the centralized reports filed in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.

Faculty members will be notified by the Judicial Affairs Officer when action has been taken.

4.0 PROTECTION OF RIGHTS:

Nothing in this policy is intended to deny students who come within its scope appropriate "due process," including the right to be informed of the charges, the nature of the evidence supporting the charges, and to have a meeting with the faculty member, the Judicial Affairs Officer or other decision-maker, at which time statements and evidence in behalf of the student may be submitted. Nor is it intended to deny the right to appeal, through appropriate University channels, any decision resulting from such a meeting.

4.1 Academic sanctions may be appealed through the Ombudsman in accordance with University Policy S83-7, ultimately to the Academic Fairness Committee.

4.2 When an administrative sanction is being considered, Executive Order 148, Student Disciplinary Procedures for the California State University, stipulates that a student is entitled to a hearing to determine whether violations of conduct and conduct-related regulations have occurred.

5.0 THREATS:

Any threats against any member of the faculty as a consequence of implementing this policy on Academic Dishonesty will be cause for disciplinary action under Section 41301, Title 5, California Code of Regulations, in addition to civil and criminal liabilities.

6.0 DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION:

6.1This policy shall be published in the Schedule of Classes for each semester and in the University Catalog. There shall also be copies of this policy in every department office and copies will be available to all interested parties in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.

6.2 Dissemination of this information shall be the responsibility of the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.

6.3 The Vice President for Student Affairs shall submit to the Academic Senate annually a statistical report on the number and type of infractions and their eventual disposition.