Academic Integrity Policy
Rationale
As a learning community, we recognise that the principles of truth, honesty and mutual respect are central to the pursuit of knowledge. Behaviour that undermines those principles diminishes us, both individually and collectively, and devalues our work. We are therefore committed to ensuring that every member of our University is made aware of the responsibilities s/he bears in maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and of the steps we take to protect those standards.
Our determination that students should know and understand academic good practice is matched by our resolve that academic malpractice should not prosper. Accordingly, we have adopted a balanced approach, providing support to enable students to acquire knowledge and skills to maintain academic integrity and a comprehensive set of Assessment Offence Regulations to protect academic integrity.
Our regulations define an assessment offence as "any action or behaviour likely to confer an unfair advantage in assessment, whether by advantaging the alleged offender or disadvantaging (deliberately or unconsciously) another or others"
The most common breach of academic integrity is referred to as plagiarism (other offences against academic integrity are defined within our assessment offence regulations). Plagiarism is where an author uses, without due acknowledgement and/or relevant permission, material that someone else created. Our objection to plagiarism, is not simply that it amounts to theft. Of equal importance, is the understanding that plagiarism devalues creativity and undermines effective learning.
As well as defining those behaviours we find unacceptable, our Assessment Offence Regulations describe the process to be followed where an offence is suspected and set out the penalties that will be imposed where an offence is found to have been committed.
Ownership
We will produce and/or periodically review the following:
- A Policy Statement
- Our Assessment Offence Regulations
- Guidance to staff on academic integrity
- Guidance to students on academic integrity
- Our Student Charter
- Resources on our web site
Principles of our academic integrity policy
The principles of our academic integrity policy are as follows:
- Each of us takes responsibility for our own work.
- We treat the work of others with respect and in accordance with good academic practice.
- We recognise that not all of our students will be familiar with such practice and we are committed to providing support in a variety of ways, so that they are able to learn the skills necessary for academic success.*
- Our teaching and support staff will reinforce these learning opportunities by exhibiting and promoting academic integrity in all areas of their professional practice.
- Teaching staff will be encouraged to design assessments that minimise the opportunity to breach academic integrity.**
- Students' understanding of good practice in the referencing and acknowledgment of the work of others will be tested and certificated within the first semester of their studies.
- No credit will be awarded to any work that breaches our regulations
- All proven offences will be penalised and, where appropriate, anyone found guilty of an offence will be required to attend an additional training session
- We will organise an annual academic integrity awareness campaign and regularly draw our assessment offence regulations to students� attention.
This policy is supported by the documents to which reference is made above.
On approval by Academic Board, the policy, process and regulations will come into effect in September 2007
* See “Academic Integrity: Guidance for Students”
**See “Academic Integrity: Guidance for Staff”
