Lake Erie College

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY EXPECTATIONS

Statement of Academic Integrity

Students who submit academic work that is not their own expression or creation are betraying the academic mission of the College.  This constitutes academic dishonesty and is treated as a serious matter at Lake Erie College. Although individual faculty members determine what consequences students will face for academic dishonesty in their classes, college deans and/or the Office of Academic Affairs of the College are  authorized to take additional action, including expulsion, when warranted. 

Examples of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to:

• Plagiarizing or representing the words, ideas or information of another person as one’s own and not citing proper documentation;
• Falsifying or misrepresenting research or laboratory data or observations;
• Cheating on an exam;
• Referring to or displaying any unauthorized materials inside or outside of the testing location during an examination;
• Submitting another student’s work as one’s own;
• Impersonating or representing another student, or having another person represent you in any manner;
• Using unauthorized computers, phones, calculators, technology, etc.

Students are responsible for knowing what constitutes academic dishonesty. Students who are uncertain about what constitutes plagiarism or cheating should seek the professors’s advice.

While academic integrity is particularly the responsibility of the student, faculty members also have a responsibility.  A statement of academic integrity will be in the course syllabus. Students should refer to faculty guidelines regarding what materials and procedures are authorized for use in the preparation of assignments or examinations (e.g., the use of a calculator, computer, text materials, etc.).  Lake Erie College supports academic integrity by providing resources for student success. Some of these resources include Grammarly.com, the Writing Center, library resources, and the tutoring center.

Academic Dishonesty Procedure

There are three levels of academic dishonesty incidents: Minor, Major, and Egregious. The registrar’s office will track reports of academic dishonest and report instances of more than one minor incident and in all cases of major and egregious instances. In cases where there are differences of opinion, either the dean of the course or dean of student academic success my take the matter to the VPAA for consideration.

1. MINOR INCIDENT

The faculty member will discuss the incident with the student and submit to the dean of the school for the course an Academic Dishonesty Documentation Form, with a copy to the student, indicating the incident as minor. The dean of the course reviews the information and then submits the form to the Registrar’s Office for data tracking purposes only. A single minor incident will not impact the standing of a student or adversely effect the student’s record; however, more than one minor incident will result in elevating the infraction to the major level

Examples that may be considered minor (for representative purposes only):

• Improper citation of a only a small portion of a paper or assignment
• Collaborating on a minor project or assignment when it was prohibited from doing so
• Careless use of facts, statistics, graphs, or other illustration without proper reference in a small portion of an assignment or project

With the understanding that minor incidents might be inadvertent or honest mistakes, in order to ensure a formative process and to provide a teachable moment, the student is expected to submit to the dean, with a copy to the faculty member, a  narrative with the following information:

• A description of the citation rule, policy, or technique not followed that led to the incident
• A description of how their work did not follow the rule
• What they will do to prevent future occurrences of the infraction
• If applicable, a resubmission of the assignment with the issue corrected

Students who fail to adhere to the stipulations of a minor incident may be subject to further action; however, it is expected that the student will comply with conveying, in writing as per the above, a clear understanding of what constitutes academic dishonesty. Failure to comply with the stipulation will advance the matter directly to the level of major, and possible review by the VPAA for appropriate determination of sanction

2. MAJOR INCIDENT

The faculty member will discuss the incident with the student and submit to the dean of the school for the course an Academic Dishonesty Documentation Form, with a copy to the student, indicating the incident as Major. The dean of the course will verify the nature of the incident, and submit the form and documentation to the Registrar’s Office to be placed in the student‘s permanent academic record. Students involved in major incidents of academic dishonesty may be required to meet with the Dean of Student Academic Success. The dean may request a registration hold be placed on the student to prompt follow up.

Examples that will  be considered major may include, but are not limited to:

• A second minor incident (more than two minor incidents will be elevate the incident level to major)
• Copying from a classmate
• Using unauthorized electronics or devices for a major exam
• Clear falsification of data or materials on a major assignment or exam
• Wholesale copying of a paper or assignment

Possible sanctions for a major incident may include, but are not limited to:

• Required participation in a workshop or seminar on ethics or academic integrity
• A paper or alternate assignment of a project related to ethics or academic integrity
• The assignment of a failing grade for the project/assignment, course, or make-up assignment
• Mandated meeting with student support personnel

3. Egregious incident – Academic Standards Committee (ASC) Review

The faculty member will discuss the incident with the student and will submit to the dean of the school for the course an Academic Dishonesty Documentation Form, with a copy to the student, indicating the incident as egregious. The Dean will submit the form and documentation to the Registrar’s Office to be placed in the student‘s permanent academic record. Students involved in egregious incidents of academic dishonesty are required to meet with the Dean of Student Academic Success. The ASC will meet to review the file and determine whether to recommend the appropriate sanction, including the possibility of suspension or expulsion, and will forward the recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) for final decision on the issue. The VPAA will notify the Registrar and the Academic Standards Committee of the final decision, and the Registrar’s Office will record. The VPAA will formally notify the student of the College’s decision and include a description of the appeals procedure. If a student is suspended or expelled for academic dishonesty, the transcript with indicate “Academic Suspension” or “Academic Expulsion.”

Actions that constitute egregious incidents include, but are not limited to:

• Multiple incidents, either minor or major
• Having someone else complete an exam or assignment
• Clear evidence of premeditation or malicious intent
• Lack of adherence to stipulations stemming from minor or major incidents

Academic Integrity and Course Withdrawal

A faculty member may submit a final grade to the Registrar's Office at any time during the semester as a penalty for academic dishonesty. Submission of a final grade overrides the course withdrawal dates as published by the Academic Calendar.

Appeals Procedure

A student found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy has the right to appeal.

1. The student must first contact the faculty member in an attempt to resolve the issue. Students must contact that faculty member within ten (10) business days upon receiving notification of an incident. (If the instructor is away from the College during the period of the appeal, the student may proceed directly to the Dean of the School of the academic course.)

2. If the issue is not resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the faculty member and the student, then the student may appeal to the Dean of the School within ten (10) business days upon receiving notification.

3. If the issue is still not resolved after consultation with the Dean of the School, the student may appeal in writing to the Academic Standards Committee (ASC) within one month (30 calendar days) of receiving notification of the original academic dishonesty incident.
4. The ASC will provide the VPAA with a written summary of its recommendation. The VPAA will make the final decision and notify the student, faculty member, dean and Registrar.

In the case of an Egregious Incident, the student may continue to attend class during the appeals process, but participation in the class does not guarantee work will be counted or a certain grade rendered. Continued participation is intended to ensure that students who have appeals granted still have an opportunity to learn the content of the class.

Expulsion Appeals Procedure:

1. A student who receives a letter notifying him/her of expulsion from Lake Erie College for academic integrity will have ten (10) business days from the date of the letter to submit an appeal to the VPAA.
2. During the appeals process, the student may continue to attend class.
3. Upon completion of the appeal process, should the decision regarding expulsion stand, the expulsion is permanent. The student is responsible to pay any unpaid balances owed to the College. Failure to do so may be subject to additional charges and actions. If the expulsion takes place mid semester, the student will not receive any passing grades for work in the course(s) that applied to academic dishonesty.
4. The VPAA’s decision regarding an expulsion is final.