17.0 ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

All students are expected to act ethically, honestly and with integrity in all academic matters.

Academic dishonesty is behavior that erodes the basis of mutual trust on which scholarly exchanges commonly rest, undermines Humber's ability to evaluate a student’s academic achievements, or restricts the College’s ability to accomplish its learning objectives. Humber takes a serious view of academic misconduct and will penalize students who are found responsible for offences associated with academic dishonesty, misrepresentation of personal performance, restrictions of equal opportunities for access to scholarly resources, or damage to the integrity of scholarly exchanges.

This section of the regulations applies to University of New Brunswick- Humber Collaborative Nursing program

It is the responsibility of Humber faculty, students, and staff to be aware of and to uphold the principles of academic honesty/integrity. Furthermore, all members of Humber's community including students, faculty, and staff have the specific responsibility of initiating appropriate action in all instances where academic misconduct is believed to have taken place. This responsibility includes giving due consideration to the deterrent effect of reporting such offences when they do occur, making one's disapproval of such behavior obvious, and helping to ensure that the Humber community does nothing to encourage or facilitate academic dishonesty.

Humber students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with and abiding by the policy on student academic integrity. Faculty, staff and students have the responsibility to create an environment that discourages misconduct. The need to educate students about academic integrity places particular responsibility on faculty. Instructors should be explicit about expectations with respect to academic integrity, and information with respect to academic misconduct should be presented to students as part of the course outline, academic program orientation materials, and other materials posted and distributed to students.

Academic dishonesty/ misconduct is broadly defined as an offence against the academic integrity of the learning environment. Students are responsible for knowing what constitutes an academic offence and faculty members have a responsibility to provide students, early in their course or program, with information about academic integrity. An offence may be deemed to have been committed whether the student knew a particular action was an offence or ought reasonably to have known. Ignorance does not excuse students from the responsibility for verifying the academic integrity of their work before submitting it. Students who are in any doubt as to whether an action on their part could be construed as an academic offence should consult with a faculty member or program coordinator before submission of an assignment.

Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, the following examples:

Academic Dishonesty

  1. Plagiarism, in the broadest sense, is misrepresenting the work of others as one’s own. Plagiarism can be understood as the act of copying, reproducing or paraphrasing significant portions of someone else’s published or unpublished material, and representing these as one’s own thinking by not acknowledging the appropriate source or by the failure to use appropriate quotation marks. This includes, but is not limited to, print material, photos, drawings, computer code, and designs. Students have the responsibility to learn and to use the conventions of documentation, and, if in any doubt, are encouraged to consult with the faculty member of the course, or the Program Coordinator.
  2. Copying another person's answers to an examination question.
  3. Using another’s data or research findings.
  4. Buying or selling essays, papers, or assignments.
  5. Copying from or using prohibited material in an assignment or examination including, but not limited to, textbooks or other documentary or electronic equipment, personal notes, or other aids not approved by the faculty member, for example, accessing unauthorized test questions from an electronic database.
  6. Improper academic practices including the falsification, fabrication, or misrepresentation of material that is part of academic evaluation, the learning process, or scholarly exchange. This offence would include reference to resources that are known not to exist or the listing of others who have not contributed to the work.
  7. Co-operating or collaborating in the completion of an academic assignment, in whole or in part, when the instructor has indicated that the assignment is to be completed on an individual basis.

Humber reserves the right to utilize authentication and/or plagiarism detection software as a means of determining academic dishonesty.

Misrepresentation of Personal Performance

  1. Submitting false, fraudulent or purchased assignments, research or credentials, or the falsifying or withholding of records, transcripts, letters of reference, letters of support, or other academic documents.
  2. Impersonation by having someone impersonate oneself, either in person or electronically, in class, in an examination, or in connection with any type of course assignment or material or availing oneself of the results of such impersonation. Both the impersonator and individual impersonated (if aware of the impersonation) are subject to the academic dishonesty process.
  3. Submitting a false medical or compassionate certificate, or presenting other such documentation under false pretenses.
  4. Improperly obtaining, through theft, bribery, collusion or otherwise, access to privileged information, or examination paper or set of questions.
  5. Submitting the same course work, research, or assignment for credit on more than one occasion in two or more courses without the prior written permission of the faculty members in all of the courses involved; misrepresenting the amount of work an individual has contributed to a group assignment or activity.
  6. Possession or use of an unauthorized aid, to use or obtain unauthorized assistance in any academic examination, term test, assignment, or in connection with any other form of academic work. Such aids or material may include, but are not limited to, specific documents, electronic equipment or devices, and commercial services (such as writing, editorial, software, or research survey services).

Damage to the Integrity of Scholarly Exchanges

  1. Altering, destroying, hiding, or generally restricting the access to academic materials intended for general use.
  2. The unauthorized removal, destruction, or theft of library or other Humber resources.
  3. Inappropriate distribution of restricted material.
  4. Obstructing the academic activities of others. This may involve interfering with the scholarly activities of another or altering or falsifying the work of others, in order to harass or gain unfair academic advantage. This includes, but is not limited to, interfering or tampering with experimental data, with a written or other creation, with a chemical used for research, or with any other object of study.

Facilitating Academic Misconduct

Knowingly assisting anyone in committing any form of academic misconduct is itself academic misconduct and subject to this policy. This may include, but is not limited to, offering for sale essays or other assignments with the intention that these works will be subsequently submitted for assessment.

If a student is found to be responsible for academic misconduct, an Academic Misconduct Letter will be issued to the student by the Associate Dean or designate.  An Academic Misconduct Letter will clearly indicate the outcomes of the review which may include one or more of the following:

  1. required submission of a new piece of work;
  2. partial or total loss of marks on the exam/assignment in which the offence occurred;
  3. partial or total loss of marks for the course in which the offence occurred;
  4. a notation on file in the Academic School;
  5. a notation on the student's official transcript;
  6. the rescinding of Humber-funded scholarships or bursaries;
  7. suspension from Humber for a period of between two (2) and six (6) consecutive terms. The student will not be permitted to register and will retain none of the privileges accorded to students. Students who have been expelled or suspended will not receive credit for any studies during that suspension or expulsion period. A student who wishes to be considered for readmission after this period of time must make an application for readmission that will be evaluated on the basis of eligibility to continue. A student who is suspended for academic misconduct and also fails to meet the continuation of study requirements may be required to serve the associated penalties consecutively;
  8. a recommendation for expulsion from Humber. A student who has been expelled from Humber is not eligible for readmission to Humber for at least five (5) years); and
  9. a recommendation for rescinding of the credential. A person, who is found guilty of academic misconduct after having been approved for graduation, or after having a credential conferred, may have that credential rescinded.

Sanctions for academic misconduct will consider the severity and frequency of the academic offence as determined by the Associate Dean.

Note: Sanctions may be applied retroactively if an offence is discovered subsequent to completion of a course or after graduation.

Examinations

Invigilators will be present at all examinations to supervise the delivery of the examination and detect any signs of academic misconduct. Invigilators may use input from others to assist them in verifying detection of academic misconduct.

In cases of suspected academic misconduct the invigilator may allow the student to complete the examination and may take action by doing one of the following.

  1. In the case of suspected impersonation, the invigilator will require the student concerned to remain after the examination until the student is satisfactorily identified.
  2. In the case of suspected copying another person's answer(s) to the examination question, the invigilator may request that the student complete the exam in another location or setting if it is deemed that such action will cause the least disruption to those taking the examination.
  3. In the case of suspected copying from or using prohibited material in an examination, the invigilator may confiscate the suspect material (including electronic devices) and request that the student make contact with the faculty member responsible for the course once the examination period is over.

In cases where the faculty member responsible for the course is not invigilating the exam, the invigilator will complete an Academic Misconduct Form, append any confiscated material to the form, and provide the information to the appropriate faculty member. The Program Coordinator and / or Associate Dean, when preparing the response regarding the academic offence, will also use this documentation.

Student Work

The responsibility for detecting academic misconduct on term assignments and other course requirements lies with the faculty member, who may make use of reports from others and/or originality/plagiarism detection software to assist in detection. Where academic misconduct is suspected, the faculty member:

  1. shall retain possession of suspect material;

  2. may seek to interview the student to allay suspicion or to confirm it; and
  3. shall initiate the Academic Misconduct Form.

In all cases, the faculty member shall submit the Academic Misconduct Form and suspect material to the Program Coordinator and Associate Dean for further action.

Cases outside the Domain of Examinations or Assignments

The responsibility for detecting academic misconduct in the context of an academic environment that is not part of the formal examination or assignment process must rest with the entire Humber community. Where academic misconduct is suspected, but where it is unclear whether it is directly related to a specific course, or where the specific course is unknown, those with knowledge of an offence should contact the Dean of the appropriate Academic School. If the suspected offence appears to be related to a specific course, then the faculty member of the course should be contacted. Instructors have access to and the right to use electronic and other means of detection.

Where there is evidence of suspected academic misconduct, the faculty member or person aware of the issue should consult with the Program Coordinator and the Associate Dean to determine whether the offence and the associated information/documentation merit a formal complaint. If it is deemed that a formal complaint is likely and that further investigation is required, the Associate Dean shall take any or all of the following actions:

  1. notify, and arrange for an interview with the student, unless the student is unavailable or unwilling;
  2. delay the submission of the grades for the student;
  3. seek further information from faculty member(s) or any other parties involved; consult with the Office of the Registrar to ascertain if any record of a previous academic offence exists; and
  4. notify the Office of the Registrar to hold changes to the student's record.

If the Associate Dean deems the student is not responsible at this stage, no sanctions will be assessed, no record of the suspected offence or complaint will be kept, and all parties involved will be informed by the Associate Dean.

If the Associate Dean determines that the student is responsible, the Associate Dean shall:

  1. notify the student in writing of the charge of academic misconduct, including the offence, the sanction, the effective date and the student’s right to appeal (see Section 17.4 on Penalties and Section 18.2 on Appeals); and
  2. notify the Office of the Registrar for purposes of documenting the offence on the student’s record.

In cases where Expulsion or Rescinding of a credential is recommended, the Dean shall consult with the Vice President, Academic and the President.

Note: A student accused of an offence of academic misconduct in a particular course or courses will not be allowed to drop the course(s) in question during the period of the investigation. If the student is found to be responsible for the academic misconduct and receives a sanction other than an official warning, the student will not be allowed to drop the course(s).

Academic Misconduct

  1. First Offence: a first offence of academic misconduct, unless considered severe, will be recorded by the Office of the Registrar but not placed on the student's academic record.
  2. Second Offence: a second offence of academic misconduct may result in a notation on the student's academic record and transcript.  This notation will be expunged from the student’s record and transcript upon graduation.
  3. Students who do not graduate from Humber may submit a request to the Office of the Registrar to have the record of the offence expunged no sooner than five (5) years after the date of the student’s last registration.

Expulsion

The record of expulsion is permanent, unless a petition to have the record expunged has been approved by the President. Students may submit a request to the Office of the Registrar to have a record of expulsion expunged from their academic record no sooner than five (5) years after the date of the expulsion.

Confidentiality

Access to the record of academic misconduct will be limited to those involved in processing appeals and those involved in processing additional complaints against the student.

Humber Admission Requirements and Academic Regulations