Instructors may consult with their Departmental Undergraduate Advisor or Lisa Devereaux (Director, Academic Success and Integrity) if they have questions about the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters or how to conduct the meeting with the student. It is essential that all allegations of academic misconduct be reported to the Office of the Dean. Outlined below are steps instructors are required to follow:
Contact your Departmental Undergraduate Advisor as soon as you suspect a student of academic misconduct. They will complete a GWR (Grade Withheld pending Review) to prevent the student from dropping the course. The GWR will not be removed until the matter is resolved.
You must meet with every student facing an academic integrity allegation. At least three attempts by email and phone calls (during working hours) should be made to the student – ensure you document these attempts. The matter will be referred to the Chair/Director who will then forward the matter to the Office of the Dean if there is no response from the student.
The instructor should present the case and evidence objectively to the student. Instructors may also be advised to have a witness (another instructor, an Associate Chair, or the undergraduate advisor) present at this interview. If the student admits guilt, the fact should be noted but, there is no need for a signed confession since this will be handled in subsequent correspondence or in the meeting with the Dean’s designate.
The instructor should prepare a brief written report as soon as possible and forward this, with original of the evidence, to the Chair/Director or Associate Chair (include information on weight of assignment, course outline and any information given with regard to academic integrity).
- With plagiarism, the instructor should make copies of the assignment and source(s) and highlight corresponding passages and include this information with the report.
- With cases of a student aiding and abetting another student on a midterm/exam, the instructor should make copies of both student’s exam and highlight the same/similar wrong answers.
- Your departmental Undergraduate Advisor can advise/assist you with the materials required to complete the case file.
Sanctions/penalties cannot be assigned by the instructor, neither should the instructor suggest to the student what the sanction may be. The instructor should not attempt to "bargain" with a student who is alleged to have committed an offence.
The Chair/Director or his/her designate (i.e., Associate Chair) may handle the matter only if all the following criteria is met:
- the assessment is worth 10% or less of the final grade in the course;
- it is the student’s first offence;
- the student admits guilt; and
- the offence is not particularly egregious (e.g. forgery, impersonation or purchasing work)
