NEC Academic Integrity Policy: Graduate Programs
The New England College community embraces an Academic Honor Principle. It consists of honesty, trust, and integrity. Honesty is being true to oneself and others, engendering a culture of trust. Trust builds mutual respect, fostering a disposition of responsibility and civility. Integrity denotes inner strength of character: doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong. Students, Faculty, and Staff accept these values as fundamental guides to our actions, decisions, and behavior.
Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the following infractions:
Plagiarism: Using other people’s ideas, research, opinions, or words and taking credit for it as if it is your own work instead of copied. It is failing to cite quoted and/or paraphrased words or ideas from another person’s work other than the common knowledge or original thinking prepared for the course. Submitting an assignment or sections of an assignment that someone else has written - without giving proper credit ‐ is plagiarism. This includes work from other students, a purchased paper, and text from the internet. The following list describes different ways of plagiarizing. Any of these activities is academically dishonest:
- Direct copy and paste from a source, without citation
- Including cited sources in your paper, but not including sufficient information or correct formatting.
- Copying pieces of a source.
- Copying a source and then changing some of the words.
- Using pieces of many different sources to put together a new whole.
- Submitting a paper - or parts of a paper - that you have submitted for another course.
- Uses more writing from other sources than from the author, even though it is cited.
Misrepresentation: having someone else do coursework, assignments, papers, quizzes and tests.
Facilitation of Academic Dishonesty: Helping someone else cheat. Examples include: supplying questions and/or answers to a quiz or examination, allowing someone to copy your homework, doing homework together without the instructor’s permission, seeking input from others during a take‐home or open book test.
Cheating: Deliberate deceptive behavior to avoid work and learning. Examples include:
- Communicating with others during an exam or quiz
- Copying all or part of homework or another’s quiz, exam, or written work
- Using notes when you are directed not to by the professor, using electronic equipment to look up answers you don’t know
- Making up data for research
- Stealing quizzes or exams prior to their administration
- Altering or attempting to alter college records
- Offering a bribe to college personnel in exchange for special treatment or favors.
Because academic dishonesty violates academic integrity, it cannot be condoned at NEC.
Penalties for Academic Dishonesty
A student who incurs in academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred or may, if in the instructor’s opinion the work is of major significance in the total course, receive a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty must be reported to the Registrar’s office. If a second report of cheating or plagiarism occurs, the student will be subject to expulsion.
Procedures for Assigning Penalties
In order to protect the interests of the College community, including those of students and instructors, the following procedure shall be followed in cases of cheating and/or plagiarism. If an instructor is convinced an event of academic dishonesty has occurred, the instructor shall inform the student immediately before taking any other action. The student shall be given the opportunity to discuss the matter with the instructor. As a result of the discussion with the student, the instructor shall either dismiss the matter or, if the instructor remains convinced of academic dishonesty, s/he assign the student a failing grade for the work and/or the course, and report the matter to the Program Director and the Associate Dean where the program resides. Instances of cheating or plagiarism must be reported to the Registrar’s office.
Violations and Sanctions in cases of Academic Dishonesty
Graduate students are responsible for being aware of and complying with academic integrity policies, and must conduct themselves accordingly. Sanctions for Academic Dishonesty will depend on the seriousness of the offense and may range from the receipt of:
- An “F” grade on the subject paper, report, etc.
- An “F” in the course in which credit may be earned.
- Academic Dismissal.
If a graduate student who has been accused of academic dishonesty drops the course, the student’s registration in the course will be reinstated until the issue is resolved.
Notification to the graduate student of a failing grade and the option of appeal concerning the alleged academic dishonesty and academic dismissal remains with the Program Director and/or the Associate Dean of the Division where the program resides.
The student’s ability to proceed within an academic program while an appeal is in process will be determined by the individual Program Director and Associate Dean.
Appeals Procedure
The student may appeal the instructor’s action through the following procedure: Within 10 class days of receiving notice of the failing grade in the assignment or course, the student must submit a written request for a hearing to the Director of the program in which the student is enrolled. The request will contain a statement of the basis for appeal as well as any supporting evidence. The instructor will receive a copy of the student’s appeal. The Program Director will consult with the student and with the faculty member, and will try to reach a decision acceptable to both. If this is not possible, the Program Director will refer the case to the appropriate Associate Division Dean, who may in turn raise the matter to the Graduate and Professional Studies Council.
The Graduate and Professional Studies Council shall hear and decide, in accordance with procedures it may adopt, academic dishonesty appeals referred to it by the Dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies. Both the student and the faculty member involved may present witnesses and be represented by advocates at the hearing. If the Council finds in the student’s favor, it will recommend that the instructor reconsider the failing grade. If the instructor does not accept the recommendation, the case will be forwarded to the Dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies for a final decision.
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