Academic Standards
Each student is expected to make satisfactory progress toward meeting degree requirements. Instructors are asked to identify students who are having difficulty in their classes no later than halfway through the term. Students having difficulties in meeting academic performance standards should meet with the Program Director to discuss potential plans of action.
Due to the rigorous nature of graduate and professional studies, students are expected to maintain a high academic grade point average (GPA).
Students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, or s/he will be placed on academic probation. The student must maintain a term GPA of 3.0 for each term while on probation. If a student does not earn a 3.0 or higher term GPA in any term while on academic probation, the student will be suspended.
The Registrar’s Office will remove a student from academic probation once the student’s cumulative GPA is above a 3.0.
Final course grades of C+ or below will not meet graduate degree requirements. Students will need to repeat any course in which they received a grade C+ or below. All grades remain on the student’s permanent record, but only the highest grade is used in computation of the grade point average.
Suspended students who wish to reenter the College may contact Academic Advising for reinstatement after they have complied with the conditions of their suspension. Students who are reinstated following suspension are expected to achieve a minimum term GPA of 3.0 for the duration of their program. Students who fall below a 3.00 cumulative GPA and 3.00 term GPA after reinstatement from suspension will be dismissed from the College.
Notification
Students placed on probation, suspended, or dismissed shall be notified in writing.
Appeals
Students who have been suspended or dismissed may appeal their status to the Program Director. Appeal requests must be submitted in writing, together with any evidence in support of such appeal, within 7 days of notification. The decision of the Program Director can be appealed, on procedural grounds only, to the Chief Academic Officer or their designee, whose decision will be final.
Policy on Disruptive Behavior in an Academic Setting
Disruptive Behavior in an Academic Setting
New England College is committed to establishing an educational community that is respectful of all members. This includes balancing free speech, including the expression of controversial opinions, with appropriate behaviors in all academic settings. Students and faculty share responsibility in maintaining an appropriate learning environment.
Disruptive behaviors hinder the educational process. Although these types of actions are addressed in the New England College Student Handbook, the purpose of this policy is to clarify what constitutes disruptive behavior in an academic setting, what actions a faculty member and/or the Office of Academic Affairs may take in response to disruptive conduct, and the interim procedures that will be followed if a student needs to be removed from an academic setting pending the outcome of an investigation and student conduct process.
Classifying and Defining Disruptive Behaviors
Disruptive behaviors in an academic setting are those behaviors that a reasonable faculty member would view as interfering with normal academic functions and/or the emotional and/or physical safety of all members of the class community. For the purposes of this document, disruptive behavior is divided into three categories based on the degree to which conduct includes aggression or harassment.
Category One: A category one disruption is behavior that is disruptive, but which has no element of aggression or harassment, i.e., no one feels threatened, endangered or at‐risk. Such situations might include but are not limited to:
A student is sleeping during class.
A student talks incessantly during class.
A student uses a cell phone during class.
Category Two: A category two disruption is behavior that has some element of aggression or harassment without an immediate risk. Such situations might include but are not limited to:
A student swears loudly and repeatedly upon getting a grade.
A student makes disparaging comments about other students.
A student tears his paper up in class upon receiving it.
A student appears to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Category Three: A category three disruption is behavior that has clear and immediate potential for risk or harassment. Such situations might include but are not limited to:
A student threatens a faculty member, staff member, or student.
A student says he/she has a gun and knows how to use it.
Policy
Students are expected to adhere to the standards described in the Academic Catalog and the Student Handbook; specifically, students are to refrain from disrupting classes and other academic settings. Academic settings may include, but are not limited to, campus facilities, classrooms, off site locations, virtual learning management systems, and other locations, platforms, and environments in which academic experiences are conducted.
Category One Offenses
A faculty member should tell students who are disruptive to stop the disruptive behavior and to warn the student that such disruptive behavior, if continued or repeated, may result in academic or disciplinary action.
A faculty member is authorized to ask a student to leave the classroom or other academic setting if the faculty member deems such action necessary. If the faculty member takes such actions, he/she shall notify the Office of Academic Affairs within 24 hours. The Office of Academic Affairs may share this information with the Student Development Office. If, upon consultation with the Student Development Office, it is determined that the student presents a risk, the Office of Academic Affairs will request that the faculty member complete a Disruptive Behavior in an Academic Setting Report. This report documents the events that occurred in this incident.
Category Two Offenses
A faculty member is authorized to ask a student to leave the classroom or other academic setting if the faculty member deems such action necessary. The faculty member must report such instances to the Office of Academic Affairs within 24 hours. Working collaboratively with the faculty member and the Student Development Office, the Office of Academic Affairs will take appropriate action that may include initiating interim removal and/or initiating an investigation and student conduct proceeding.
Category Three Offenses
A faculty member is required to report all Category Three offenses to Campus Safety. This report will result in an immediate interim removal of the student from the academic setting, pending the outcome of the investigation and student conduct proceeding. The faculty member will notify the Office of Academic Affairs about the incident as soon as possible. The faculty member must complete a Disruptive Behavior in an Academic Setting Report within 24 hours of the incident.
Interim Removal from an Academic Setting
The Office of Academic Affairs, in consultation with the faculty and the Student Development Office, may enact interim removal pending resolution of the matter by sending the student a written notice informing the student of the interim conditions and advising the student of the pending investigation and student conduct process.
The Office of Academic Affairs will work with the student to try to establish an interim means to allow the student to continue to make satisfactory academic progress. This may include reassigning the student to a different class section or a different academic advisor. While it is the intention of the College to assist a student in making satisfactory academic progress, the College will not compromise the safety of faculty, staff, or students in order to do so.
Any incident that results in interim removal will be referred directly to the Student Development Office within 24 hours.
Student Conduct Proceedings
Generally, a student will not be permanently removed from an academic setting without a formal student conduct proceeding. A student who is removed from an academic setting on an interim basis has the following rights:
- The Student Development Office will conduct a Student Conduct Hearing pursuant to an investigation and student conduct processes as defined in the New England College Student Handbook.
- The student can request an expedited review of the incident. If such a request is made, the Student Development Office shall review the incident through a Student Conduct Hearing within three business days of the date that the student requests such review.
In addition to the sanctions that are possible through a Student Conduct Hearing, the following possible sanctions are available to the instructor and the Office of Academic Affairs.
Authority of Instructor:
- Warning
- One‐time removal from a class session or an academic setting
- Academic sanctions if course participation and/or attendance are a component of the final grade and are indicated in the syllabus
Authority of the Office of Academic Affairs:
- Interim exclusion from the instructor’s academic area, pending the outcome of a student conduct procedure
- Interim reassignment to a different class section or alternative means by which to make satisfactory academic progress
- Interim reassignment to a new academic advisor
Appeals
There is no appeal of a faculty member’s one-time decision to remove a student from a class. To appeal an interim decision, the student must contact the Office of Academic Affairs.
Appeals for the outcome of the student conduct proceedings will follow the appeals process described in the Student Handbook.
Students with Disabilities
All students, regardless of disability status, are expected to adhere to the same community standards and academic policies. Sanctions for student conduct or academic honesty violations and guidelines for due process procedures must be equally applied without regard to a student’s disability. Accommodations may be provided in the process if requested and appropriate. Faculty are encouraged to consult with the Office of Disability Services if issues arise around student conduct, academic integrity or other behavioral concerns that may be a related to a student’s disability.
Students’ Rights to Privacy
All information and discussion regarding the disruptive student shall be handled in a confidential manner. The privacy of the student’s educational records, including misconduct cases, is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA).
Disruptive Behavior in an Academic Setting Report Form
The Disruptive Behavior in an Academic Setting Report form should include the following information:
- Date of incident
- Student’s name
- Instructor’s name
- Instructor’s phone number
- Instructor’s email
- Title of course, course number and section
- Detailed summary of incident including a description of the disruptive behavior
- Names of witness and identification of witness status (student, faculty, staff, etc.)
- Action, if any, taken by the instructor (e.g. student warned, asked to leave class, campus security contacted, etc.)
- Recommendations for a course of action and reason for this: what do you want to have as a potential outcome?
- Instructor’s signature
Academic Integrity Policy
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
Misrepresentation
Facilitation of Academic Dishonesty
Cheating
Plagiarism
Using other people’s and/or source’s, including but not limited to, content, ideas, research, opinions, or words and taking credit for it as if it is your own work. It is failing to cite quoted and/or paraphrased words or ideas from another person’s and/or source’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:
1. Direct copy and paste from a source, without citation
2. Including cited sources in your paper but not including sufficient information or correct formatting.
3. Copying pieces of a source.
4. Copying a source and then changing some of the words.
5. Using pieces of many different sources to put together a new whole.
6. Submitting a paper - or parts of a paper - that you have submitted for another course.
7. 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:
1. Supplying questions and/or answers to a quiz or examination,
2. Allowing someone to copy your homework,
3. Doing homework together without the instructor’s permission,
4. Seeking input from others during a take‐home or open book test.
5. Misrepresenting and/or submitting work from Generative AI, Large Language Models, Text to Image Models, Text to Video, Voice AI, etc. created as one’s own.
Cheating
Deliberate deceptive behavior to avoid work and learning. Examples include:
1. Communicating with others during an exam or quiz
2. Copying all or part of homework or another’s quiz, exam, or written work
3. Using notes when you are directed not to by the professor, using electronic equipment to look up answers you don’t know
4. Making up data for research
5. Stealing quizzes or exams prior to their administration
6. Altering or attempting to alter college records
7. Offering a bribe to college personnel in exchange for special treatment or favors.
8. Misrepresenting and/or submitting work from Generative AI, Large Language Models, Text to Image Models, Text to Video, Voice AI, etc. created as one’s own.
Two Levels of Academic Dishonesty
Because academic dishonesty violates academic integrity, it cannot be condoned at NEC. Nevertheless, because there are various degrees of academic dishonesty, some more serious than others, NEC classifies offenses into two levels: minor violations and major violations. In accordance with academic freedom, NEC entrusts all decisions regarding cases of academic dishonesty (i.e., whether they be minor or major) to the discretion of each instructor, accepting as a premise that instructors honor intellectual property rights and wish to promote academic integrity in their students.
Minor
In the case of a minor offense, the instructor should meet with the offending student to notify them of the charge and explain the meaning and importance of academic honesty. In addition, the instructor, in consultation with the offending student, decides any associated penalty: for example, should the work be redone, should it receive a grade deduction, or should it receive a failing mark? If the case is indeed minor, it is understood to have been an accident, a mistake, or an oversight. Hence, the purpose of meeting with the student is to educate them so that they will know how to avoid similar acts of academic dishonesty in the future. An initial case of a minor offense in a course is not reported to the Registrar.
Major
In the case of a major offense, the instructor collects relevant evidence, meets with the offending student to notify them of the charge, explains the seriousness of the charge (including the penalties associated with violations: see below), and submits a report of academic dishonesty to the
Registrar’s Office. In the meantime, the instructor decides how the offense will affect the offending student’s grade in the course.
Violations and Sanctions for Major Cases of Academic Dishonesty
Students are responsible for being aware of any complying with the academic integrity policy 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 Suspension or Dismissal.
All major infractions of academic dishonesty will result in the student’s name being reported to the Registrar’s Office, who enters that student’s name in a log for future reference. The information is confidential, to be kept among those parties immediately concerned: the instructor of the course, the student, the Registrar who enters the name, and any others directly involved, such as the Dean of the Academic Division, the student’s advisor or program director, the Academic Standards Committee, and the Academic Integrity Board.
First Reported Case
In response to an initial case of academic dishonesty, a student must successfully complete and pass (all questions answered correctly) an assigned plagiarism tutorial/test on academic integrity via Blackboard, or else the student will be put on academic suspension. The student will have 10 calendar days upon being enrolled in the Bb course (the plagiarism tutorial/test itself) to pass the tutorial/test. The test may be taken as many times as necessary within those 10 calendar days for the student to pass it. Failure to pass it within 10 calendar days will result in academic suspension.
Second Reported Case
In response to a second case of academic dishonesty, a student must attend a hearing with the Academic Integrity Board. Penalties for a second case of academic dishonesty include suspension or expulsion. Suspension can be appealed according to the policies described below. Readmission to NEC after suspension due to cases of academic dishonesty will be determined by the Academic Standards Committee.
Third Reported Case
In response to a third case of academic dishonesty, a student must attend a hearing with the Academic Integrity Board. Penalties for a third case of academic dishonesty include expulsion from NEC. Expulsion may be appealed according to the policies described below.
Academic Integrity Board and Hearings
The Academic Integrity Board consists of at least two members of the Academic Standards Committee and a full-time faculty member. Hearings will include the Academic Integrity Board and the student. A single verbatim record, such as a tape recording, will be made of all hearings. Deliberations will not be recorded. The record is the property of the College and will be erased or otherwise destroyed after any potential appeals process has ended. The student may also invite a witness or advocate from within the college community. When appropriate, hearings may also include relevant instructor(s), witness(es), or advocate(s) from within the college community that the instructor(s) invites.
Appeals Procedures
A student may appeal to the Academic Integrity Board an instructor’s accusation of academic dishonesty or the instructor’s decision to fail, for example, an offending student for an assignment or the course. Within ten class days of receiving notice of the disputed accusation or decision, the student must submit a written request for a hearing to the Academic Integrity Board. The request will contain a statement of the basis for appeal, as well as any new supporting evidence that was not available at the time of the hearing. The instructor will receive a copy of the student’s appeal. After the hearing and within ten class days, the Academic Integrity Board will inform the student and the instructor of its decision. If the decision of the Academic Integrity Board reverses an accusation of academic dishonesty, all records pertaining to the case will be destroyed.
A student may also appeal a decision by the Academic Integrity Board regarding penalties associated with a second or third case of academic dishonesty (e.g., suspension or expulsion). Within ten class days of receiving notice of the decision, the student must submit a written request for a hearing to the Academic Integrity Board. The request will contain a statement of the basis for appeal, as well as any new supporting evidence that was not available at the time of the hearing. The instructor will receive a copy of the student’s appeal. After the hearing and within ten class days, the Academic Integrity Board will inform the student and the instructor of its decision.
A student may appeal against the decision of the Academic Integrity Board. The appeal must be submitted in writing within ten days of the Academic Integrity Board decision and can rest on procedural grounds only. It is to be submitted to the Chief Academic Officer or their designee, whose decision is final.
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