Faculty Resources

Excellence   in teaching, research, and scholarship is predicated upon maintaining an   environment   conductive to educational pursuits. Promoting knowledge   and understanding of the University's standards of conduct is foundational to maintaining such an environment, just as is   challenging and correcting misconduct which is disruptive to that environment.

Faculty, by virtue of their contact with students in classroom settings, have the greatest opportunity to   prevent, identify, and report acts of academic dishonesty and disruptive behavior.

academic integrity and faculty responsbility

The best way to ensure academic integrity in the University community is by raising levels of awareness through prevention and setting clear expectations.

Most reported cases of academic dishonesty don't require extensive paperwork; the reporting faculty member simply needs to have a brief discussion with the student before submitting a brief written report to our office.

The failure to report cases of academic dishonesty in the classroom, no matter how trivial, does more harm than good. Prompt conversations and reports serve as educational opportunities to help students gain clarity about the University's expectations. Additionally, when repeat offenders may go undetected, honest students are penalized and are given the impression that academic integrity is of minor importance to the faculty.

Although our office will maintain records of any disciplinary actions for a minimum of seven years, only certain designated sanctions (probation, suspension, or expulsion) appear as disciplinary notations on students' academic transcripts.

Reporting academic dishonesty protects everyone. Responsibly reporting violations fulfills a faculty member's obligation to University policy, ensures students are afforded due process, and helps protect the academic community against recidivism.

How to report acts of dishonesty

If an instructor believes that an act of academic dishonesty has occured in a class, that instructor should take the following steps, summarized from UPS 300.021 Academic Dishonesty:

  1. Gather all pertinent information, such as tests, reports, computer programs, or other academic assignments.
  2. As soon as possible, discuss the matter with the student. This is the student's opportunity to understand what the issue is, why the behavior may be unacceptable, and how the situation might have been handled differently.
    If circumstances prevent consultation with the student, the instructor may assign an appropriate sanction (subject to student appeal).
  3. If the student denies the violation, give them an opportunity to explain what they believe happened.
  4. If you determine that the student has violated standards of academic integrity, inform the student that a grade penalty will be assessed (e.g., an 'F' in the course, 0 points on the assignment, etc.). Then report the incident to the Department Chair and to the Dean of Students Office, Student Conduct.
  5. Your report to Student Conduct may use our online form, which includes a section to forward the report to the Department Chair. On the form, you'll include information about the incident and the grade penalty that you assessed. Your report should preferably be submitted within 15 calendar days of the discovery, but no later than 30 calendar days after the first day of classes of the following regular semester. Copies of supporting documents or assignments should be included with the report.
  6. The student has the option to appeal the allegation of academic dishonesty or the grade penalty following UPS 300.030 Academic Appeals.
  7. The student must be allowed to continue to attend all classes and complete all assignments until the appellate process is complete.

 

PROTECT YOUR COURSE MATERIALS

The CSU Chancellor's Office shared the following resources and examples from the University of California on how faculty members can protect and remove their course materials like tests, lectures, and teaching materials from Chegg, Course Heroes, and similar websites.