Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures

College of Communications

 

POLICY

 

On August 29, 2000, the Council of Academic Deans adopted “A Statement on Academic Integrity at Penn State,” stating:

 

Academic integrity mandates the pursuit of teaching, learning, research, and creative activity in an open, honest, and responsible manner. An academic community that values integrity promotes the highest levels of personal honesty, respect for the rights, property, and dignity of others, and fosters an environment in which students and scholars can enjoy the fruits of their efforts. Academic integrity includes a commitment neither to engage in acts of falsification, misrepresentation, or deception, nor to tolerate such acts by other members of the community.

 

Academic integrity is a fundamental value at Penn State. It must be at the heart of all our endeavors and must guide our actions every day as students and as members of the faculty, administration, and staff. Because we expect new and continuing members of the University community to meet the high standards that are the foundation of a Penn State education, this message must be clear and reinforced frequently.

 

The College of Communications, in agreement with these principles, seeks to foster an environment of academic trust and integrity within its student body. Consistent with Senate Policy 49-20, the College shall establish a Committee on Academic Integrity to be comprised as follows: Three faculty members (at least one tenured member with graduate faculty status who will serve as Chair) appointed by the Dean; two students chosen by the Dean from a list of nominees provided by the College of Communications Student Council[1]; and a Department Head from within the College. The Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education will provide administrative support. The faculty members shall serve two-year terms. The student members may be appointed for one or two years and should be declared majors within the College.

 

The Committee is charged to develop a statement of principles of academic integrity suitable for inclusion in course syllabi and consistent with Senate and administrative policies. The faculty shall be asked to include that statement of academic integrity in all course syllabi and review that policy with students during the first week of classes.

 

The Chair of the Committee (or designate) shall participate in all orientation programs held for new students at the beginning of each semester to review the academic integrity policies and procedures.

 

The Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education shall ensure that all full-time and part-time faculty members are informed of the College’s statement on academic integrity and that the statement and associated policy are part of the faculty orientation and faculty development procedures.

 

The Committee shall hear all cases involving violations of academic integrity formally brought to its attention. The starting point for all such cases is the faculty member bringing the charge. To formally process the complaint, the faculty member shall notify the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education if the infraction involves an undergraduate student. If the matter involves a graduate student, the faculty member shall notify the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies. The appropriate Associate Dean shall convene the Committee once a formal complaint has been filed within his or her office.

 

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATIONS

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY PROCEDURES

 

The process for adjudicating a formal complaint shall be as follows:

 

A.        When Academic Dishonesty is Suspected

 

(1)           The faculty member must communicate the specifics of the charge to the student, while taking into account the need to respect each student’s privacy and the goal of maintaining an environment that supports teaching and learning;

(2)           The faculty member must explain to the student the specific academic integrity policies at issue;

(3)           The faculty member may provide a cooling-off period after presenting a student with the allegation that she or he violated academic integrity;

(4)           The student must be provided an opportunity to explain the conduct or respond to the faculty member’s charge;

(5)           The faculty member must convey to the student the grade or grade and disciplinary action to be taken and ask the student to sign the College’s academic integrity reporting form;

(6)           The faculty member must explain the options to the student (i.e., accept or contest the charges.

 

B.        If the Student Accepts Responsibility for the Violation and the Proposed Academic Sanction

 

(1)  If the student accepts the charges (and the faculty member’s sanction), the reporting form is completed and signed, and should be delivered to the appropriate associate dean for transmittal to the Office of Judicial Affairs. This closes the academic sanction element of the case;

(2)  The faculty member may opt also to pursue a disciplinary action in conjunction with the College Academic Integrity Committee and Judicial Affairs. Normally, however, it is preferable to settle issues between faculty and student, which means relying on the awarding of grades and course-related activities to support the learning process, rather than requesting additional disciplinary sanctions.

(3)  Throughout the academic integrity process, grading authority remains the responsibility of the instructor.

 

C.        If the Student Does Not Admit Responsibility for an Academic Integrity Violation

 

(1)  If the student contests the charges and/or academic sanction, then the instructor forwards the case to the Academic Integrity Committee, which shall be convened to hold a hearing on the charges;

(2)  Bringing the case is the responsibility of the instructor of record. If the charges are based in whole or in part on evidence or reports provided by a teaching assistant, the instructor must have reviewed the evidence or report and be willing to personally stand behind it, and it becomes part of his or her case;

(3)  When the instructor has not recommended disciplinary sanctions, the Academic Integrity Committee conducts fact finding in accordance with due process procedures;

(4)  The student shall have the right to appear before the Committee to contest the charges or to provide additional relevant information; however, this right may be waived by the student, in which case the Committee may proceed with an administrative review based on the written record, including submissions by the student, to reach a conclusion;

(5)  The student shall have the right to at least two weeks notice of the hearing; to attend, or not to attend, the hearing: to be accompanied by an advisor; to examine all relevant documents; to take notes; and to be heard in response to witnesses or evidence presented;

(6)  In reaching its conclusion with respect to a violation, the Committee shall be guided by the standard of clear and convincing evidence;

(7)  The Committee will reach its conclusion and issue its report within ten days of the conclusion of the hearing and the submission of all relevant evidence;

(8)  The student may at any time during this process revoke his or her decision to contest the allegation and accept the academic sanction imposed by the instructor, at which time the hearing process will terminate;

(9)  The Committee may concur in the academic sanction proposed by the instructor, or if it wishes to suggest a different sanction, it may meet with the instructor to allow the members to explain their reasons and encourage him or her to consider changing it. If it does not find sufficient evidence to support the allegation of a violation of academic integrity, it shall recommend that no sanction be applied.

(10)        The results of that hearing (and any sanction imposed) shall be reported to the appropriate associate dean who will, in turn, transmit the information to the Office of Judicial Affairs.

 

The Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education shall be charged with the record keeping of all cases involving violations of academic integrity. He or she will be responsible for reporting all cases to the Office of Judicial Affairs.

 

D.        The “XF” Grade

 

(1)           An “XF” grade is a formal University disciplinary sanction;

(2)           “XF” sanctions are only recorded with the concurrence of the instructor, the College Academic Integrity Committee, and Judicial Affairs. Reliance on the “XF” should be a rare occurrence and reserved for the most serious breaches of academic integrity;

(3)           In any instance in which the instructor believes an “XF” sanction warranted, and whether or not the student has admitted responsibility, the case is forwarded to the College Academic Integrity Committee for administrative review and then to the Office of Judicial Affairs for appropriate fact finding and judgment;

 

Nothing in this Policy or Procedure shall be contrary to the policies and procedures outlined in Research Administration Policy RA-10 or Administrative Policy AD-47 which set forth statement of general standards of professional ethics within the academic community, and which provide procedures to follow in cases of alleged misconduct in research or other scholarly activities that are normally handled through research administration channels.

 

 

College of Communications

Adopted Language on Academic Integrity

For College of Communications’ Syllabi

 

Academic Integrity: Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly and creative activity in an open, honest and responsible manner, free from fraud and deception, and is an educational objective of the College of Communications and the university. Cheating, including plagiarism, falsification of research data, using the same assignment for more than one class, turning in someone else’s work, or passively allowing others to copy your work, will result in academic penalties at the discretion of the instructor, and may result in the grade of “XF’ (failed for academic dishonesty) being put on your permanent transcript. In serious cases it could also result in suspension or dismissal from the university.

 

As students studying communication, you should understand and avoid plagiarism (presenting the work of others as your own). A discussion of plagiarism, with examples, can be found at: www.psu.edu/dept/english/comp/plagiarism.html/.

 

The rules and policies regarding academic integrity should be reviewed by every student, and can be found online at: www.psu.edu/ufs/policies/47-00.html#49-20, and in the College of Communications document, “Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures.” Any student with a question about academic integrity or plagiarism is strongly encouraged to discuss it with his or her instructor.