Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity Policy

Scope of Policy

The standards around academic integrity support and promote academic excellence and the pursuit of students' learning and growth, while academic dishonesty undermines these aspirations.

Faculty preserve and transmit the values of the academic community through example in their own academic pursuits and through the learning environment that they create for their students. Faculty are expected to encourage and foster in their students a respect for integrity and an understanding of the importance of honesty within their chosen profession. Faculty must also take measures to discourage student academic dishonesty.

Faculty have both the right and responsibility to expect academic honesty if students are to remain in good standing and to be evaluated fairly.  Faculty also have the right to set the academic penalty for academic dishonesty in a course or program requirement subject to the appeal rights of a student.  Students accused of academic dishonesty have the right to have their case heard in a fair and impartial manner.

Commitment to maintaining and encouraging high standards of academic integrity is demonstrated in many ways.  One way is through the establishment of policies and procedures governing violation of the standards of academic integrity. The following policies, procedures, and definitions are intended to help faculty meet these responsibilities.

Violations of Academic Integrity

Violations of the academic integrity standards of West Chester University fall into six broadly defined categories:

  1. Plagiarism: The inclusion of someone else's words, ideas, or data as one's own work.
  2. Fabrication: The use of invented information or the falsification of research, information, citations, or other findings.
  3. Cheating: An act or an attempted act of deception by which a student seeks to misrepresent their mastery of the information or skills being assessed. It includes, but is not limited to, using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise.
  4. Academic Misconduct: Includes, but is not limited to, other academically dishonest acts such as tampering with grades; or submitting false evidence or documentation; or taking part in obtaining or distributing any course content, including but not limited to tests, without the instructor's approval; or disrupting or interfering with the ability of others to complete academic assignments. It also includes violations of the Student Code of Conduct, as they relate to the academic environment.
  5. Facilitating Academic Dishonesty: Includes helping or attempting to help another to commit an academic integrity policy violation.
  6. Breach of Standards of Professional Ethics: In certain degree programs, students will be instructed on and provided with that profession’s code of ethics (e.g., the American Nurses Association Code for Nurses). Under some circumstances, if a student is found to have violated that professional code, that violation may be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Penalties

Most academic integrity violations are handled and remedied by the faculty member teaching the course in which they occur or evaluating a program requirement. Faculty members may assign the following penalties:

  • Completion of alternate assignment without a grade reduction
  • Completion of alternate assignment with a grade reduction
  • Reduced grade on the assignment
  • Reduced grade for the course
  • F for the assignment
  • F for the course
  • Failure of a program requirement such as a comprehensive exam
  • Other penalty specified by the faculty member

A faculty member may assign a further penalty including the following, subject to the procedures below:

  • Probation
  • Suspension
  • Dismissal from the program
  • Dismissal from the university
  • Expulsion from the university

Individual departments may establish a "zero tolerance" academic integrity policy for their students, and they must clearly inform students of the policy.

Procedures for Handling Cases

Faculty determine if a violation of academic integrity has occurred in a course or program requirement and what penalty should be imposed. A faculty member responsible for assigning final grades in a course or evaluating a program requirement may acquire evidence, either directly or through information supplied by others, that a violation of academic integrity may have occurred. After collecting the evidence available, the faculty member will meet with the student to present the evidence of an alleged violation and request an explanation.

If the faculty member accepts the student's explanation, no further action is taken. If the faculty member determines that a violation has occurred, the faculty member informs the student of the penalty that will be imposed within five class days of their decision using the Report of Violation of Academic Integrity form. The faculty member will also inform the student of their right to file an appeal within 10 class days of the faculty member's decision. A “class day” refers to a day when WCU is open for business and classes are in session.

The faculty member fills out and forwards a copy of the Report of Violation of Academic Integrity and any additional supporting documentation to their department chairperson. In departments that have a departmental board, the faculty member will forward the information to the departmental board. The department chair (or chair of the departmental board) will forward the information to the dean of the college. If the faculty member is the department chair and there is no departmental board, the report will be sent directly to the dean of the college.

The report includes:

• The nature of the charge and evidence against the student
• A brief summary of the meeting with the student
• The faculty member's decision

If a student does not appeal the decision, the Report of Violation of Academic Integrity Form should be forwarded to the Provost, who will keep the report describing the incident until the student has graduated and the degree has been awarded. The purpose of this record keeping is to ensure that students who violate the University's Academic Integrity Policy a second time are penalized appropriately. A second violation, upheld by the Provost or their designee, will result in automatic dismissal from the program and from the University.

Once a faculty member has charged a student with academic dishonesty, the student may not withdraw from the course to avoid a grade penalty or to prevent the filing of the Report of Violation of Academic Integrity form. If the student is subsequently found not guilty of the charge, the student may either:

  • Remain in the course without penalty, or
  • Withdraw from the course regardless of any published deadlines.

If the student is found to have violated the Academic Integrity Policy, the student may not withdraw from the course and will receive the penalty imposed by the instructor.

Appeal Procedures

A student may appeal the instructor's charge and/or penalty.  A student who files an appeal will receive no worse of a penalty as a result of the appeal than they would have received if they had not appealed the instructor's action.

A student must file an appeal within 10 class days of the faculty decision. The request for appeal should contain all information that the student believes is relevant to their case. If the faculty member who has brought the charges is also the chair of the department, the appeal moves directly to the dean of the college.

The progression of the appeal is as follows:

  1. Student must file an appeal by notifying the department chair or department board within 10 class days of the faculty decision.
  2. Department chair or department board must decide whether to uphold the faculty decision and notify the student within 10 class days. 
  3. Student must file an appeal to the college dean within five class days of the department chair or department board's decision.
  4. College dean must decide whether to uphold the faculty decision and notify the student within 10 class days.
  5. Student must file an appeal to the Graduate Dean within five class days of the college dean's decision.
  6. Graduate dean must decide whether to uphold the faculty decision and notify the student within 10 class days.
  7. Student must notify the Graduate Dean within five class days if they want to appeal to an Academic Integrity Board.

Academic Integrity Board

The student may request an Academic Integrity Board hearing as part of the appeal process. If the faculty member is not on contract or in residence on the campus, the faculty member shall have the right to defer the hearing until their return. Similarly, if the procedure would normally occur during the summer and the student is not enrolled in any summer session, the student may request that the hearing be deferred until the fall semester.

The Dean of the Graduate School or their designee shall appoint faculty and student members of the Academic Integrity Board. The members of the Academic Integrity Board include:

  1. The Dean of The Graduate School or their designee serves as nonvoting chairperson.
  2. A college dean not involved in the charging process.
  3. Two faculty members from different departments who teach graduate courses or direct graduate research projects.
  4. Two graduate students who are not from the same college as the student making the appeal. 

Hearing Procedures for Academic Integrity Board

The board chair will provide notice to all parties that includes a summary of the charges and the date and time of the hearing. The board shall have no knowledge of any record of previous acts of academic dishonesty. The student will be advised of the identities of Academic Integrity Board members and witnesses that may be presented by the charging party in advance of the hearing. Hearings shall proceed to the extent possible according to the following form:

  1. The Board Chair shall open the proceedings by reading the statement of charges.
  2. The faculty member shall then present the case against the student, including the presentation of witnesses. This shall be done by the submission of written, physical, and testimonial evidence. The student and the board members shall have the right to conduct reasonable questioning of the faculty member and the faculty member's witnesses.
  3. At the conclusion of the faculty member's presentation, the student may present a defense, including the presentation of witnesses. This shall be done by the submission of written, physical, and testimonial evidence. The faculty member shall have the right to conduct reasonable questioning of the student and the student's witnesses.
  4. After both cases have been presented, the board shall allow rebuttal evidence.
  5. At the close of the hearing, the board shall allow closing arguments by both parties.

The Board Chair shall have authority and be responsible for maintaining an orderly procedure throughout the hearing. All hearings are closed proceedings; witnesses may be excluded from the room until the appropriate time for their testimony.  All matters upon which the decision will be based must be introduced as evidence during the hearing.

Both parties shall have the right to be assisted by advisors, who may be attorneys, and who may be present at hearings. The Board Chair must be notified in advance of the hearing as to whom the advisors will be. The advisors may only consult and interact privately with their advisees and may not address the board or otherwise speak aloud during the hearing. The Board Chair will ask advisors who are disruptive to the process to leave the proceedings, and the matter will go forward absent their involvement.

All hearings will be recorded. The recording of the hearing will be archived in the Office of the Provost for five years. A written transcript of the hearing will be provided at the expense of the University pursuant to a validly issued subpoena.

Any party who fails to appear at the hearing without appropriate reason consents to the hearing being conducted in their absence and to a final decision to being made based on the facts presented. The board has the right to continue a hearing whenever necessary and appropriate.

Board Recommendation

The board will submit a written recommendation to the Provost or their designee within 15 class days after the conclusion of the Academic Integrity Board hearing.  If the student is found in violation of the Academic Integrity Policy, the board will not recommend a penalty that is more severe than the one recommended by the faculty member for that infraction. The written recommendation will be based on a preponderance of evidence, arrived at by majority vote, in which the facts and reasons for the recommendation are set forth. Copies of the report will be sent to all parties, including the Dean of The Graduate School, the college dean and the department chair. A copy will be sent to the student via email. Either party may express its reaction in writing regarding the board's recommendation to the Provost or their designee within 5 class days of receipt of the recommendation.

Provost Decision

Within 15 class days the Provost or their designee shall provide a written response containing their decision, and explaining to all parties their reasons for upholding or declining to implement the board's recommendations. If the Provost or their designee finds inadequacies in the record, the matter can be sent back to the board for additional testimony. The decision of the Provost or their designee shall be final. If the penalty being levied is an "F" in the course, the Provost or their designee will direct the registrar to enter the grade of "F" in the student's record.

At the conclusion of the appeals process, a student may be exonerated or subject to the recommended penalty.  A written statement of the decision and relevant materials shall be placed in the student's academic file and sent to the student's academic advisor.

If the violation is a second offense and the Provost upholds the accusation, the student will be dismissed from the program and the university, and they will be prohibited from being admitted to another program at the university. 

Expulsion

If a student is expelled from the University, they are informed in writing that the relationship between the student and this University is permanently terminated. The student is not permitted on university property. There will be no adjustment of fees. The assignment of grades shall be in accordance with university policy. The fact of the expulsion and the reason for it will be entered upon the student's official transcript and upon all copies thereof. A student who has been expelled for academic dishonesty will not be awarded a degree from West Chester University. Any actions taken by the Provost will be sent to the director of the Office for Judicial Affairs and Student Assistance. A disciplinary file will be established as a permanent record of these actions. The University may withhold transcripts, grades, degrees, diplomas, or other official records pending the disposition of cases.