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Academic Integrity Procedure
1.
Purpose:
- This Procedure supports the Academic Integrity Policy and describes how the University of Canberra (the University) will promote a culture of academic and research integrity.
- This Procedure sets out:
- descriptions and examples of academic misconduct
- how the University will provide academic and research integrity education and support
- the strategies the University will apply to mitigate academic and research integrity risks and detect potential academic integrity breaches, and
- the processes for conducting investigations for alleged academic and research integrity breaches.
- For staff, this Procedure should be read together with the University’s Charter of Conduct and Values, the University of Canberra Enterprise Agreement, the Academic Integrity Policy, and the Responsible Conduct of Research Policy.
- For students, this Procedure should be read together with the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023 (the Student Conduct Rules), the Student Charter, the Academic Integrity Policy, and the Responsible Conduct of Research Policy.
- Alleged breaches of academic integrity may be investigated for academic and/or serious misconduct as follows:
- For students, broad categories of academic and serious misconduct are defined in Rule 9 (2) of the Student Conduct Rules.
- For staff, academic misconduct is defined in Section 3 of this Procedure and serious misconduct is defined in the University of Canberra Enterprise Agreement.
- While this Procedure discusses research integrity as a type of academic integrity, The Procedures for Dealing with Complaints about Breaches of the Responsible Conduct of Research states the process for considering allegations of research misconduct by staff and students.
2.
Scope:
- This Procedure has the same scope as the Academic Integrity Policy.
3.
Procedure:
SUPPORTING ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
- The University will regularly express its expectations in relation to academic and research integrity and its commitment to the values of academic and research integrity to its staff, students, future students, and affiliates through:
- rules, policies, procedures, and contracts
- governance committees
- unit outlines
- Faculty and University communications to staff, students, and partner institutions, and
- communication strategies to address particular academic and research integrity concerns.
- Breaches of academic and research integrity include (but are not limited to):
- bribery and favours
- cheating
- collusion
- contract cheating and assignment outsourcing
- falsification, including falsification of data
- file sharing
- impersonation
- plagiarism, including
- paraphrasing without proper acknowledgement (see ‘paraphrasing’ in the Definitions section of this Procedure)
- copying and pasting
- washing (see ‘washing’ in the Definitions section of this Procedure)
- self plagiarism (see ‘self plagiarism’ in Definitions section of this Procedure)
- unauthorised use of artificial intelligence services.
- misrepresentation
- poor scholarship
- failing to comply with unit outlines, assessment notices, or instructions from University staff relating to assessment
- any other form of academic dishonesty.
- The University will make available its policies and plain English information and requirements on admission, withdrawal/cancellation of enrolment, recognition of prior learning, transition, progression, grading assessment, completion, appeals, equity and diversity, intellectual property, and academic and research integrity to students prior to their acceptance of an offer.
- The University will provide resources to support students in developing their study and research skills and understanding of academic and research integrity standards including guides to academic referencing, researching, note taking and writing, and understanding assessment tasks.
- Faculties will ensure that all coursework and higher degree by research (HDR) students successfully complete the Academic Integrity Module (AIM) as an unweighted hurdle task in the first teaching period of each calendar year in which they are studying in that course.
- Faculties will ensure that students enrolled in HDR courses also complete the Research Integrity Module (RIM) as an unweighted hurdle task in the first teaching period of the calendar year in which they are studying in that course. HDR students may be required to complete additional training and research as required by the Responsible Conduct of Research Policy.
- Students will receive a digital badge on successful completion of an AIM assessment demonstrating their understanding of academic integrity.
- For coursework courses, Course Convenors and/or Unit Convenors will provide clear expectations and discipline-specific academic and research integrity standards and ensure that students are familiar with the various behaviours that may breach academic integrity.
- Unit Conveners will define in the unit outline what is permissible for a particular assessment item or assessment type. For example, what type of collaboration is allowed; what kind of items are permitted in an exam; what referencing style and standard is expected; and whether the use of artificial intelligence services is permitted, and to what extent.
- Research supervisors and supervisory panels in both coursework and HDR courses will provide students with clear instructions on the University’s academic and research integrity expectations at the commencement of their course of study and at regular intervals during their course of study.
- Unit convenors, research supervisors and supervisory panels, will define in writing what assistance is permissible in honours and HDR courses, assessment tasks or theses, including proofreading, editing and authorised uses of artificial intelligence services.
- Faculties will ensure that values of academic and research integrity and requirements, including correct referencing and acknowledgement of sources, are clearly articulated in unit outlines.
- Faculties will require all staff to take responsibility for detecting and reporting breaches of academic and research integrity.
- If a student is suspected to have engaged in behaviour that may be in breach of Rule 9 of the Student Conduct Rules, the matter may be referred to a Prescribed Authority in accordance with Rule 10(1).
- Faculties will require their staff, and staff at partner institutions teaching a faculty course, to complete the staff-focused AIM, and ensure that students studying at partnership locations are aware of their academic and research integrity responsibilities.
- Faculties may have their own local instructions to support academic and research integrity, and to complement this procedure.
- Faculties will investigate alleged breaches of academic and research integrity and follow the process described in the Student Conduct Rules and the Responsible Conduct of Research Policy, as amended from time to time.
- The University will apply strategies to address the risk of academic integrity breaches, taking into account the diversity of causes.
- Assessment
- Unit conveners and program directors will design assessment to reduce opportunities for breaches of academic and research integrity, and reduce the pressure on students that can lead them to consider breaching academic and research integrity by:
- ensuring that the number and the weighting of assessments across the required units in a course in a teaching period is a reasonable load for full time student and for the unit’s identified level of study
- utilising authentic and personalised assessment where appropriate
- reviewing and revising assessment for each teaching period to reduce or eliminate any benefit to students accessing previous assessment tasks, including through use of file sharing sites
- selecting question types in quizzes and exams which require application of higher order thinking
- including in unit outlines and assessment descriptions, details of behaviours that are permitted when researching, developing, completing and submitting assessment sand clearly communicating these to students.
- Unit conveners and program directors will design assessment to reduce opportunities for breaches of academic and research integrity, and reduce the pressure on students that can lead them to consider breaching academic and research integrity by:
- Unit conveners will
- ensure that students studying a unit have completed the AIM for the calendar year of their study and direct students who have not completed the AIM to do so.
- include a text matching drop-box for draft assessments in the University’s Learning Management System (LMS) and ensure that students understand the meaning of the text matching reports
- provide access to resources for academic referencing as needed
- include explicit information about academic and research integrity expectations in course materials, learning activities, and assessment instructions
- refer students to University support services that develop study skills
- ensure students have information about how to request a reasonable adjustment plan as set out in the University’s Assessment Procedures
- provide information about the conditions under which extensions can be requested and ensure that students are aware of the relevant University policy and procedure, and
- publicise the academic integrity statement students that must agree to when submitting an assessment coversheet into the LMS, and which applies to all assessment and is published in the unit outline.
- Access control to cheating sites
- The University will block access to known cheating sites from its network.
- If a person attempts to access a known cheating site from the University network the person will be notified it is a cheating site by an automatic pop-up notice.
- Unit Convenors, Program Directors, research Supervisors and other staff involved in the review, detection, or investigation of breaches of academic and research integrity will be allowed to access known academic cheating sites from the University’s network.
- Detection strategies
- The University will use its own, or third party, technical services to detect potential breaches of academic integrity. These include but are not limited to:
- text matching services
- online invigilation and proctoring services and/or in person invigilation of assessment
- search engines
- assessment search and matching services
- artificial intelligence detection services
- reverse image look up services.
- The University will provide staff with guidance and training on strategies to help detect breaches of academic and research integrity.
- Unit conveners will monitor known academic cheating sites for sharing of the University’s assessments and course materials and take appropriate action; for example, issuing a take down notice, and seeking information including student-identifying data from the cheating site.
- When investigating a possible breach of academic integrity, the University will seek data, evidence and information from its internal systems, and those of third-party services, and partner institutions to the extent allowed by law.
- The University will use its own, or third party, technical services to detect potential breaches of academic integrity. These include but are not limited to:
- Behaviours by students that may be breaches of academic integrity and that may result in a finding of academic misconduct vary in seriousness. If a finding of academic misconduct is made under the Student Conduct Rules, outcomes will vary according to the seriousness of the misconduct. Outcomes for types of breaches of academic integrity are set out in the Student Conduct Rules.
- The process for conducting an investigation into an allegation of academic misconduct by a student is described in the Student Conduct Rules.
- Behaviours that may constitute a breach of the Responsible Conduct of Research Policy will be investigated in accordance with the Procedures for Dealing with Complaints about Breaches of the Responsible Conduct of Research.
- All new academic staff must successfully complete the Academic Integrity Module within the first year of their employment.
- All new academic staff conducting or supervising research, or conducting research training, must successfully complete the Research Integrity Module within the first year of their employment.
- Faculties will ensure staff receive appropriate training in academic and research integrity, as required.
- Faculties will ensure staff are informed about procedures and protections that apply when raising allegations of breaches of academic and research integrity.
- Employee conduct that is inconsistent with the employee’s official duties as they relate to matters of academic integrity may constitute a breach of the Charter of Conduct and Values.
- Where an employee’s behaviour may constitute a breach of the University’s Charter of Conduct and Values, the procedures for investigating misconduct are set out in the University of Canberra Enterprise Agreement.
- If a finding of misconduct is made under the University of Canberra Enterprise Agreement , outcomes will vary according to the seriousness of the misconduct.
- Employee conduct that is inconsistent with the employee’s responsibilities under the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research 2018 may constitute a breach of the Responsible Conduct of Research Policy.
- Behaviours that may constitute a breach of the Responsible Conduct of Research Policy will be investigated in accordance with the Procedures for Dealing with Complaints about Breaches of the Responsible Conduct of Research.
- Where an allegation of misconduct may constitute a breach under both the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research 2018 and the University’s Charter of Conduct and Values, the University will facilitate one investigation where all allegations are considered simultaneously.
- Depending on the nature and seriousness of the allegation made against the employee, and the outcome of any investigation into the conduct, the consequences for the employee will be determined in accordance with the University of Canberra Enterprise Agreement or the Procedures for Dealing with Complaints about Breaches of the Responsible Conduct of Research as relevant. Such consequences may include requiring the staff member to complete the AIM and/or the RIM again, and/or undertake further education activities.
- Faculties will maintain secure and confidential records relating to the management of alleged cases of academic misconduct in accordance with the University’s Privacy Policy and Records, Information and Data Management Policy.
- The Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) will keep records of investigations of allegations of research misconduct, as set out in Procedures for Dealing with Complaints about Breaches of the Responsible Conduct of Research.
- The University will keep records to show how it acted on information provided by faculties to improve its operations in regard to academic and research integrity.
- The University will undertake a continuous cycle of monitoring and review of academic misconduct, and the improvement of processes and systems to protect academic integrity and reduce academic misconduct, to assure the University’s reputation and the integrity of its qualifications.
- The Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education), the faculties and the University Research Committee will report annually to Academic Board via the appropriate sub-committees on:
- statistics and trends relating to allegations and cases of academic and research misconduct and summary inquiries for both coursework and research students
- how the allegations were dealt with, and
- the strategies used to promote academic and research integrity and demonstrate a reduction in academic misconduct within the faculty.
- Academic Board will report annually to Council with these statistics and trends and the strategies used to promote academic and research integrity and minimise academic misconduct.
4.
Roles and Responsibilities:
| Who | Responsibilities |
| Academic Board | As determined in the University of Canberra (Academic Board) Rules 2021 |
| Authorised Person | As determined in the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023 |
| Chief People Officer |
|
| Data Information and Technology Management (DITM) | Oversee University information technology security and acceptable use, in accordance with the Charter of Conduct and Values and Privacy Policy |
| Data Insights and Analytics | Provide data and reports to support the University’s compliance with the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021, and as requested by Governance committees, faculties, or business units |
| Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) |
|
| Dean |
|
| Faculty Board |
|
| Director, Learning and Teaching |
|
| Library Services |
|
| People and Diversity | Provide advice to staff regarding processes related to staff misconduct as set out in the University of Canberra Enterprise Agreement and the Charter of Conduct and Values |
| Prescribed authority | As defined in the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023 |
| Program Director |
|
| Pro Vice-Chancellor Education |
|
| Quality Assurance |
|
| Staff |
|
| Student |
|
| Student Conduct Committee | As defined in the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023 |
| Student Conduct Officer | Staff member of the University appointed by the Vice-Chancellor pursuant to section 5 of the |
| Study Skills |
|
| Unit Convener |
|
5.
Governing Policy and Legislation:
- This policy is governed by the following legislation:
6.
Supporting Information:
- University Statutes and Rules
- University policy, procedures, agreements, and plans
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Responsible Conduct of Research Policy
- Student Charter
- University of Canberra Enterprise Agreement
- University of Canberra Charter of Conduct and Values
- Publication and Authorship of Research Policy
- Procedures for Dealing with Complaints about Breaches of the Responsible Conduct of Research
- University of Canberra Reconciliation Action Plan 2021-2024
- Other
7.
Definitions:
| Term | Definition |
| Academic integrity | Academic integrity means using, generating and communicating information in an ethical, honest and responsible manner. |
| AIM | Academic Integrity Module |
| Assessment | As defined in the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules |
| Breach of conduct | As defined in the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules |
| Hurdle task | An assessment task requiring a minimum level of performance as a condition of passing the course. |
| LMS | Learning Management System |
| Research integrity | Research practices, standards and accountabilities consistent with the (Cth) and the Responsible Conduct of Research Policy |
| Research misconduct | A serious breach of the (Cth) which is also intentional or reckless or negligent |
| RIM | Research Integrity Module |
| Types of misconduct | |
| Bribery or favours | As defined in the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules |
| Cheating | As defined in the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules |
| Collusion | As defined in the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules |
| Contract cheating and assignment outsourcing | As defined in the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules |
| Falsification or fabrication | May refer to falsifying or fabricating information or data (see misrepresentation) or student identity (see impersonation) |
| File sharing | File sharing sites enable students to upload and share materials with other students, typically materials that could be used to support academic misconduct, and/or violate the University’s, or an individual academic’s intellectual property. These materials include but are not limited to course materials, lecture notes or slides, quizzes, exams, assessments, answers, study guides and may be in any format. |
| Impersonation | Impersonation is when someone other than the enrolled student in a unit pretends to be the enrolled student when undertaking an exam, an assessment, or any other learning activity. Impersonation is a type of fraud. This impersonation may be online in person, and includes logging into any University system with the credentials of the student being impersonated. |
| MIsrepresentation | This is where research, data and/or the findings from research or data is not accurately reflected or represented, or where findings are selectively and/or only partially reported. Misrepresentation may be accidental, the outcome of carelessness, ignorance or some combination (see poor scholarship), but also maybe an intentional act, undertaken to reflect personal bias, for political reasons, and/or to ensure that unexpected, unpopular and/or undesirable findings are suppressed. |
| Plagiarism | As defined in the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023 |
| Poor scholarship | Inadequate, incomplete or misleading citation of references and sources |
| Types of plagiarism (misconduct) | |
| Paraphrasing | Paraphrasing in your own words from source material is acceptable, however, the paraphrasing must acknowledge all sources that resulted in the paraphrased material |
| Copying and pasting | Copying and pasting from sources is acceptable only if the copy and pasted material is explicitly identified as taken from the source and the source is correctly and appropriately referenced, and where it is text, the text is clearly identified as a quote. Copying and pasting behaviours that may be a breach of academic integrity if not properly referenced can apply to any media type or format; for example text, image, video, social media post, article, paragraph, material generated by an artificial intelligence software, data, software code |
| Washing | Washing is where text is run through a translator service from one language to another and then into English to generate difference between a text submitted for assessment and the original plagiarized source text. |
| Self plagiarism (also known as recycling) | The use of one’s own previously submitted work in satisfaction of a new assessment requirement, either in the same unit or a different unit, without appropriate acknowledgement |
| Use of artificial intelligence services | The degree to which artificial intelligence may be used in an assessment will be determined by the unit convener and included in the assessment instructions for the unit. Wherever an artificial intelligence service contributes in any way to an assessment or a work the use of the artificial intelligence service, and how it was used, must be referenced, and any content or contribution to the assessment generated by the service must be appropriately referenced as for any source. |
