Academic Misconduct and Misconduct in the Learning Environment

Academic misconduct is taken seriously at Ambrose University as it undermines our academic standards and affects the integrity of each member of our learning community.

1. The University expects Students to conduct Academic Activities with integrity and intellectual honesty and to recognize the importance of pursuing and transmitting knowledge ethically.
2. Students who participate in, or encourage the commission of, Academic Misconduct will be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with this policy.
3. Students are expected to cooperate in investigations of allegations of Academic Misconduct. Obstructing an investigation may result in penalties under the Student Non-Academic Misconduct Policy.
4. The Registrar maintains exam regulations for all examinations administered by the Registrar’s Office. Exam invigilators or proctors are proxies for the course instructor.  A Student’s failure to comply with these regulations will be investigated as an appeal of a Final Grade. 
5. Instructors will clearly communicate their expectations regarding conduct required of Students completing academic assessments in their courses. A Student’s failure to comply with those expectations will be investigated as potential Academic Misconduct.
6. In the Learning Environment (e.g., classroom setting), Students are responsible to conduct themselves in a manner that enhances, respects, and does not disrupt or bring harm or disrepute to Ambrose or Members of the University Community.
7. Standards of behaviour in the learning environment are understood to apply to all environments where learning activities occur (e.g., laboratories, classrooms, field trips, practicum settings). Learning is an active and interactive process, a joint venture between Student and instructor and between Student and Student. Some topics covered within a class may lead to strong reactions and opinions. It is important that Students understand that they are entitled to hold contradictory beliefs and that they should be encouraged to engage with these topics in a critical manner. Committing to this type of "active learning" significantly increases the learning experience for both teacher and Student, and reflects the Christian imperative to pursue truth, which lies at the heart of the Ambrose educational experience. However, active discussion of controversial topics will be undertaken with respect and empathy, which are the foundations of civil discourse in the learning environment.

Students who have been found responsible for committing Academic Misconduct or Misconduct in the Learning Environment may appeal the decision, and in some cases the sanctions, in accordance with the Academic Appeals Policy. However, sanctions requiring attendance at educational seminars and sanctions that are simply written warnings may only be appealed if the Student is also appealing the decision that they committed Academic Misconduct or Misconduct in the Learning Environment.

If an appeal is unsuccessful the original date of Suspension or Expulsion may take effect. If the Academic Appeals Committee decides that the original date is the appropriate one for a Suspension or Expulsion to take effect, the Student will not receive credit for Academic Activities completed pending the appeal decision.

Definitions

Academic Activities means critical inquiry, research and learning in the pursuit of official recognition at the University. Examples include:

• course or program requirements;
• examinations, tests, or quizzes; and interactive online tutorials, or other computer-assisted instruction.

Academic Achievement Decisions means the determinations of academic standing in the absence of Academic Misconduct. This may include the assignment of grades, credit or fail designations, assessments of professional behavior in accordance with a course syllabus or outline, requirements to withdraw, and any other matter where the measurement of achievement, or academic progress, is not directly connected to an instance of Academic Misconduct.

Academic Misconduct refers to all instances of academic dishonesty. It includes any behaviour that undermines the University's ability to evaluate fairly students' academic achievements, or any behaviour that a student knew, or reasonably ought to have known, could gain them or others unearned academic advantage or benefit. Whether or not a student intended to commit academic misconduct is not relevant for a finding of academic misconduct. (Examples: plagiarism, cheating, accessing unauthorized assistance, buying or otherwise obtaining term papers or assignments, contributing to academic misconduct, falsifying, fabricating, misrepresenting, or forging an academic record or document, damaging, tampering or interfering with the scholarly environment, misrepresentation of personal identity or performance, unauthorized use of intellectual property, violations of specific course requirements, failure to comply with exam regulations applied by the Registrar.)

Cheating is a serious form of academic dishonesty. It means trying to give or gain an improper advantage in Academic Activities. Some examples of Cheating include:

• copying from another Student’s work;
• conversing with another Student (or other Students) during an examination;
• having, using, or attempting to use unauthorized materials or devices for assistance in completing Academic Activities;
• attempting to read another Student’s examination papers or allowing another student to read an examination paper;
• obtaining assistance from another person in completing coursework, such that there is a real question whose work is being assessed;
• sitting for an examination by surrogate or acting as a surrogate; and
• tampering or attempting to tamper with examinations, grades or class records.

Classroom occasionally used interchangeably with Learning Environment. It means any learning environment associated with the course (e.g. labs, dance studio, art performances, experiential learning settings, field trips, faculty advising).

Disciplinary Probation means a period of time during which a Student’s Transcript retains a note about Disciplinary Probation for Academic Misconduct. Students may continue in their program or course of studies while on Disciplinary Probation.

Fabrication means creating or using false records, including a transcript or other document, or citing work which does not actually exist.

Falsification means altering or attempting to alter work or records for academic gain. Some examples of Falsification include:

• altering transcripts or other third party documents;
• changing, or attempting to change, recorded grades;
• a Student impersonating another Student, or a Student allowing another individual to impersonate the Student; and manipulating, changing, or omitting source material, data, methods, or findings.

Instructor means the Academic Staff Member, Appointee, or other individual teaching a course or section of a course.

Learning Environment means any learning environment associated with the course (e.g. labs, dance studio, art performances, experiential learning settings, field trips, faculty advising).

Misconduct in the Learning Environment includes behaviours that:

• violate established civil rights, human rights, and criminal statutes;
• harm (or could be reasonably expected to harm) the mental or physical health or safety of self or others;
• bully and/or harass Members of the University Community;
• neglect or recklessly endanger the well-being of individuals, whether Members of the University Community or not, that are a part of, or affected by, the classroom setting;
• damage or otherwise interfere with the physical learning environment; or violate the ethical standards of one’s intended profession (e.g., clinical settings, practice, directed field studies, internship, etc.).

Plagiarism occurs when a Student presents the ideas, expression of ideas or work of another individual as the Student’s own. Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and is considered fraud or theft. Some examples of Plagiarism include:

• using all or a portion of someone else’s work in an assignment or for other Academic Activities, without appropriate acknowledgement, which includes using someone else’s words without quotations marks around those words, inappropriate paraphrasing, or referencing someone else’s idea without appropriate attribution;
• purchasing, or otherwise acquiring work and submitting it as the Student’s own original work;
• submitting the Student’s prior work for evaluation in another course, or in a subsequent attempt of the same course, without the express approval of the Instructor teaching the second course, or subsequent attempt;
• using text written by a generation system as one’s own (e.g., entering a prompt into an artificial intelligence tool and using the output in your work); and conducting any act that defrauds the academic process.

Procedural Fairness means the opportunity to be heard by an unbiased decision maker and to be made aware of the evidence considered by the decision maker. Procedural Fairness is about the procedures used to make a decision, not the actual outcome of the decision.

Required Withdrawal refers to a student in the School of Education that is not permitted to participate in academic activities due to academic achievement decision or academic misconduct.

Rescission of credit or credential results from fraudulent documentation or academic misconduct. The Dean (or designate) of the appropriate Faculty may make the recommendation for rescission to the Vice President Academic. The original conferring of a degree, diploma or certificate may be permanently deleted from the student’s academic record. A notation of “<Degree/Diploma/Certificate> Rescinded” and the date of rescission will appear permanently on the student transcript.

Student means an individual registered in a University course or program of study, or an individual who is no longer registered at the University and is alleged to have committed Academic Misconduct while they were registered in a course or program of study at the University. A Student who has been suspended, expelled or banned is referred to as a “Respondent”.

Student Record means information about a Student’s University activities maintained by the Registrar.

Teaching Faculty means the faculty responsible for the delivery of a course (this applies to credit and non-credit courses or programs).

Transcript means the official summary of a Student’s permanent academic record at the University.

Unauthorized Assistance means cooperating, collaborating, or otherwise giving or receiving assistance in completing Academic Activities without the Instructor’s permission.

University means Ambrose University.

Please consult the Academic Misconduct and Misconduct in the Learning Environment policy for more information.