General

Students, faculty, staff, and administrators are encouraged to seek advice about this policy and/or its procedures from VCC employees such as the Arbiter of Student Issues; and/or from the Students’ Union of Vancouver Community College (SUVCC) Student Advocate; or the Office of Student Conduct & Judicial Affairs.
Responses to academic misconduct follow the progressive consequences outlined below, except when severe academic misconduct or multiple instances warrant proceeding to a higher step. Instructors may consult with their Department Head (or designate) or the Student Conduct and Judicial Affairs Officer (Conduct Officer) for clarification and dialogue regarding the best course of action.
VCC encourages the informal resolution of student academic misconduct situations where appropriate, and believes that, in most cases, early discussion and education is the most effective way to resolve academic misconduct and to prevent the escalation of concerns.

First and Second Minor Offence

If an incident of academic misconduct is suspected, and when informal resolution is not appropriate, the Instructor and Department Head (or designate) review the matter to determine whether or not to pursue the allegation of academic misconduct. The Instructor informs the student that academic misconduct is alleged and a formal decision is being pursued.
If the determination is no, the matter is dropped and no further action is taken.
If the determination is yes, the Instructor and Department Head (or designate) establish if:
1. there are other previously reported incidents of academic misconduct for the student, and/or
2. the misconduct is considered a serious offence.
If no more than one previous incident has been reported and the matter is not serious, the Instructor provides a Written Notice to the student that includes:
1. Details of the allegation
2. Remedial steps, which may include:
  1. that the student engage in educational activities regarding VCC’s expectations for Academic Integrity
  2. the Academic Work be resubmitted, or the exam taken again
  3. a reduced grade or a grade of “0” for the test/assignment
A copy of the Written Notice is stored in the student’s Academic Conduct file and remains on file in accordance with Records Management Policy 520.

Significant or Repeat Offences

If the alleged misconduct is a third or serious offence, the Department Head (or designate) forwards the matter to the Dean, who, in consultation with the Vice President, Academic & Research, and the Conduct Officer, reviews the details of the event and recommends a course of action that is appropriate to the facts and events.
During the review, the Dean may request written submissions or meetings with the parties involved or any witnesses, to gather facts and statements relevant to the incident, and to assist with making a decision.
The Dean may choose one of the following courses of action:
1. resubmit the Academic Work, or retake the test/exam
2. receive a reduced grade for the Academic Work
3. receive a grade of ‘0’ for the Academic Work
4. be involuntarily withdrawn from the course and/or program
5. be suspended from the program for a specified period of time or permanently
6. in serious circumstances, be suspended from the College for a specified period of time or permanently
7. convene an Academic Misconduct Review Panel (the Panel)
8. another action that may be appropriate to the situation
The Dean communicates the decision, with rationale, and any course of action or outcome, to the student in writing. A copy of the decision is stored in the student’s Academic Conduct file.

Academic Misconduct Review Panel

The Dean may decide to convene a Panel consisting of the Dean as Chair, and three additional members, seeking a balance of subject matter experts, students and Instructors.
The Panel arranges for a tribunal to review the material, to hear from all parties involved in the allegation, and to determine the course of action.
The names of Panel members remain confidential and are only provided to participants at the time of the tribunal.
The Chair compiles all relevant information and distributes it to tribunal attendees at least 2 business days prior to the tribunal date.
The tribunal is attended by:
1. Members of the Panel
2. The student. The student is expected to fully participate in the tribunal and answer any direct factual questions asked by the Panel.
3. The relevant Instructor
4. The relevant Department Head (or designate)
5. Other persons as indicated below may attend the tribunal:
  1. a support person may accompany the student, Instructor, or Department Head (or designate). The support person may not speak during the tribunal.
  2. Witnesses. The student and/or the Instructor may call in witnesses to the hearing. Witnesses remain outside until called in by the Chair and leave when directed by the Chair.
The Chair conducts the tribunal in a fair and just manner, providing the student, Instructor and Department Head (or designate) with equal opportunity to present the issues from their perspectives, and allowing all participants to ask and answer questions.
Immediately following the tribunal, the Committee deliberates in private and recommends an appropriate course of action. Available courses of action are:
1. finding that no academic misconduct occurred
2. academic misconduct did occur and the student will:
  1. resubmit the academic work, or retake the test/exam
  2. receive a reduced grade for the Academic Work
  3. receive a grade of ‘0’ for the Academic Work
  4. be involuntarily withdrawn from the course and/or program
  5. be suspended from the program, either permanently or for a specified period of time
  6. another action that may be appropriate to the situation
3. in serious circumstances a recommendation may be put forward to suspend the student from the College.
With the exception of the student subject to the investigation, all persons who are involved in an investigation or proceeding pertaining to alleged student academic misconduct are expected to treat confidentially any information they receive during the course of the investigation or proceeding.

The Dean communicates the decision, with rationale, and any course of action or outcome to the student in writing. A copy is sent to the Conduct Officer to be included in the student’s Academic Conduct file.
The records of tribunals are kept confidential.

Suspension

Recommendations to suspend a student from a program or the College for an identified period of time, indefinitely, or permanently are submitted to the President by the Vice President, Academic & Research, within 5 days of the communication to the student.
The President renders a decision and notifies the student in writing with rationale, within ten (10) business days from the date of receiving the recommendation. A copy is provided to the Vice President, Academic & Research, and the Program Dean, and the results is included in the Student Academic Conduct file. The time frame of ten (10) business days may be extended by the President if it is determined that the circumstances warrant such an extension.
The President notifies the Board of Governors immediately of all decisions, with reasons, to suspend the student from the College.

Appealing Decisions

Any action or decision made pursuant to this policy can be appealed under either of the following circumstances:
1. the investigation and/or decision lacked procedural fairness;
2. there is relevant new information that was not available at the time the decision was made and that may have influenced the outcome.
During an appeal, all College decisions or actions shall remain in full force and effect.
Students have the right to file an appeal of suspension to the Board of Governors. Refer to Student Appeal of Suspension to Board of Governors Policy 320.
A student may file an appeal of the decision of the Dean, other than suspension from the College, to the Education Council. Refer to Appeal to Education Council on Educational Matters Policy 321.

Student Academic Conduct File

Copies of reports, incidents or notices are sent to the Student Conduct and Judicial Affairs office for filing.
The Student Conduct and Judicial Affairs office maintains a record of student Academic Misconduct in accordance with Records Management Policy 520.

Term	Description
Academic Work	Any product, process, or project that is graded or required for the completion of a course or program.
Academic Misconduct	Behaviour that undermines the College’s ability to fairly evaluate students’ academic achievements, or behaviour that a student knew, or reasonably ought to have known, could gain them or others unearned academic advantage or benefit. Academic Misconduct includes, but is not limited to the following: Cheating: Cheating is an act of deception or misrepresentation that includes, but is not limited to: a. exchanging information with another person during an examination or using unauthorized material during an examination or facilitating another student to copy one’s examination; b. representing or impersonating another or permitting oneself to be represented or impersonated by another in taking an examination or submitting academic work; c. submitting work from another course or the same course without instructor approval; d. purchasing or otherwise obtaining work prepared by another person and submitting all or a portion of the work as one’s own; e. unauthorized use of any device in a test or exam; f. violating the integrity of an assignment, test, or other evaluation; and g. knowingly or purposefully violating the expectations or rules of an assignment, test, or other evaluation. Contract Cheating: Purchasing or otherwise obtaining, with or without payment, work prepared by another person and submitting all or a portion of the work as one’s own. Damaging, Tampering or Interfering with the Academic Environment: This includes but is not limited to the following: a. obstructing, altering, and/or disturbing the academic activities of others; b. preventing another student from completing a task for academic assessment; c. tampering with, stealing, or destroying another student’s academic work; d. altering a grade on academic work for the purposes of having the recorded grade changed; e. removing, altering, misusing, or destroying College property to obstruct the work of others; f. persisting with bias to influence others for academic gain, such as a change in grade. Fabrication: Fabrication is the creation and use of information known to be untrue, including false research data or reference to a source that does not exist. Facilitation: Assisting or attempting to assist another person to violate the standards of academic integrity. Helping or attempting to help another commit an act of academic misconduct. This can include impersonation, facilitating cheating, or submitting work as another student. Inappropriate Use of Digital Technologies: The use of any digital technology to commit any form of student academic misconduct. Misrepresentation or Falsification: With respect to personal identity or academic performance, this includes but is not limited to the following: a. submitting stolen or purchased assignments, research, or creative work; b. representing or impersonating another or permitting oneself to be represented or impersonated by another in person, in writing, or electronically, in taking an examination or submitting academic work for the purpose of academic evaluation; c. falsely identifying oneself or misrepresenting one’s personal performance outside of a particular course, in a course in which one is not officially enrolled, or in the admissions process (e.g. submission of portfolios, essays, transcripts, or documents); d. providing altered, forged, or falsified medical or other certificates, or documents for academic consideration, or making false claims for such consideration, including in or as part of an academic appeal, or the academic misconduct investigation process. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of someone else’s words, ideas, sentence structure or data regardless of source (printed texts, internet, etc.). This can include self-plagiarism when previously graded work is submitted without acknowledgment. Taking credit or presenting the work of others as one’s own without identifying and giving proper credit to the original source. This includes but is not limited to the following: a. submitting academic work that has been, entirely or in part, copied from or written by another person, including information found on the Internet, without full and proper acknowledgement; b. using the exact wording of a source without putting the borrowed words in quotation marks, or following the syntax (structure) or wording of the source too closely; c. paraphrasing someone else’s ideas or work by changing only a few words, without full and proper acknowledgement of the source; d. submitting academic work which has been written, rewritten or substantially edited by another person. Self-Plagiarism: Submitting an assignment for which previous academic credit was given, or submitting the same assignment, in whole or in part, for credit in two or more courses, or in the same course more than once, without the prior written permission of the Instructor. Self-plagiarism can also include presenting one’s own previously published work as though it were new.
Academic Misconduct Review Panel	The body that investigates matters of student Academic Misconduct.
Procedural Fairness	The principles ensuring that a dispute is fairly decided. Both the Student and Respondent(s) have equal right to: a. Have a policy applied equally; b. Have a College decision or action communicated in writing with sufficient detail; c. Dispute an initial College decision or action; d. Appeal a subsequent College decision or action; e. Be provided with sufficiently detailed and timely reasoned notice of activity; f. Have a timely and reasonable opportunity to be heard and present a case before impartial/neutral decision makers; g. Be provided with sufficiently detailed, reasoned and timely tribunal decisions; and h. Seek representation or advocacy.
Student	A person who is registered in full-time or part-time credit or non-credit courses offered by VCC. Persons are still considered students if they withdraw after allegedly violating the Academic Integrity policy or have been subject to involuntary withdrawal by the college.
Student Conduct File	A record held by the Student Conduct and Judicial Affairs Office, separate from the student’s academic record, that contains a complete record of any alleged academic misconduct by the student.

Term

Description

Academic Work

Any product, process, or project that is graded or required for the completion of a course or program.

Academic Misconduct

Behaviour that undermines the College’s ability to fairly evaluate students’ academic achievements, or behaviour that a student knew, or reasonably ought to have known, could gain them or others unearned academic advantage or benefit. Academic Misconduct includes, but is not limited to the following:

Cheating: Cheating is an act of deception or misrepresentation that includes, but is not limited to:
a. exchanging information with another person during an examination or using unauthorized material during an examination or facilitating another student to copy one’s examination;
b. representing or impersonating another or permitting oneself to be represented or impersonated by another in taking an examination or submitting academic work;
c. submitting work from another course or the same course without instructor approval;
d. purchasing or otherwise obtaining work prepared by another person and submitting all or a portion of the work as one’s own;
e. unauthorized use of any device in a test or exam;
f. violating the integrity of an assignment, test, or other evaluation; and
g. knowingly or purposefully violating the expectations or rules of an assignment, test, or other evaluation.

Contract Cheating: Purchasing or otherwise obtaining, with or without payment, work prepared by another person and submitting all or a portion of the work as one’s own.

Damaging, Tampering or Interfering with the Academic Environment: This includes but is not limited to the following:
a. obstructing, altering, and/or disturbing the academic activities of others;
b. preventing another student from completing a task for academic assessment;
c. tampering with, stealing, or destroying another student’s academic work;
d. altering a grade on academic work for the purposes of having the recorded grade changed;
e. removing, altering, misusing, or destroying College property to obstruct the work of others;
f. persisting with bias to influence others for academic gain, such as a change in grade.

Fabrication: Fabrication is the creation and use of information known to be untrue, including false research data or reference to a source that does not exist.

Facilitation: Assisting or attempting to assist another person to violate the standards of academic integrity. Helping or attempting to help another commit an act of academic misconduct. This can include impersonation, facilitating cheating, or submitting work as another student.

Inappropriate Use of Digital Technologies: The use of any digital technology to commit any form of student academic misconduct.

Misrepresentation or Falsification: With respect to personal identity or academic performance, this includes but is not limited to the following:

a. submitting stolen or purchased assignments, research, or creative work;
b. representing or impersonating another or permitting oneself to be represented or impersonated by another in person, in writing, or electronically, in taking an examination or submitting academic work for the purpose of academic evaluation;
c. falsely identifying oneself or misrepresenting one’s personal performance outside of a particular course, in a course in which one is not officially enrolled, or in the admissions process (e.g. submission of portfolios, essays, transcripts, or documents);
d. providing altered, forged, or falsified medical or other certificates, or documents for academic consideration, or making false claims for such consideration, including in or as part of an academic appeal, or the academic misconduct investigation process.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of someone else’s words, ideas, sentence structure or data regardless of source (printed texts, internet, etc.). This can include self-plagiarism when previously graded work is submitted without acknowledgment.

Taking credit or presenting the work of others as one’s own without identifying and giving proper credit to the original source. This includes but is not limited to the following:

a. submitting academic work that has been, entirely or in part, copied from or written by another person, including information found on the Internet, without full and proper acknowledgement;
b. using the exact wording of a source without putting the borrowed words in quotation marks, or following the syntax (structure) or wording of the source too closely;
c. paraphrasing someone else’s ideas or work by changing only a few words, without full and proper acknowledgement of the source;
d. submitting academic work which has been written, rewritten or substantially edited by another person.

Self-Plagiarism: Submitting an assignment for which previous academic credit was given, or submitting the same assignment, in whole or in part, for credit in two or more courses, or in the same course more than once, without the prior written permission of the Instructor. Self-plagiarism can also include presenting one’s own previously published work as though it were new.

Academic Misconduct Review Panel

The body that investigates matters of student Academic Misconduct.

Procedural Fairness

The principles ensuring that a dispute is fairly decided. Both the Student and Respondent(s) have equal right to:

a. Have a policy applied equally;
b. Have a College decision or action communicated in writing with sufficient detail;
c. Dispute an initial College decision or action;
d. Appeal a subsequent College decision or action;
e. Be provided with sufficiently detailed and timely reasoned notice of activity;
f. Have a timely and reasonable opportunity to be heard and present a case before impartial/neutral decision makers;
g. Be provided with sufficiently detailed, reasoned and timely tribunal decisions; and
h. Seek representation or advocacy.

Student

A person who is registered in full-time or part-time credit or non-credit courses offered by VCC. Persons are still considered students if they withdraw after allegedly violating the Academic Integrity policy or have been subject to involuntary withdrawal by the college.

Student Conduct File

A record held by the Student Conduct and Judicial Affairs Office, separate from the student’s academic record, that contains a complete record of any alleged academic misconduct by the student.

VCC Policies	Policy Number
Admissions	301
Appeal of Final Grade	322
Appeal to Education Council on Educational Matters	321
Appropriate and Responsible Use of Educational and Information Technology	505
Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans	420
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy	501
Grading, Progression and Withdrawal	411
Lending and Borrowing College Equipment	416
Prevention of Harassment, Discrimination, and Bullying	201
Records Management	520
Standards of Employee Conduct & Conflict of Interest	202
Student Appeal of Suspension to Board of Governors	320
Student Non-Academic Conduct	324
Students with Disabilities	327

VCC Policies

Policy Number

Admissions

301

Appeal of Final Grade

322

Appeal to Education Council on Educational Matters

321

Appropriate and Responsible Use of Educational and Information Technology

505

Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans

420

Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy

501

Grading, Progression and Withdrawal

411

Lending and Borrowing College Equipment

416

Prevention of Harassment, Discrimination, and Bullying

201

Records Management

520

Standards of Employee Conduct & Conflict of Interest

202

Student Appeal of Suspension to Board of Governors

320

Student Non-Academic Conduct

324

Students with Disabilities

327

History

Viewing: Academic Integrity

Last approved: Fri, 24 Nov 2023 01:00:41 GMT

Last edit: Fri, 24 Nov 2023 01:00:39 GMT

Policy

Procedures

References and Resources

Rationale and Additional Information

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Category 1: College Operations

Category 2: Employees

Category 3: Students