• Before reporting Academic Dishonesty, please ensure your department chair is aware of the situation.
• In ALL cases when academic dishonesty occurs, the instructor should report the allegation using this form, SUBMIT A REPORT   (this process is important in dealing with repeat offenders).
• Make sure all supporting files (documents, images, etc.) about the reported incident are uploaded to the form before you submit the report.
• When all the evidence has been received, an appointment will be scheduled between the student and the conduct manager in Graduate Education.

Below are resources for faculty on how to minimize academic dishonesty in your classroom, procedures for what to do if you find a student cheating, and other information.  Please review the Standard of Conduct 200.010 Academic Dishonesty Procedures (Official Policy).

Things to do to Reduce Academic Dishonesty

• State your expectations for paper writing, lab assignments, and other projects, including whether students can use old lab reports or the instructor's manual to complete their assignments. Do you allow resources such as Wikipedia, the Writing Center, CliffsNotes, or SparkNotes to write papers
• Remind students several times, especially in introductory courses, about upcoming tests or projects, as well as resources available to them and preparation tactics they can use to help alleviate their anxiety.
• Use multiple versions of exams and avoid the use of "old" exams.
• If applicable to your class, state your use of tools for plagiarism, such as TurnItIn.
• Direct students to the Writing and Communication Center for assistance.
• Define what you mean by collaboration on homework, labs, and other projects.
• Explain the rules of scholarship and why that is important.
• Include any policies about re-grading and re-submission of assignments.
• Consider including an Integrity of Scholarship Agreement for students to sign.
• Have students watch this quick overview of what constitutes plagiarism.

 

Including Academic Integrity in your Class Syllabus

Use your class syllabus to promote academic integrity. Be sure to include what you expect regarding classroom conduct, what the policy is for academic integrity at Missouri S&T (http://registrar.mst.edu/academicregs/index.html), and your responsibility to report all suspected academic misconduct to the Vice Provost for Graduate Education.

Also, refer students to the Missouri S&T Student Council-adopted Honor Code. (Note: This document was approved by the Missouri S&T Student Council in 2012 and has not necessarily been reviewed or approved by the UM Board of Curators or by the University of Missouri General Counsel.)

 

What to do if you Suspect a Student is Cheating

If a student is suspected of cheating during an examination, an instructor can make the academic judgment about the severity of the situation and take a variety of actions, such as:

• Give a warning to the student or in some other way let the student know they are being watched.
• Move the student to another seat.
• Take notes about the observation (student's name and names of students sitting nearby) but let the student continue the exam.
• Take the student's exam not allowing the student to complete it.
• If proctors or teaching assistants observe the cheating, they should notify the instructor immediately.

Save the original exams, papers, or assignments when plagiarism or dishonesty are suspected. (Copies of the paperwork can be returned to the students.)

The instructor is encouraged to meet with the student one-on-one about any academic dishonesty.

This meeting should include the faculty member's judgment of the behavior, based on the academic standards communicated to the student in the course syllabus, catalogs, handbooks, and other references. This may include a failing grade for the work submitted if the student's work has failed to meet the academic standards for that work, or a failing grade for the course if the student's work in the course has failed to meet the academic standards of the course.

Allow students suspected of academic dishonesty to continue in the course. Students cannot withdraw from the course while an academic misconduct charge is pending.

 

What Happens after Dishonesty is Reported to the Vice Provost for Graduate Education?

The conduct manager in the Graduate Education office will meet with the student. All information will be shared with the Vice Provost of Graduate Education who completes the finding of responsible/not responsible and has the option to impose an appropriate sanction on the student.

If found responsible the student is offered an informal disposition that includes the proposed sanction.  The student can either accept or reject the informal disposition. The student has 10 business days to decide, or the informal disposition is automatically accepted.

If a student rejects the informal disposition, the case moves to a formal hearing before the Student Conduct Committee.

 

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