Academic Policies
Academic Honors
Undergraduate, full-time
students may be designated for the President’s Academic Honors List at the end
of the fall and spring terms. The President’s Academic Honors List designation
does not appear on the transcript.
To be awarded President’s
Academic Honors designation, students must meet the following guidelines:
1) Students must have earned a minimum of 12
credit hours during the term.
2) Students much achieve a system term GPA of at
least 3.50.
3) Students with “F” or “I” grades are not
eligible regardless of system term GPA attained.
Academic Integrity
Basic Standards
Registration at Dakota State
University requires adherence to the University’s standards of academic
integrity. The following examples represent some basic types of behavior that
are unacceptable:
1.
Cheating: using unauthorized
notes, study aids, devices, or information on an
examination; altering a graded work and resubmitting the work for
regrading;
presenting another person’s work as your own. Cheating also includes
aiding
and abetting academic dishonesty, for example: (a) providing material,
information, or other assistance to another person with knowledge that
such aid
could be used in any of the violations stated above, or (b) providing
false
information in connection with any inquiry regarding academic integrity.
2.
Plagiarism: submitting material
that in part or whole is not entirely one’s own
work without attributing those same portions to their correct source.
3.
Fabrication: falsifying or
inventing any information, data or citation; presenting
data that were not gathered in accordance with standard guidelines,
defining the
appropriate methods for collecting or generating data, and failing to
include an
accurate account of the method by which the data were gathered or
collected.
4.
Obtaining an Unfair Advantage: (a)
stealing, reproducing, circulating or
otherwise gaining access to examination materials prior to the time
authorized by
the instructor; (b) stealing, destroying, defacing or concealing library
materials
with the purpose of depriving others of their use; (c) unauthorized
collaboration
on an academic assignment (d) retaining, possessing, using or circulating
previously given examination materials, where those materials clearly
indicate
that they are to be returned to the instructor at the conclusion of the
examination;
(e) intentionally obstructing or interfering with another student’s
academic work
or (f) otherwise undertaking activity with the purpose of creating or
obtaining an
unfair academic advantage over other students’ academic work.
5.
Falsification of Records and Official Documents:
altering documents affecting
academic records; forging signatures of authorization or falsifying
information
on an official academic document, grade report, letter of permission,
petition,
drop/add form, ID card, or any other official University document.
6. Unauthorized Access to computerized academic or administrative records
or systems: viewing or altering
computer records, modifying computer programs
or systems, releasing or dispensing information gained via unauthorized
access,
or interfering with the use or availability of computer systems or
information.
Procedures
Once a faculty member
suspects a student of academic dishonesty, or another student reports an act of
academic dishonesty, there is a defined process for proceeding. By following the
procedure, both the student(s) and faculty member(s) concerned are protected.
The faculty member’s responsibilities and the student’s rights are as
follows:
The process
-
Each faculty member has the responsibility
and authority to deal with violations of academic dishonesty occurring within his/her classroom/laboratory
setting. The faculty members’ responsibility begins with the course syllabus. In
the syllabus, each faculty member must include his or her academic integrity
policy and the implication of violating that policy OR reference the Trojan
Handbook code of conduct. If a faculty member has reason to believe that a
violation has occurred, he/she will evaluate the available evidence, including visiting
with the student(s) involved, in an effort to reach a finding. If the faculty
member finds the student(s) guilty of academic dishonesty, he/she will take
appropriate action to impose sanctions such as a failing grade on the examination, paper,
project or
in extreme cases failure of the course. Any action taken in regard to
academic dishonesty is at the discretion of the faculty member.
- Suspected cases of academic dishonesty should be reported to the course
instructor. Any student suspecting but not reporting cases may be
included in any subsequent hearing for aiding and abetting academic dishonesty.
- In the event of sanctions imposed by a
faculty member for academic dishonesty, the student may immediately appeal the sanctions through the Academic
Integrity Board.
- If the student appeals the sanctions imposed
by a faculty member, they must file the appeal within two weeks of finding out about the imposed sanctions.
The Academic Integrity Board will schedule a review of the case within one
week of receiving the appeal. The Board will evaluate the appeal and recommend a course of action to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. This
recommendation may include: overturning the sanctions, agreement with the
faculty members’ course of action, or further sanction against the
appealing
student(s) up to and including suspension from the university.
- A faculty member may request that a
student’s file be reviewed at their bi-semester meeting. If the file is reviewed at this meeting, and
additional sanctions are given to the student, then the student may appeal the
committee’s decision to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
- The Vice President for Academic Affairs will
be the final arbiter in any dispute of academic honesty.
- All findings of the Academic Integrity Board
will be forwarded to the Dean of Students. The Dean of Students will be the depository of information for
the Board. The findings of the Board may be used in Disciplinary Board
Hearings at the discretion of the Dean of Students. Disciplinary Board decisions will
not be available for the Academic Integrity Board. Therefore, while the findings
of the Disciplinary Board hearings are not available to the Academic Integrity
Board, the findings of the Academic Integrity Board do become part of the
student’s overall Disciplinary Record.
- Students charged with academic dishonesty may
not change their registration in a course in which the charge is pending, or in which a finding of
academic dishonesty has been made.
Student Rights and
Responsibilities
The enforcement of academic
integrity lies with the general faculty of Dakota State University. In all cases
involving academic dishonesty, the student charged or suspected shall, at a
minimum, be accorded the following rights.
1. Prompt investigation of all charges of
academic dishonesty, to be conducted,
insofar as possible, in a manner that prevents public disclosure of the
student’s
identity. Such investigation may include informal review and discussion
with an
official of the school prior to bringing a charge, provided that such
review does
not compromise the rights of the student in the formal process.
2. The faculty member will provide the student
with a written statement of the
specific academic integrity violation.
3. The student will have two weeks from the date
of formal notification in which to
file an appeal.
4. The student will be provided an appeal
hearing or meeting with the Academic
Integrity Board at which time the student involved may be heard and the
accuracy of the charge determined.
5. At any stage of the proceedings, the student
may be accompanied by a fellow
student, a faculty member, or another individual of the student’s
choosing. This
person may not take part in the proceedings except as a witness if that
individual’s testimony is deemed relevant by the Academic Integrity
Board.
The student must speak on his or her own behalf.
Faculty and
Administrative Responsibilities
In order to implement these
principles of academic integrity, it is necessary for the administration and
faculty to take certain steps that will discourage academic dishonesty and
protect academic integrity. Those steps include:
1. Examination security—Each faculty
member or college office should safeguard
examination security.
2. Testing Procedures—Faculty should take all
feasible efforts to secure the testing
area.
3. Instructors should inform students of the academic requirements of each
course.
Such information may appropriately include (a) notice of the scope of
permitted
collaboration, if any; (b) notice of the conventions of citation and
attribution
within the discipline of the course; and (c) notice of the materials that
may be
used during examinations and on other assignments.
Sanctions
All proven cases of academic
dishonesty will be penalized as appropriate under the circumstances. Sanctions
beyond a failing grade may only be imposed following a hearing by the Academic
Integrity Board. The imposition of any sanction should include a statement of
reasons supporting it. Any student appearing before the Academic Integrity Board
a second time and found guilty a second time will receive the highest level of
sanction, which is expulsion from the university.
Sanctions include:
1. A letter of reprimand.
2. A defined period of academic probation, with
or without the attachment of conditions
3. A defined period of academic suspension, with
or without the attachment of
conditions.
4.
Expulsion from the university.
Academic probation and academic suspension appeals will
be directed to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
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