Student Guide to the Academic Integrity Policy at MacEwan University
Trust in the integrity of academic work is the foundation of academic life.
MacEwan’s Academic Integrity Policy (C1000) promotes honesty, fairness,
respect, and responsibility in all academic work done at MacEwan University.
According to the policy, “Academic dishonesty involves participating in acts by
which a person fraudulently gains or intentionally attempts to gain an unfair
academic advantage thereby compromising the integrity of the academic
process.”
Here are some common forms of academic dishonesty:
Cheating: The use, or attempted use, of unauthorized notes, information,
materials, study aids, or devices in any academic exercise or activity.
Plagiarism: The use and submission of another’s words, ideas, results, work, or
processes without providing appropriate acknowledgement.
Improper Collaboration: Inappropriate sharing of work on an assignment that
was intended as an individual assignment. Or when students work together in
groups beyond the degree of permissible collaboration set out by the instructor.
Sanctions for Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty has serious consequences at MacEwan. The Academic
Integrity Policy includes the following penalties and sanctions for academic
dishonesty:
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Mark reduction, up to zero, on a piece of academic work
Grade reduction up to F in a course with or without a transcript notation*
Requirement to withdraw from a program with a transcript notation*
Expulsion from the university with a transcript notation*
* The transcript notation states “Academic Discipline.”
Process for Dealing with Suspected Cases of Academic Dishonesty
When an instructor suspects that an incident of academic dishonesty has
occurred, the instructor will meet with the student to discuss the issue.
After that meeting, if the instructor decides that a violation of the policy has not
occurred, then the case is closed. If the instructor decides that academic
dishonesty has occurred, he or she can impose an academic penalty up to a
maximum of a mark of zero on the piece of academic work. In addition, the
instructor will submit an Academic Integrity Incident Report to the Office of
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Academic Integrity. This Report does not become part of the student’s official
record. Only the Academic Integrity Office has access to this record.
Most cases will end here. But in the following situations, a case may proceed to a
Hearing, convened by a trained Faculty Adjudicator:
1) If this is the student’s second or subsequent violation of the academic
integrity policy.
2) If the violation is deemed by the Academic Integrity Officer to be of a
particularly serious nature.
3) If the student disagrees with the instructor’s decision and/or penalty and
wishes to have the case heard by a Faculty Adjudicator. In this case, the
student must submit a request for a Hearing, in writing, within ten working
days, to the Academic Integrity Officer.
Academic Integrity Hearings
These Hearings involve the student, the instructor, and a trained Faculty
Adjudicator. The student has an opportunity to respond to allegations before, and
to be heard by, an unbiased decision maker.
After hearing the case, the Faculty Adjudicator will do one of the following:
1) Find the student innocent and remove the instructor’s academic penalty,
and close the case.
2) Find the student in violation of the policy and impose any sanctions
deemed appropriate.
Students who wish to appeal this decision may do so through the Student
Appeals Policy (E3103), Step 4.
For more information about the Academic Integrity Policy, please consult the
website or contact the Academic Integrity Officer, Carolyn Ives, at
ivesc2@macewan.ca