Academic Integrity and Honesty

William Woods University, founded on the principle of honesty, has long endeavored to maintain an atmosphere of academic integrity. In all academic work, it is important that the ideas and contributions of others be appropriately acknowledged, and that work that is presented as original is, in fact, original.

Ensuring the honesty and fairness of the intellectual environment at William Woods University is a responsibility shared by the entire campus community. Students are held accountable to the academic integrity policy as long as they are affiliated with the University. Students may not withdraw from a course in which they have an academic integrity violation under investigation, or a course in which they were guilty of an academic integrity violation.

Students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of honesty in their behavior. The following are examples of dishonest behavior and violations of the principle of academic integrity, but are not exhaustive of all conduct that could constitute violations of this academic integrity policy.

Plagiarism. You commit plagiarism by taking someone else’s ideas, works, or other types of work product and presenting them as your own. You can avoid plagiarism by using proper methods of documentation and acknowledgement. Knowingly allowing another person to use your work as their own is also considered plagiarism.
Self-Plagiarism. You commit self-plagiarism by submitting the same work for more than one assignment or course without explicitly obtaining permission from all instructors. You also commit self-plagiarism by taking your own ideas, works, or other types of work products previously presented without including proper methods of documentation and acknowledgement.
Cheating. During an examination or course assignment, you may use only materials authorized by the instructor. You must not receive or provide any unauthorized assistance during an examination or course assignment. Cheating also includes attempting to gain an unfair advantage concerning academic work, including but not limited to:
4. a. Electronic. Using material, equipment and technology such as a calculator, advanced calculator, mobile phone or other electronic device, tablet, laptop or the like without authorization is also considered to be a violation of academic integrity.
b. Removing material from a University room or service area without authorization or defacing such material is considered an academic integrity violation.
c. Leaving the test area/room without permission from the instructor or proctor is also a form of academic dishonesty.
Collaboration. Engaging in any academic work that is the product of joint effort, either inside or outside the classroom, not authorized by the instructor, can be considered academic dishonesty.
Fabrication. You commit fabrication when you present as fact, those things that are untrue, intentionally false or are fabricated with no supporting information or data. It is dishonest to fabricate or falsify data in laboratory experiments, research papers, reports, or other circumstances; fabricate source material in a bibliography or “Works Cited”/”References” list; or provide false information on a résumé or other document in connection with academic efforts.
Contract cheating. Contract cheating is engaging in uploading or offering work online or in person that is your original work for the purpose of others to use. Contract cheating also includes utilizing work from websites, online sources, or other people to use as your own. Uploading or sharing course materials without the permission of the professor, online or in person, is a form of contract cheating. This includes lecture materials, PowerPoint slides, audio, and visual material. There are no exemptions.
Engaging in other forms of deceit or dishonesty. Do not request, or have others request on your behalf, any academic benefit, including an extension of time, a better grade, or a recommendation from an instructor when the request is based on false information or deception. Do not engage in any other form of academic misconduct not covered here. If you are ever in doubt, ask your instructor for guidance.

Student / Staff Reporting

If a student or member of the University staff observes others violating this policy, he/she is expected to report the misconduct for further investigation.
Student and staff procedures for filing a complaint based on a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy
Any member of the University community may file a complaint alleging a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Any complaint will be in writing and will provide sufficient information for a review of the alleged violation.
The written complaint will be submitted to the Academic Integrity Officer within ten (10) business days of the discovery of the alleged violation of the Academic Integrity Policy.
The Academic Integrity Officer will review the allegation and if it appears credible, they will inform the accused student and the related faculty member that further investigation is warranted.
The Academic Integrity Officer will promptly investigate the allegations. If the allegations are considered valid, the Academic Integrity Officer will follow the appropriate process for final disposition.

Disposition of Academic Integrity Violations

This policy outlines two avenues for addressing student violations of academic integrity: Instructor-Levied Sanction or by having an Academic Integrity Board Hearing. Instructor-Levied Sanction allows faculty the opportunity to address incidents of academic dishonesty in the classroom setting. The William Woods University Academic Integrity Board hears cases involving more serious allegations of student violations of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Instructor-Levied Sanction
University, faculty retain the latitude to make their own determinations as to the severity of any act of academic dishonesty they may encounter.

Faculty are expected to report all incidents of student academic dishonesty so that the incident may be handled in a consistent, fair manner, and so that substantiated charges of misconduct may be noted in the student’s record.

If an allegation is determined to be valid, a copy of that determination shall be retained with the student’s official academic records. If a suspension or expulsion occurs, that shall be recorded on the student’s transcript.

Sponsors of student organizations, coaches of athletic teams and committees who manage honors scholarships and performance awards will be notified so they may determine any internal sanction based upon their organizational guidelines if an allegation is determined to be valid.

Students may not withdraw from a course in which an academic integrity violation has been reported without authorization from the Academic Dean.

Student Appeal of an Instructor-Levied Sanction

Students found to have violated the Academic Integrity Policy may file an appeal based upon the level of offense and which body determined sanction.

Students who wish to appeal an Instructor Levied Sanction are entitled to an expeditious review of their appeal.

If an instructor uses their latitude to handle a case of academic dishonesty between them and the student, a student may file an appeal for the following instances:

The faculty member levied a sanction without notifying the student and/or providing the student with no evidence of an infraction of the Academic Integrity Policy.
The student believes the faculty member who imposed an academic integrity policy sanction did so based upon procedural error.
The student has new evidence that could affect the outcome of the decision.

To initiate an appeal, the student must:

Submit a written appeal to the School Director of the course or designated appointee within three (3) business days of the decision by the faculty member.
Include evidence that supports consideration based upon one of the above instances.

The School Director or designated appointee will review the student’s appeal and determine to uphold the instructor’s sanction or forward the student’s appeal to the Academic Integrity Officer for consideration by the Academic Integrity Board.

The Academic Integrity Officer will determine if the appeal warrants an administrative review by the Academic Integrity Board.

If an appeal is forwarded to the Academic Integrity Board, an administrative review will be completed within twenty (20) business days.

The Academic Integrity Board will make a final recommendation to the Academic Dean with regards to the appeal.

The Academic Dean shall make a final determination of the appeal based upon the Academic Integrity Board’s recommendations. This determination shall be final and no further appeal will be considered.

Academic Integrity Board
The purpose of the Academic Integrity Board is to hear cases involving claims of student violations of the University’s Academic Integrity Policy that rise to the severity of consideration for suspension or dismissal from the University. Such cases may include a single incident that is a severe breach of the Academic Integrity Policy or cases of multiple and repeated violations.

If the Academic Dean determines that sufficient evidence exists for a board review, a subcommittee of the Academic Council will undertake the review. Students receiving University accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act should notify the Academic Dean about any necessary accommodations that should be made for them as part of the board process.

If the Board determines that the student is accountable for a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy, they may recommend sanctions to the Academic Dean as part of their determination. The Academic Dean will be the final authority regarding upholding and implementing any sanction imposed by the Board and will notify the student in writing of the decision. A copy of the decision will also be maintained in the student’s permanent file.

The decision of the Academic Dean is final.