Rights and Responsibilities of Faculty and Staff
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Faculty have the right to establish standards of academic performance and expectations for students under their instruction and to assign grades accordingly.
The instructor charging a violation should first notify the student before reporting the incident to the Office of the Provost.
The instructor in charge of the class in which the alleged violation occurred and the person charging a violation of the Student Academic Honesty Code has the right to be informed of Committee procedures and to be present throughout the presentation of witnesses and evidence at any Committee hearing requested by the accused student.
The instructor of the class in which the alleged violation occurred and the person charging a violation have the right to appeal the decision of the Academic Honesty Committee to the President of Auburn University.
Faculty and Staff rights and responsibilities are listed in Chapter 1207 and 1208 of the Student Academic Honesty Code.
Easy Guide to Reporting Suspected Dishonesty Cases by Faculty Members
If you have evidence of someone cheating, you should report it to the Academic Honesty Committee. This is the only way sanctions can be consistent and the only way multiple offenders can be caught. The steps to take:
Notify the student that you plan to report the incident. Assume the student is innocent and allow the student to attend class and take exams.
Complete the on-line reporting form and be prepared to upload the necessary docmentation and evidence in electronic files (e.g. PDF, Word, etc.). Be aware that you can choose to have a Facilitated meeting or hearing. Once all required documents are received, you will receive a no-reply email indicating that your submission is complete and has been received by the Provost Office.
If you checked the Facilitated Meeting option, the student will be contacted to determine if they would like a Facilitated meeting or that their case be heard by the Academic Honesty Committee. Either way, the student and the faculty member will be contacted by email notifying the scheduling of either a Facilitated Meeting or Committee hearing.
Examples of Violations
Plagiarism – using the words or ideas of another as if they were one’s own without giving the author or creator credit through proper documentation or recognition, as through the use of footnotes.
Using unauthorized sources in preparation of your work.
Copying from another student’s exam, paper or assignment
Use of materials not authorized during a test; eg., notes, textbook, notes written on any part of your body or clothing including hats and shoes
Submitting a paper, report, examination, or any class assignment which has been altered or corrected, in part or in whole, for reevaluation or re-grading without the consent of the instructor
Serving as or enlisting the assistance of another as a substitute in the taking of examinations
Enlisting the assistance of another to write a paper or writing a paper for someone.
Altering or misusing a document for academic purposes. This would include university forms and doctor’s excuses.
Selling, giving, lending, or otherwise furnishing to any other person, whether electronically or otherwise, any material (homework assignments, tests, etc.) which can be shown to contain the questions or answers to any examination scheduled to be given at some subsequent date in any course of study, excluding questions and answers from tests previously administered and returned to a student by the instructor.
Altering or attempting to alter an assigned grade on any official Auburn University record.
An instructor may delineate other actions he or she considers a violation of the Code in a written course syllabus.
Code violations are listed in Chapter 1201.1 of the Student Academic Honesty Code.
Ways to Discourage Academic Dishonesty
Notify students that you expect them to do their own work.
Add a paragraph on your syllabus stating your position regarding academic honesty and what you consider to be violations of the Student Academic Honesty Code. You may also want to state that all alleged violations of the Student Academic Honesty Code will be reported to the Academic Honesty Committee.
During an exam, if space permits, have students leave a chair between them and the next student so they will not be tempted to look at the paper of the student sitting next to them.
Offer at least two versions to every exam so that every other person will have a different exam.
Make changes to exams each semester so that the same exam is not given twice. This could mean slight changes in wording and/or reordering test questions.
Walk around the room during exams to discourage students from looking at the exams of the students sitting next to them.
Check the Internet for any materials that may be posted about your class.
