Academic Integrity

Purpose

Dunwoody College is committed to providing all learners, whether attending on-campus or online, with the knowledge, competencies, and habits associated with academic honesty and integrity. Academic integrity is fundamental to the College's educational mission and to the value of a Dunwoody credential. Students are expected to complete all academic work honestly, ethically, and in accordance with course and institutional expectations. Academic dishonesty undermines the learning process, disadvantages other students, and may result in disciplinary action.

Definitions 

Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty is any act that misrepresents a student's knowledge, skills, or work, improperly gains an academic advantage, or impedes the academic progress of others. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, and facilitating academic dishonesty.

Cheating

Cheating is the use of unauthorized assistance, materials, information, or resources in completing assignments, examinations, projects, or other academic work.

Examples include:

  • Looking at another student's work during an assessment.
  • Using unauthorized notes, devices, or materials during an assessment.
  • Having another individual complete work that is submitted as one's own.
  • Purchasing, downloading, or otherwise acquiring papers, assignments, solutions, examination materials, or similar work from any source.
  • Submitting work produced by another person without authorization or acknowledgment.

Dunwoody encourages collaborative learning. Faculty will identify when collaboration is permitted. Unless explicitly authorized, students are expected to complete and submit their own work.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is presenting another person's words, ideas, research, data, designs, media, or creative work as one's own without appropriate acknowledgment.

Students are expected to properly cite and reference sources in accordance with course requirements. Dunwoody's Writing Center provides students and faculty with assistance in using sources appropriately. 

As technologies evolve, including artificial intelligence tools and content generators, students are responsible for complying with instructor expectations regarding their use. Students should consult course materials or their instructor regarding permissible use and citation of AI-generated content.

Facilitating Academic Dishonesty

A student who knowingly assists another person in committing academic dishonesty is subject to the same disciplinary process and sanctions as the student who commits the violation.

Examples include:

  • Providing answers during an assessment.
  • Sharing completed assignments intended for individual submission.
  • Allowing another person to submit one's work as their own.
  • Assisting another student in circumventing course or assessment requirements. 

Procedures  

Academic Integrity Review & Reporting Process 

When a faculty member suspects a student has engaged in academic dishonesty, the faculty member will:

  1. Review the available evidence.
  2. Meet with or otherwise communicate with the student to discuss the concern.
  3. Determine whether a violation more likely than not occurred.

If the faculty member determines that a violation occurred, the faculty member will notify the appropriate academic director or associate dean and provide documentation of the incident.

All findings of academic dishonesty will be recorded in the Student Information System by the academic director, associate dean, or academic dean.

Sanctions

For purposes of this policy, academic integrity violations are cumulative and are tracked throughout a student's enrollment at Dunwoody College, regardless of course, instructor, academic discipline, or modality of instruction.

Sanctions are not applied automatically and will be determined based on the individual circumstances of each case. In determining an appropriate sanction, consideration may be given to:

  • The nature and severity of the violation.
  • Whether the violation was intentional, reckless, or inadvertent.
  • The educational impact of the misconduct.
  • The student's level of responsibility and cooperation during the review process.
  • Prior academic integrity violations.
First Violation

For a first violation, sanctions are determined by the instructor in consultation with the academic director or associate dean. The decision is final.

Sanctions may include, up to and including:

  • Required resubmission of the assignment.
  • Completion of an alternate assignment or assessment.
  • Reduced credit on the assignment or assessment.
  • No credit on the assignment or assessment.
  • Completion of an educational intervention related to academic integrity.
Second Violation

For a second violation, sanctions are determined by the instructor and academic director or associate dean. The decision is final.

Sanctions may include, up to and including:

  • Any sanction available for a first violation.
  • Failure of the assignment or assessment.
  • Failure of the course.
Third Violation

The academic dean will determine the appropriate sanction based on the student's conduct history and the circumstances of the violation. The academic dean's decision is final unless appealed in accordance with the Appeal Process outlined below.

Sanctions may include, up to and including:

  • Failure of the course.
  • Suspension.
  • Expulsion.
  • Other sanctions deemed appropriate to the circumstances.

Appeal Process

The appeal process is available only for decisions involving a third violation that have been decided by the academic dean. Decisions regarding first and second violations are final and are not subject to appeal under this policy.

A student who wishes to appeal a finding or sanction resulting from the Academic Integrity Process may submit an appeal form to the Dean of Instruction, or, in the case of a conflict of interest, the Dean of Student Affairs, within five business days of receiving the decision. The appeal is not a rehearing of the case; rather, it is a review of whether the Academic Integrity Process was followed appropriately and whether the outcome was supported by the available information.

The appeal must clearly state the facts supporting the claim that a serious error occurred in the original decision and specify the relief requested.

Valid grounds for appeal include:

  • The original decision was made without consideration of significant information that was not reasonably available at the time of the decision.
  • A procedural error or lack of fundamental fairness occurred during the review process.
  • The sanction imposed was substantially disproportionate to the violation.
  • The decision was not supported by the evidence available at the time.

The Dean of Instruction will review the appeal and may uphold, modify, or overturn the original decision. The decision of the Dean of Instruction is final.

Privacy

The appeal file is maintained by the Office of Student Affairs and is considered part of the student's educational record. Records related to academic integrity violations and appeals are protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and will be disclosed only as permitted by law and College policy.