Academic Conduct Policy

Academic Conduct Standards

If any administrator, faculty, staff, or student body member suspects a student of engaging in academic misconduct, that person must report it to the Academic Conduct Committee. Academic misconduct is defined as any act of commission or omission by a student designed to affect the grade of that student or another student, where such act is unfair, unethical, or outside of the rules of Walsh College, the rules set by the academic department, or by a classroom instructor (for the instructor’s course).

Academic Misconduct includes but is not limited to:

1. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the use of another’s work, words, ideas, or images without properly citing the source and thereby representing this work as one’s own, whether the representation is oral or written, expressed or implied. Examples include:

• Failure to give credit for work (including ideas and materials) taken from other sources (public or private), including quoting, paraphrasing, rephrasing, or condensing that work
• The submission of one’s academic work from a previous course without prior written approval of the current instructor
• Using graphics, graphs, images, tables, or other illustrative work without giving credit to the original source
• Using materials that were assembled by or collected by others without acknowledging their contribution
• Contributing to another student’s work or helping another to plagiarize

2. Cheating: Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following actions:

• Unauthorized collusion on coursework, including two or more students working together to prepare and submit the same or substantially similar coursework, or portions of coursework, without the specific consent of the instructor
• Sharing of completed or partially completed coursework which includes, but is not limited to, examinations, quizzes, homework exercises, projects, presentations, discussion boards, papers or other assignments, except where expressly allowed by an instructor for a particular course
• Use of unauthorized aids while completing coursework

• Failure to follow administrative instructions on exam-taking or other assessment procedures

• Completing coursework, including taking an examination, for another student or asking or paying someone else to do the same
• Allowing another person to access online coursework to review, copy, submit, or complete that coursework
• The theft, sale, purchase, unauthorized procurement or possession of examinations or other coursework (or any attempt to do so)
• Copying another student’s work

Unauthorized distribution or uploading of Walsh College copyrighted materials to any non-Walsh College website, including but not limited to:

• Any portion of course content such as lectures, presentations, videos, assignments, examination, or quiz questions, etc.
• Library materials subject to copyright whether or not noted as “do not copy.”
• Copying of library materials designated “do not copy”

Damage, destruction, or modification to Walsh College computers/servers/printers including but not limited to:

• Copying, modifying, or removing software

• Unauthorized uploading of computer software and/or introducing a virus or malware

3. Misrepresentation or Deception: This includes intentionally lying to, deceiving, or bribing a member of Walsh’s faculty, staff, administration, or outside agency in order to gain academic advantage for oneself or another; or to misrepresent or in other ways interfere with the investigation of a charge of academic misconduct.

Penalties for Academic Misconduct

Formal documentation of the infraction will be noted in the student’s file and remain on record as long as the individual is a student at Walsh College.  Additional disciplinary actions or sanctions include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following:

• Re-doing the assignment for a reduced grade
• A reduction in the earned grade on the assignment
• A directed zero on the assignment
• A reduction in the overall semester grade
• Loss of Walsh College-awarded scholarship money or awards
• A directed “F” in the course
• A review of all prior coursework completed at Walsh College, which may lead to new charges of misconduct should earlier violations have occurred, whether they were addressed at the time or not, up to and including possible reversal of grades earned in prior courses, or degrees revoked, if evidence is found indicating that misconduct was employed in the pursuit of those earlier grades or degrees
• Suspension from Walsh College
• Expulsion from Walsh College

Other Consequences of Academic Misconduct

A student being investigated for academic misconduct, or having been found responsible for academic misconduct:

• May not withdraw from the course at any time

• May not seek financial relief for withdrawal

• May not utilize the grade replacement feature of the Course Repeat policy

• A finding of academic misconduct will become a permanent part of the student record. Subsequent acts of any level of academic misconduct will be considered a basis for suspension or permanent expulsion from Walsh College

Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Designations

Disciplinary action for academic misconduct can take multiple forms. For academic misconduct, disciplinary action may include those listed in the Penalties for Academic Misconduct section. The most serious disciplinary procedures include suspension and expulsion, as defined below.

Suspension from Walsh College

A suspension will terminate the student’s status at Walsh College for a specified period of time, not to exceed one year. This may be posted on the student’s academic transcript at the direction of the dean of academics.

At the end of the specified period, the suspended student will be required to request reinstatement to Walsh College. If granted, the student will be admitted conditionally. Any additional act of academic misconduct committed during the remainder of the student’s academic program will result in permanent expulsion from Walsh College, without the possibility of appeal.

Expulsion from Walsh College

Expulsion from Walsh College will permanently and irrevocably terminate the student’s status at Walsh College. This may be posted on the student’s academic transcript at the direction of the dean of academics. An expulsion may not be appealed and the student will be permanently barred from earning a Walsh College degree.

Academic Conduct Process

The suspected misconduct should be reported promptly to the Academic Conduct Committee, which will examine the evidence, determine whether the student was a repeat offender, and impose the appropriate disciplinary action and/or remediation. Formal documentation of the infraction will be noted in the student’s file.

A student may appeal a finding of academic misconduct by applying in writing to the Academic Conduct Committee, AcademicConduct@walshcollege.edu, within fourteen (14) calendar days of notification. Appeals will be heard by the dean of academics who may, at their discretion, affirm, modify, or reverse the decision. The decision of the dean of academics is final in all instances.

Responsibility of Faculty Members

All faculty members must promptly report all apparent instances of academic misconduct to the Academic Conduct Committee.