Updated Academic Integrity Policy
On 22 July 2024, the new Academic Integrity Policy will come into effect. This means that any new Academic Integrity cases will be dealt with according to an updated process.
For academic staff, the academic integrity reporting process remains the same, with Course Coordinators submitting reports via the red button on the Academic Integrity webpage.
The main changes to the Policy are:
- An Early Offer procedure has been introduced for cases meeting certain criteria (including no prior record of academic integrity breaches). The Early Offer provides an opportunity for the Student to accept that a breach has occurred and to accept a Mitigated Outcome. Its focus is on improving the Student’s academic practice and understanding of Academic Integrity. An Early Offer may also result in much shorter timelines for the resolution of the academic integrity case. When an Early Offer is made, the investigation process is paused and will recommence if the Student chooses not to accept the Early Offer.
- The usual academic integrity investigation procedure remains for all other cases, but timelines have been shortened to reduce the timescale for resolutions and minimise student anxiety.
- New academic misconduct definitions have been added to the Policy to reflect common concerns:
- Inappropriate use of artificial intelligence and digital tools, where the use of these tools subverts the aims of assessment or gives the Student an unfair academic advantage. Inappropriate assistance can include but is not limited to:
1. submitting Work produced (or partially produced) by generative artificial intelligence as your own Work;
2. using information generated by artificial intelligence without appropriate acknowledgement or attribution;
3.the use of Digital Tools to submit Work which significantly misrepresents the Student’s level of competence; or
4.the use of digital tools to disguise plagiarism, collusion, copying, contract cheating or any other behaviours of Academic Misconduct. - Unpermitted or illegitimate academic file-sharing is the transfer and/or trading of course materials, notes, assessment tasks, answers, and responses with others, including Internet-based sites, in a manner that facilitates unfair academic advantage.
- However, the Policy definitions of academic misconduct are not exhaustive and other behaviour which breach academic integrity may be identified.
- Inappropriate use of artificial intelligence and digital tools, where the use of these tools subverts the aims of assessment or gives the Student an unfair academic advantage. Inappropriate assistance can include but is not limited to:
Students will receive communications about the new Policy via Student News, the Academic Integrity Module, and they can find more information on the student Academic Integrity webpage.
If you have any questions about the Policy, please contact the Academic Integrity Officer for your school, or the central Academic Integrity Team.