Student Academic Conduct
Academic Integrity
The University of Alberta's academic credentials, research and scholarly activities depend on academic integrity and the fundamental values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage in all academic work.
The university is defined by tradition as a community dedicated to advancing knowledge—a place with freedom to teach, research, create, learn, study, speak, associate, write and publish. These freedoms give university life its enduring value. The degrees and credentials the university awards, as well as its reputation for academic excellence, ultimately depend on trusted relationships between teachers and researchers. This requires honesty and integrity from everyone involved in academic activities.
The University of Alberta community includes people with diverse interests and cultures from around the world and all walks of life. It provides a shared space for diverse scholarship, research and learning communities.
Faculty, staff and students live, work, explore, teach and learn together. These differences strengthen the institution and support its central mission. Since each person's actions affect other community members, everyone must be accountable for their actions.
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What is student academic misconduct?
Academic misconduct includes plagiarism, cheating and any other form of misconduct that gives a student an unfair academic advantage or undermines research integrity. The Student Academic Integrity Policy (SAIP) provides details on the expectations for students.
Reporting academic misconduct
Colleges and independent faculties may have varying intake processes for reporting academic misconduct. It is always best practice to raise an academic integrity concern with the instructor of the course or your faculty.
Academic misconduct procedure
Most cases of academic misconduct are resolved at the faculty level. Anyone can raise an academic integrity concern by bringing it to the attention of an instructor. The instructor may raise an academic integrity concern with the student and make any inquiries about the concern that they deem appropriate.
The instructor submits a report to the faculty dean. Upon receiving an academic integrity concern, the dean will consider the information and offer the student an opportunity to respond. The dean will consider the information and determine whether the matter should be addressed through non-disciplinary accountability options (NDAO) or a complaint process.
Both the dean and the student must agree that the NDAO process is the appropriate choice. If a dean declines to use an NDAO, there is no appeal for that decision. Students also have the right to engage in the complaint process and may choose to pursue it over the NDAO process.
Options after reporting academic misconduct
NDAOs are about working with a student to address their behaviour. The complaint process is about the university making a decision about that student to address their behaviour. Both processes are necessary, but the NDAO process has the most potential for a positive outcome for the student and the community.
Non-disciplinary accountability options
NDAOs are agreements that faculties reach with students to hold them accountable for their behaviour and lay out a set of expectations on things the student will do and will not do in the future. The student has to agree that they have done something wrong and participate in determining appropriate ways of addressing it.
If a student completes the NDAO and is never again found to engage in academic misconduct, when they graduate the record of the NDAO will be purged and the student will be able to apply to other programs and legitimately say they have never been found to have violated a discipline policy, at least as far as SAIP is concerned.
Complaint process
There are times when the behaviour addressed by the SAIP is simply too serious to be allowed to continue. If the faculty does not feel that a student is a candidate for a NDAO, or it is not possible to reach an agreement with the student, then the matter has to be referred to a faculty member to make a decision as to whether the student violated the policy and determine appropriate sanctions.
When a decision is made to address an academic integrity concern through the complaint process, the dean will assign a Faculty Decision-Maker. The Faculty Decision-Maker will offer the student a hearing and complete any necessary investigation to determine if the student is in violation of the Student Academic Integrity Policy.
Where the Faculty Decision-Maker determines that the student has violated the Student Academic Integrity Policy, they may impose one or more of the sanctions set out in Schedule B of the Student Academic Integrity Policy. These may include: academic integrity conditions, grade sanctions, rescission of an admission offer or refusal to consider an application.
In some instances, a Faculty Decision-Maker may refer a case to Student Conduct and Accountability, where they seek to apply specific sanctions, such as suspension, expulsion, suspension of a degree and rescission of a degree.
Support for students facing an allegation
Support is available for students facing allegations of academic misconduct. The Office of the Student Ombuds can assist students in navigating the Student Academic Misconduct Process.
Student Academic Integrity Policy
Overview
The Student Academic Integrity Policy (SAIP) is a formal policy that applies to all students at the university. This includes every individual who is registered in courses, is currently attending or has graduated from the university. It provides information on why the policy is in place and the university’s approach to academic misconduct.
This guide provides an overview of SAIP. If ever there is a discrepancy between the information provided here and the policy, the policy will be deemed accurate.
SAIP is accompanied by appendices and procedures to support the management of cases of student academic misconduct. When you search for SAIP through the university's repository of policies, you will see the entire suite of documents. Below is a brief description of SAIP and its accompanying appendices and procedures.
You can find each of these documents through the University of Alberta Policies and Procedures Online (UAPPOL) website.
Appendix A: Academic Misconduct
This document is part of SAIP and outlines different forms of academic misconduct, such as plagiarism and different types of cheating.
Appendix B: Sanction Descriptions and Impact
This document provides information on sanctions for academic misconduct. These include consequences such as letters of reprimand and grade reductions for when a case of student academic misconduct is confirmed by the university.
Student Academic Misconduct Procedure
This document provides detailed information on the procedures that must be followed for each allegation of student academic misconduct. This document applies to cases overseen by each faculty and includes information on cases that are referred to Student Conduct and Accountability.
Read the Student Academic Misconduct Procedure
Student Academic Misconduct Appeal Procedure
This document outlines the procedures that must be followed when a student wishes to appeal a decision made by a faculty or Student Conduct and Accountability on a case of student academic misconduct.