Academic Integrity for Faculty

Academic Integrity Syllabus Statements

Sample Statements:

• Students are expected to be familiar with and comply with A&M-SA's Code of Conduct, which is available in the Student Handbook. I generally have a zero-tolerance policy for cheating, and all violations will result in substantial penalties. If you have any doubts or questions about what constitutes academic misconduct, please do not hesitate to contact me.
• Intellectual development requires honesty, responsibility, and diligence in one's work. Taking ideas or words from others — plagiarizing — is dishonest and will result in a failing grade on the paper or assignment, as well as possibly other disciplinary actions. If you are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism, please ask me or consult the Student Handbook.

Have a syllabus statement you would like to contribute as a sample? Please email StudentRR@tamusa.edu 

Electronics Policy on Syllabus 

Responding to Academic Misconduct: Guide for Student/Faculty Conversations 

By the time this guide is utilized make sure: 

• You've documented the incident of academic misconduct. 
• You've gathered all documentation and highlighted key information of why you are concerned about academic misconduct. 
• You've already sent the student suspected of academic misconduct an email to their university issued email address describing your concerns. 

Allow time to schedule and prepare for the conversation. It is not necessary to provide your detailed evidence in this email. 

Important conversation reminders: 

• Begin the conversation with a calm and non-accusing tone. Allow the student to respond fully and honestly. 
• Explain the purpose of the meeting, which is to hear the student's perspective regarding what occurred. 
• Present your evidence. Item by item, ask the student to respond to what their thought process was for each one, and ensure they understand the expectations of the assignment(s). 
  • Examples of helpful questions to ask: How did you understand the academic integrity expectations for this assignment? What was your thought process when completing this assignment? How did you go about drafting this piece of writing? 
  • Determine whether or not the student has taken part in academic dishonesty. 

Based on the conversation with the student and your determination whether academic negligence or academic dishonesty occurred, find an impartial and fair sanction (if any) to apply to the student. 

• It would be appropriate to consult with your department chair ahead of your meeting if you are not aware of what would constitute an appropriate sanction. 
• Complete the Academic misconduct Incident form with the student. 
• Conclude the meeting by letting the student know they may hear from Student Rights and Responsibilities as academic misconduct is a violation of the Code of Conduct. 

After the meeting: 

Once you submit the online Academic Misconduct Incident Form, reports will automatically be sent to Student Rights and Responsibilities, the Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, and the Dean of the College and Department Chair in which the alleged violation has occurred. Student Rights and Responsibilities may require further documentation or discussion. 

Tips for Addressing Academic Misconduct in the Online Environment 

Review the definitions of academic misconduct to evaluate suspected misconduct. In addition to these tips, you can also review the policy and procedure regarding academic misconduct for full details. 

1. Document the alleged incident of academic misconduct. 
   • Evidence may include unauthorized materials such as crib notes, exams on which cheating is suspected to have occurred, plagiarized materials, and other sources. 
   • In the case that you alleging that a student plagiarized another individual's work, retain a copy of that work along with the student's work and clearly underline or highlight portions that are similar. 
   • Please also include your course syllabus in the documentation. 
2. Notify the student(s) of your allegation and provide the student(s) with an opportunity to meet with you. 
   • Include a reasonable date and time by which the student should respond. (Ex: Student Rights and Responsibilities uses 5 business days as our standard). 
3. Schedule a meeting with student(s).
   • Utilize WebEx or Zoom for your meeting as these platforms allow screen-sharing and a chat box. Phone call is also an option if a video call is not possible. 
   • During the meeting, complete the Academic Misconduct Incident Form with the student(s). 
   • The form will prompt you to list the academic misconduct charge(s) you are filing against the student as well as the sanctions you are imposing. At the bottom of the form, there is a place to upload all of the documentation you collected. 
   • You can copy and paste the form's agreement statements into the chat box of WebEx or Zoom to allow the student to respond there. The responses can then be screen grabbed and uploaded as evidence. Remember to screengrab BEFORE ending the meeting, this can be done after the student has left the meeting. 
   • Phone call: Please explain you will be asking for and taking note of verbal responses while completing the form. 
4. Notify the student that Student Rights and Responsibilities may or may not contact them as academic misconduct is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.
   • Student Rights and Responsibilities does not follow-up on every case of academic misconduct. Cases we would follow-up on include incidents that are particularly egregious, involve a large number of students, or incidents with students who have a conduct history. 

After the meeting: 

Once you submit the online Academic Misconduct Incident Form, reports will automatically be sent to Student Rights and Responsibilities, the Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, and the Dean of the College and Department Chair in which the alleged violation has occurred. Student Rights and Responsibilities may require further documentation or discussion.