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221 - Academic Integrity 

Responsible Office: Student Success
Responsible Officer:  Vice President of Student Success
Reference: 

PART 1. POLICY 

Academic integrity, one of the most important values in higher education, requires that each student's work represents their own personal efforts and that the student acknowledges the intellectual contributions of others. Minnesota State College Southeast students are expected to honor the requirements of the Academic Integrity Policy. 

The goal of this policy is to support each student's own original thoughts and work as well as their career and professional preparation. The following are academic practices, also referred to as "academic misconduct" that are violations of the Academic Integrity Policy: 

  • Plagiarism: The presentation of another's work, or work generated by artificial intelligence (e.g. ChatGPT), as one's own by failing to cite the source (even when used to generate ideas), by failing to enclose direct quotations within quotation marks, or by paraphrasing in language that too closely resembles that of the original source. 
  • Cheating: Using, or attempting to use, unauthorized materials in any academic exercise or having someone else or generative artificial intelligence do the required work; e.g., cheat sheets or copying from another's paper, test, and/or homework. 
  • Fabrication: Inventing or falsifying information; e.g., creating data for a required lab experiment that was not done or was done incorrectly. 
  • Enabling academic misconduct: Intentionally or knowingly helping another commit an act of academic fraud; e.g., taking an online test for another student. 
  • Deception or misrepresentation: Unauthorized alteration, forgery, or falsification of academic records or academic work. Violating stated guidelines on an assignment. 
  • Damaging other's work: Sabotaging or damaging the work of others. 
  • Multiple submission: Submitting work without faculty's permission as if it were new work, even though it has already been used in another class. 

The college may impose sanctions whenever a student engages in academic fraud. The responsibilities of faculty and students, and the pertinent sanctions and appeal processes, are described in the Academic Integrity Procedure. 

PART 2. PROCEDURE

  1. Within three (3) business days of discovering and/or being made aware of the potential academic integrity violation, faculty will notify the student of the suspected academic misconduct.  A meeting will be scheduled by the faculty member, after mutual agreement between the faculty and student, on the soonest practical date and time.  If the potential academic integrity violation occurs at the end of the semester, the final grade for the course will not be posted until a final determination is made on the outcome of the suspected academic misconduct.
  2. At the meeting, the faculty discusses the concerns, considers the evidence, and listens to the student's explanation. 
  3. Within three (3) business days after the meeting with the student, if the faculty determines that the student has violated the Academic Integrity Policy, the faculty will proceed as listed below.
    A. If faculty decision is sanction A, B, C, or D (outlined below), the faculty informs the student in writing of the consequences of the violation that the faculty will impose.
    B. If sanctions E, F, G, or H (outlined below) are considered, the faculty should first meet with their dean to discuss the charge and recommended actions. After meeting with their dean, the faculty will inform the student in writing of the potential consequences of the violation. The faculty member will complete an "Academic Integrity Violation Reporting Form" (linked here or available within the Faculty Hub) which generates a notification to the Vice President of Student Success. The Vice President of Student Success (or designee) must respond to and act on any charges of academic misconduct within 5 business days after notification from the faculty. The response may include setting a meeting with any and all parties involved.
  4. Student Response: If the student disagrees with either the determination of a violation of the policy or the sanction, the student may appeal the faculty's decision to the Vice President of Student Success (or designee) within three (3) business days of the written decision. Please note, assignment/test/quiz grades cannot be appealed. 
  5. In case of an appeal, the Vice President of Student Success (or designee) follows the Student Code of Conduct beginning with the investigation process. 
Sanctions for Academic Misconduct may include, but are not limited to, the following: 

A. No further action
B. Warning given to the student
C. Academic plan established for future performance.
D. Grade of "F" or "0" points for the assignment or test/quiz.
E. Grade of "F" for the course
F. Probation period during which any further incidents may lead to summary suspension.
G. Suspension
H. Expulsion

 

Approved: April 27, 2006
Reviewed: December 28, 2010; February 7, 2011; October 23, 2013; April 2021, September 2023; December 20, 2023
Revised: September 29, 2008; April 2021; December 20, 2023