FACULTY AND STAFF INFORMATION
What Instructors Can Do to Prevent Academic Dishonesty
- Foster an atmosphere of trust with open and frank discussions of values, academic integrity, and course expectations. The first day of class, while referring to the syllabus and before the first exam or paper assignment are natural times to discuss these issues with students, but also must continue throughout the semester.
- Make clear your expectation that work submitted under a student's name must be solely the work of that student and be carried out in the manner prescribed.
- Since there is wide variation among instructors as to the amount of collaboration on assignments permitted or encouraged, it is important to let students know your expectations regarding discussion and/or collaboration on assignments. Avoid speaking in general terms; instead, giving specific examples helps make the distinction between what is acceptable and unacceptable more clear to students.
- Discuss plagiarism and the rules of citation. This is particularly important for new students who may not be well grounded in the mechanics of citing sources or who may not understand that plagiarism is using another's ideas or exact words without credit. The Writing Center (263-1992) can provide you with a handout entitled "Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Acknowledging Sources" to duplicate and distribute to your students.
- Be clear that plagiarism rules extend to material found on websites and other electronic sources. To encourage proper citation practice, include a format for citing such sources on any style sheet handed out to students. (For more information, refer to the "Internet Citation Guides" web pages on the campus libraries' website.
- To reduce the temptation to cheat during exams, consider the conditions under which exams are given. Attention to seating, number and role of proctors, and the use of alternate versions of your exams may be useful. Eliminating electronic devices, backpacks, and food and drink are also helpful.
- Honest students are concerned and upset when they observe others cheating. An open discussion of the importance and value you place upon academic honesty will encourage students who observe misconduct to come to you to share their concerns and observations.
How to confront Students About Academic Misconduct Violations
- Tell the student you need to speak to them and set up a face to face meeting.
- In the meeting, tell the student what you suspect and ask them to tell you from their perspective how they wrote the paper or what they were doing in the exam.
- After the meeting, decide if the student is responsible or not responsible for committing academic misconduct and recommend an appropriate sanction.
- Notify the student via email, see sample letter, and send a copy of the letter to the Dean of Students office, dean@studentlife.wisc.edu if the sanction falls into UWS Chapter 14 Group B or recommends a Group C category.
What happens to a student's record?
Academic misconduct records are considered confidential in nature and only disclosed to those within the university on a need to know basis. If an undergraduate student is found responsible for an academic misconduct violation and it is reported to the Dean of Students office, a notation is made in our misconduct database. This information is not disclosed outside the university unless our office has written verification from the student to release the information. Notations are only visible on an official transcript if the student is sanctioned to probation, suspension or expulsion. Probation and Suspension notations are only visible on an official transcript for the duration of the probation or suspension, and expulsion notations are permanent. For more information about student records, please see the Student Privacy Rights: FERPA information on the registrar's website.