Ball State University has a thriving intellectual community. A hallmark of this community is that students and faculty uphold academic ethical standards, meaning that they are honest, trustworthy, and responsible in their educational endeavors. The Office of the Vice Provost of Academic Affairs is responsible for the overall administration of the Student Academic Ethics policy.
Instructors: To submit an Academic Ethics Reporting Form, click here.
Students: Emails notifying you of formal academic conduct allegations will be sent to your bsu.edu email address through Maxient. The email will be from “Austin Guess (via Maxient)<notifications@maxient.com>". This is an authentic email from the VPAA. It is not spam or a phishing attempt. The email will include this statement, "This is an official correspondence from the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at Ball State University. A letter has been issued to you electronically by our office. Upon clicking the link below, you will be taken to a screen requesting you log in with your BSU username and password to securely access this correspondence." If you have difficulty accessing the letter in Maxient or wish to confirm the legitimacy of the email, please call our office at 765-285-3716 or email austin.guess@bsu.edu.
Process
Faculty or staff members who suspect a potential violation of academic integrity should follow these procedures.
Academic Ethics Process Overview
Step 1: Notify Student and Request a PRELIMINARY INQUIRY MEETING
Instructor notifies the student and requests a preliminary inquiry meeting within 5 school days of discovering potential academic dishonesty.
Step 2: Meet and Discuss the Incident
Instructor and student meet to discuss incident before instructor determines whether a formal allegation is warranted. If student does not respond, it will be treated as an admission of responsibility. Instructor should consult with unit- level leadership before proceeding to step 3.
Step 3: Notify Student of Determination and Unit-Level Resolution
Instructor notifies student of one of two outcomes
- Instructor is not formally alleging academic misconduct. The matter is closed.
- Instructor is formally alleging academic misconduct, informing the student of the right to appeal, and requesting a PRIVATE ACADEMIC CONFERENCE to discuss the allegation and resolution.
Step 4: Meet and Discuss the Formal Allegation and Resolution
Instructor and student meet to discuss formal allegation and resolution. If the student does not respond, it will be treated as an admission of responsibility for allegation. Student sends written agreement or disagreement with allegation and/or resolution to instructor.
Step 5: Resolution and Documentation
Faculty submits completed Ethics Reporting Form and supporting documents to the VPAA.
Resolution (up to and including):
- Failure in the course
- Academic ethics education
Reminders
- Student contacts VPAA if they wish to appeal. A student may disagree with either the accusation and/or resolution. If so, the Office of the Vice Provost will meet with the student.
- If there are multiple offenses, this may involve formal resolution and/or additional penalties, including:
- Suspension
- Expulsion
- Revocation of degree
- The deadline for each step is five school days from the previous step. School days are Monday-Friday, when University classes are scheduled, including summer terms.
- Instructors cannot alter a student’s grade without turning in the Ethics Reporting Form.
- The Ethics Reporting form and relevant documents are held on file for five years.
- Academic dishonesty is not noted on student's formal record (e.g., transcript).
- As part of the resolution, instructors may require students to complete the sanctions process. The Office of Student Conduct will assign educational activities appropriate to students’ situations to help them avoid future academic misconduct.
Academic Ethics Hearing Panel Overview
Student Academic Ethics Hearing Panel
The hearing panel includes:
- 5 voting members (3 faculty and 2 students)
- Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (VPAA)
- Dean of Students (DOS)
Involved Student and Faculty Participation
Student and faculty each:
- Submit written documentation
- Have up to 30 minutes to present relevant information to the panel (panel may vary), including witness testimonies.
Hearing Panel Determination and Outcomes
The panel reviews the case and issues a determination and recommendation.
If the student is found not responsible:
- Accusation is dismissed and faculty assigns grade based on academic performance
- Panel's summary of evidence is presented, and findings are sent to the student, faculty, department chair, college dean, and Provost
Faculty may appeal the panel's decision to the Provost, in which case the Provost can:
- Approve the Hearing Panel’s determination
- Overrule or modify the determination
- Refer the case back to the Hearing Panel
If the student is found responsible:
- Panel may recommend consequences up to and including: Suspension, expulsion or revocation of degree
Student may appeal the decision to the Provost, in which case the Provost can:
- Approve the Hearing Panel’s determination
- Overrule or modify the determination
- Refer the case back to the Hearing Panel
If the student disagrees with the accusation or resolution discussed in the private conference or seeks to appeal the academic ethics violation, the incident will be handled with the formal resolution process of a Student Academic Ethics Hearing. The hearing procedures are outlined in the diagrams below and detailed in sections V. and VI. of the Student Academic Ethics Policy.
The following are suggestions for faculty and students to uphold academic integrity:
Faculty: Supporting Academic Integrity
Preventing Academic Dishonesty:
- Use authentic assignments that are unique to the course student learning outcomes and refresh often.
- Make explicit on your syllabi and discuss with students your expectations regarding actions that are acceptable vs. not (and why), especially regarding using classmates' work, collaborating with peers, and using generative AI (for the entire course or for specific assignments).
- Include on your syllabi links to the student academic ethics policy.
- Discuss with students why it is important for all in the learning space to act with academic integrity, what they see as cheating, and how to prevent it. These issues may be more complicated when students are learning online.
- Discuss ways that students can summarize or paraphrase without inadvertently plagiarizing. Refer students to the resources in the adjacent tab "Students: Acting with Academic Integrity."
When you become aware of a potential academic ethics violation:
- Review the reporting process outlined in the "Process" section above.
As always, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Linh Littleford or Austin Guess with any questions about the policy, appropriate resolutions, or preventative measures.
Important Information Regarding AI
Currently, there is a lot of discussion about the different ways AI
can enable and disrupt learning for many students. As faculty continue
to strive for authentic assessment and meaningful engagement, we offer a
few helpful resources. The Student Generative AI Use Scale and the AI Assessment Scale are especially helpful for communicating to students the varying levels of acceptable AI use and providing examples of allowable tasks.
Resources
Syllabus Information
Discussion
Links for Additional Information
Looking for more information about what counts as plagiarism and how to prevent it? See these helpful links and tutorials.
Helpful BSU Links
Please contact these BSU offices for help dealing with classroom disruption, authentic assessment, policy questions, and student support.
Questions?
If you have any questions during the process, please contact Dr. Linh Littleford or Austin Guess.
If you need advice or have personal issues, academic difficulties, health problems, or have questions about University policies and procedures; you may seek help from the Dean of Students.
For questions concerning disciplinary actions you can inquire at the Office of Student Conduct.