Ball State University has a thriving intellectual community. A hallmark of this community means that students and faculty uphold ethical standards. Often students need some assistance understanding what those ethical standards include.
Luckily, there are many ways to teach students about plagiarism including videos like this and this. It may be worth embedding things like this into class materials, lectures, or canvas site. For some classes, it may even make sense to encourage students to take a certification test so they learn about common mistakes and how to avoid them.
Often, academic dishonesty can be prevented when instructors write a clear syllabus and have authentic assignments that are unique to the course SLOs and refreshed often. These issues may be even more complicated when students are learning online. Much attention has been paid recently to what students see as cheating and student ideas for how to prevent it.
The Office of the Vice Provost of Academic Affairs is responsible for the overall administration of the Student Academic Ethics policy. As always, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Kristen McCauliff with any questions about the policy, appropriate resolutions, or preventative measures.
Process
Faculty or staff members who suspect a potential violation of academic dishonesty should follow these procedures.
- Email the student to schedule a meeting within five school days.
- Meet with the student to discuss the violation and the resolution.
- A student may disagree with either the accusation and/or resolution. If so, the Office of the Vice Provost will meet with the student.
- Paperwork is held on file for five years.
- There will not be a notation of academic dishonesty on the student’s formal record.
- The professor cannot alter a student’s grade without turning in the Academic Ethics Reporting Form.
Download printer-friendly version (PDF)
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.
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 articles and resources.
Questions?
If you have any questions during the process, please contact Dr. Kristen McCauliff.
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.