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.
Process
Faculty or staff members who suspect a potential violation of academic integrity should follow these procedures.
The informal level (dark gray boxes) does not involve the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (VPAA). The formal/University level (red boxes) involves the VPAA.
- 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).
- 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.
- A student may disagree with either the accusation and/or resolution. If so, the Office of the Vice Provost will meet with the student.
- As part of the 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.
Step 1: Within 5 school days from suspicion of potential academic dishonesty, notify student and request a private conference. Suggestions:
- Requests to meet should be sent by email (set as high importance) from instructor’s Ball State email address rather than by Canvas email or a comment on student’s assignment.
- If the student was notified verbally when misconduct occurred, send an email summary of the incident and meeting request on the same day.
- See email sample request to meet and discuss suspected violation for suggested language. Instructors may use the sample email as a template.
- Focus on specific actions and objective indicators that caused suspicion rather than communicating assumptions about students' abilities.
Work with the student to set a meeting within 5 school days from notification (preferably meeting in-person, by phone, or virtually) to discuss and clarify the suspected violation. Suggestions for the meeting:
- Present observed actions and objective indicators.
- Ask student to share their perspectives.
- Discuss a resolution.
- Inform student of their right to appeal.
- If student admits academic misconduct, email the student:
- The Ethics Reporting (ER) form that includes a summary of the private conference.
- Reminder that they may appeal accusation or resolution.
- Request that they email completed and signed ER form back to the instructor within 5 school days of the private conference.
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.
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, using generative AI, and collaborating with peers. Include on your syllabi links to the student academic ethics policy and ethics reporting form.
- 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 this document and the "Process" section above.
As always, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Linh Littleford 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 articles and resources.
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.
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.