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Case Study 3: Handling an Allegation of Academic Dishonesty - Academic Director Feedback Transcript

Laurie Hulcher

Assistant Director for Graduate Student Relations

Graduate School of Management and Technology

Category: » Fac-resources » Faculty-development

Feedback from the Academic Directors - Transcript

Academic Director 1:

This is a case study about academic misconduct; specifically, plagiarism, which is presenting another person’s ideas or work product as your own. But before we talk about the case, let's step back and talk about academic dishonesty and academic integrity, and how this is handled at UMUC.

Academic Director 2:

As part of student development we teach values associated with good scholarship. This includes honesty, truthfulness, and respect for the work of authors and researchers. So, all members of the UMUC community students, faculty, and administrators – share the responsibility for academic integrity.

Academic Director 1:

Academic dishonesty includes cheating and fabrication, as well as plagiarism. Students resort to academic dishonesty for various reasons. Sometimes it's pressure to achieve high grades, difficulty with writing, time issues, or simply a lack of commitment to scholarly practices. But the important thing is that no student should ever take or be given undue credit for the work of other people.

Academic Director 2:

In the case study we showed, a student is suspected of plagiarism, which is a form of academic dishonesty. The professor is handling it through the process prescribed in UMUC policy. This is a two-part process. In the first part, the faculty member determines whether plagiarism has occurred. The faculty member communicates with the student about the charge and if it is determined that plagiarism has occurred, the faculty member will forward the case to the Dean’s office. The Dean handles the second part of the case, which is assigning the sanction.

Academic Director 1:

The University has many resources that may help to minimize the occurrence of academic dishonesty. These are available on the website of our Center for Intellectual Property. Additionally, as mentioned in the video, the University has a license agreement with TurnItIn.com, an electronic resource which can help instructors to detect plagiarism in student work. Information about this service is included in each WebTycho syllabus, under the Academic Policies section.

Academic Director 2:

Faculty who have questions or concerns about handling student academic dishonesty or plagiarism cases should speak with their Program Director or Department Chair.